Numerous studies show that when siblings in foster care can be kept together, the short- and long-term benefits are significant. For instance, it improves the likelihood of permanency and stability and avoids scenarios where a child cannot adjust to a new home due to frequent worry about a separated sibling. Placement with siblings also fulfills the central goal of a foster or institutional care program: promoting the best interests of each child.
Any new environment is likely to invoke stress and fear of the unknown in adolescents who have experienced trauma or neglect, even with the most loving and caring professional support team or foster family. Even if a child’s homelife was unhealthy or abusive, it still offered familiarity. Therefore, suddenly removing a child can add to existing trauma and feelings of anxiety, regardless of their previous living circumstance’s detrimental aspects.
Being with a sibling can help alleviate apprehensions and tensions considerably, bringing comfort and familiarity into an uncertain situation. This arrangement also often reinforces a sense of togetherness and belonging and provides continuity for children when all other familial relationships might have been broken.
