The Importance of Sibling Relationships in Foster Care

For more than 50 years, Hope Children's Home (hopechildrenshome.org) has been helping children who find themselves in need. At its main campus in Florida, Hope Children's Home houses 80 kids in dormitories. The organization also houses families in cottages, keeping them together instead of splitting them into multiple homes, which is a common practice in the foster care system.

According to AdoptUSKids, around 75 percent of children in foster care have a sibling in foster care. Further, more than 65 percent of these children are separated from their siblings. This separation often occurs from a lack of homes that accommodate siblings and from each child’s diverse needs. For example, one sibling may not need as much supervision as another.

Despite the commonality of splitting siblings in foster care, doing so is detrimental to youth development. Sibling relationships provide kids with a source of continuity and stability throughout their lives. Siblings provide companionship and emotional support as they age.

As children transition between homes and the changes associated with being removed from their parents, their reliance on sibling relationships grows stronger. Kids who remain with their siblings have a higher likelihood of stability and permanency in their placements. Further, they exhibit less anxiety and depression, and they adjust better to a new home.