Supporting siblings who don't live together

Helping children separated from their siblings

• Be positive and supportive of relaxed and normalised family time - the earlier relationships are formed, the sooner siblings develop meaningful relationships with each other
• Always refer to the child’s family respectfully
• Encourage children to talk about their family
• If the physical distance between siblings is challenging, support contact in other ways, for eg, letters, email, Skype, and phone calls
• Use Life Story Work to record family time, including photos taken at visits
• Seek out sibling support groups where they can meet with others in a similar situation (Children are often relieved to learn others have similar experiences to their own, helping them feel “normal”)
• Invite siblings over to your home on a regular and relaxed basis, organise sleepovers and shared activities, get to know the carers of children’s siblings
• Explore possibilities of children joining the same sports groups, after school care or vacation care programs during school holidays

Things your care team will do include

• explain to the child why the decision to separate them was made
• seek their views and feelings about the placement of their siblings and involving them in placement decisions
• listen to their anxieties and fears
• making sure they see siblings regularly and know the people caring for them as well as possible
• involve them in planning how, when and where they will have contact
• arrange counselling, if needed