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Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption
Bulletin for Professionals

Author(s):  Child Welfare Information Gateway

Year Published:  2006

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You are in section: Table of Contents 1 - Defining a Sibling Relationship 2 - The Importance of Siblings 3 - Sibling Relationships in Abusive or Neglectful… 4 - Benefits of Placing Siblings Together 5 - Barriers to Placing Siblings Together 6 - Policies and Practices for Keeping Siblings… 7 - When Siblings Cannot Live Together 8 - Maintaining Ties Between Separated Siblings 9 - Sibling Issues Within the Foster or Adoptive… 10 - Resources for Promoting Intact Placement of… References

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9. Sibling Issues Within the Foster or Adoptive Family

Facilitating healthy attachments and interactions among all siblings in foster and adoptive families, including all birth, foster, and adopted children, is an essential therapeutic goal. A single family may contain birth and foster children as well as adopted children coming from different backgrounds or types of adoptions. Negative interaction patterns can result when children have different statuses in their families or special needs that require an inordinate amount of parental attention, create stress for other family members, or both.

Other dynamics lead to tensions as well; for example, one adopted child may have extensive information about his or her background, as well as ongoing contact with birth relatives, while another may have neither of these. Or an adopted child who maintains contact with his or her siblings who are still living with the birth family has difficulty integrating into the adopted family.

Two social workers in Minnesota developed a model for supporting children already in families when older children are adopted. The model was developed after the agency experienced an adoption disruption related to other children in the family (Mullin & Johnson, 1999). This model advocates having a social worker assigned to the sibling group who meets with them at strategic points. It is essential to prepare children for both the positive and negative changes in the family that are likely after a new placement and to assist parents in developing strategies to communicate and cope with their children's needs.

Some important strategies for parents and workers in addressing the needs of all children in the family include:

• Encourage children to share their thoughts and feelings; empathize with, and do not minimize their concerns.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for fun and positive interactions between children to promote attachment.
  
  
• Promote reciprocity between children in the family; for example, if a child destroys the property of another, find a way for the child to make up for the loss, such as earning the money to replace the item.
  
  
• Find ways for parents to have meaningful one-on-one time with each child.
  
  
• Teach children skills to resolve their own disputes to the extent possible.
  
  
• Develop a support group for siblings, either informally or through an agency.

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You are in section: Table of Contents 1 - Defining a Sibling Relationship 2 - The Importance of Siblings 3 - Sibling Relationships in Abusive or Neglectful… 4 - Benefits of Placing Siblings Together 5 - Barriers to Placing Siblings Together 6 - Policies and Practices for Keeping Siblings… 7 - When Siblings Cannot Live Together 8 - Maintaining Ties Between Separated Siblings 9 - Sibling Issues Within the Foster or Adoptive… 10 - Resources for Promoting Intact Placement of… References

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Updated on September 18, 2008