An interview with a carer fostering siblings.
Sibling placements involve keeping brothers and sisters together on their fostering journey. At Orchard Fostering, we recognise the value of sibling placements and make placing siblings together a priority. If you’re interested in finding out more about sibling placements, we took an in-depth look at the process here.
We reached out to one of our carers to discuss their personal story of fostering siblings. They shared their advice on fostering siblings, their thoughts on the importance of keeping siblings together, and the rewards (and challenges) fostering siblings can bring.
Why is it important to keep siblings together in foster care?
It’s important to keep siblings together in foster care to be able for them to grow as individuals and as a family unit within the proper dynamics of their own family – while being a part of our extended family, too.
What do you think is important in supporting sibling placements and what advice would you give to other carers who are considering sibling placements?
It’s important for each of the siblings to feel that they have their own voice, while at the same time not losing their own place in their family dynamics, like being the eldest, the second child, the youngest…
All of these placements in family order are extremely important for siblings and would be lost or dramatically changed if the siblings were not placed together in care.
The best compliment we can get as a foster carer is for all of the siblings of a foster placement to have their own individual personalities shine through in their own ways.
In what ways has fostering siblings been rewarding for you?
Fostering siblings has been a very rewarding experience for everyone in our family and extended family as seeing how all the children have grown, developed and reached their own developmental milestones has been a pleasure to witness.
Our own two girls realise also how lucky they are and they really have taken all four of our sibling placements under their wings and have developed a great bond with them and help them to continue to grow as a family and as individuals.
In what ways has fostering siblings been challenging for you?
Fostering siblings has been a challenge in many ways! Access being held pre-pandemic on a weekly basis and the siblings have had a number of changes in social workers from the time they arrived into our home.
How do siblings influence you and what is the one thing you have learned from the siblings in your care?
Siblings need to be treated as individuals, it can be difficult for siblings to each be heard when they are fostered together. While keeping the children together is good it can have its disadvantages also. For example, each child will have different memories of life before they came to your house, they will all have a different relationship with their parents and sometimes this can be challenging to deal with. One child can feel a pressure to constantly report all issues or details each week at access for example.
How do you manage sibling rivalry?
We treat everyone the same in our house, foster children and our own children. This makes for a fair and balanced home environment and everyone is on the same page and know where they stand.
What is your favourite memory you share with the siblings you foster?
We took the children to Disneyland in America and witnessed a rocket launch at NASA. It as the children’s first time on an airplane and even the trip to the airport will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It’s times like this that make fostering so amazing and rewarding.