Fostering Siblings Explained | Five Rivers Child Care

About Fostering Siblings

By fostering siblings, you help ensure that brothers and sisters can stay together, offering them the comfort of sibling bonds at a very difficult time.

Moving in with a foster family can be very daunting for young people. Keeping siblings together can make the whole transition seem less scary, helping children settle much faster. It also cements their sibling bond, helping them to remain closely connected into adulthood.

Together with local authorities, we do everything we can to ensure that siblings are kept together. However, a nationwide shortage of Foster Carers means that many are sadly split up. According to the Children’s Commissioner, 37% of brothers and sisters are separated when placed in care.

At Five Rivers Child Care, we believe siblings should be kept together wherever possible. We are always looking for people with hearts and homes big enough to care for multiple children. If you think you can help, get in touch.

Get in touch

Do Siblings in Foster Care Need Their Own Room?

In order to keep siblings together, we need Foster Carers with the physical space and emotional resources to provide for family groups of all sizes.

Typically, we expect every child over the age of three to have their own bedroom. However, it is possible for siblings to share a room where appropriate and safe.

Very occasionally, due to their dynamic, siblings in care need to be separated to enable them to settle more easily.

Fostering Sibling Groups: What to Expect

You can look after siblings on a short-term or long-term basis. Once you are approved as a Foster Carer, a Placement Officer will carefully match you with a sibling group, taking into account your personal qualities and preferences.

Foster Carers who care for siblings will receive specific training and support to enable them to care for multiple children.

To foster a child, you must be over 21, have a spare bedroom and have the right to reside in the UK. Read more about eligibility requirements.

Fostering Siblings Allowance

We want our Carers to enjoy financial stability while finding deep fulfilment in fostering.

We provide a fostering allowance that increases with the number of children you invite into your home. Some Carers look after a couple of siblings, while others look after more, and the additional responsibility is reflected in their fostering allowance. In addition to this, income from parent and child fostering is supplemented by government tax relief schemes.

Visit our pay and allowances page for further information.

Our Incredible Sibling Foster Carers

Read about sisters from Bournemouth who jointly foster a sibling group to stop them from being split up in care.

If you just imagined your own children being split, it’s a horrible thought, and these children, it’s not their fault that they’re in this situation” – Dominique, Five Rivers Foster Carer

Could Sibling Foster Care be for You?

If you can provide a safe and stable home for more than one foster child, you could help a sibling group stay together at a time when they need each other the most.

Get in touch