One in three children separated from their siblings when placed in care

More than one in three children who have a sibling or siblings are separated from them when placed in care, a new report has found.

The report from the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England found that an estimated 37% of children (20,000 in total) with a sibling are separated from a sibling when placed in care.

Of the sibling groups who were split up, 39% were split between two different local authorities and 2% were split between 3 or more different local authorities.

The report found that other factors could make sibling separation more likely too, including being in a larger sibling group, going into care at an older age, and going into a children’s home or semi-independent accommodation.

The report found that 93% of older children placed in semi-independent accommodation are separated from siblings.

Children who have come into care because of a disability or because of issues with their behaviour are more likely to be separated than other children.

“Children told me that too often these decisions were made because there was nowhere available for them to be placed together,” Dame Rachel De Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, said.

“When larger groups of siblings were separated, children report being divided into groups based simply on age or gender, because it was judged more ‘practical’.

“These are decisions of immense, life-long importance to children, decisions which may mean they are separated from those people they love the most, being made based on what works for the system, not what is best for the child. If siblings are separated, it is vital that they should be supported to stay in contact with their siblings, so they can maintain these crucial relationships.”

Interviews with children in care, care experienced young people and case studies revealed some of the main reasons why siblings are separated, including “[…] a lack of sufficient places for siblings, with particular challenges identified for larger sibling groups and older teenagers placed in supported accommodation.” The report found there are also challenges in the way that decisions are made about whether siblings can stay together, and how far a local authority needs to go to try and keep children together.

“There appear to be significant inconsistencies across the country, and decisions and plans do not always sufficiently consider the needs and views of children. While children are sometimes separated because it is in their best interests, it is clear that there are many other reasons why they will be placed apart,” the report said.

As a result of the research, the Children’s Commissioner is making recommendations to the government and local authorities, including to improve data collection on this matter so that they can be better held to account.

“This report shows that there is significant variation at the local authority level when it comes to placing siblings together, but learning from best practice is not possible without this information being transparent and available,” the report said.

It also calls for a review of the current legislation, urging policymakers to use the impact of the recent reforms in Scotland to inform this.