Ten top tips for placing siblings eBook only

The Ten Top Tips series considers some of the fundamental themes in child care practice in concise, practical guides ideal for busy practitioners.

Our relationships with our brothers and sisters are potentially the most long–lasting of our lives. For children, full, half and step–siblings can provide comfort and reassurance as well as a crucial means of learning who they are by comparing themselves to important others. However, siblings can sometimes be a source of conflict and a barrier to emotional recovery from trauma. How can social workers take these complex variables into account whilst ensuring that any decision made about placing siblings is in the best interests of each child?

This book explores the different, often conflicting, principles involved in placing looked after brothers and sisters. Using a refreshingly child–centred approach it emphasises the importance of getting to know each individual child as well as considering the needs of the sibling group as a whole.

Who is this book for?

The book will be particularly helpful for newly qualified social workers; experienced practitioners will be able to use it for quick reference and as a prompt for further thought and exploration.

What you will find in this book

Each of the ten chapters presents a basic “tip” in an accessible and straightforward style, including:

• Allowing children to say who their brothers and sisters are
• Knowing the policy and guidance
• Keeping siblings together; helping siblings to part
• Knowing the child; knowing the sibling group
• Making kinship care for siblings the first choice
• Recruiting and preparing families for each sibling group
• Devising strategies to help unrelated children to become brothers and sisters
• Supporting siblings and families after placement
• Ensuring that parted siblings can share their lives
• Marking the difference: using a checklist for working with siblings

Good practice points are included throughout.

Author

Hedi Argent is an independent adoption consultant, trainer and freelance writer. She has written and edited many books for CoramBAAF including Adopting a brother or sister, Dealing with disruption and a guide for children about kinship care, Kinship care: what it is and what it means.

This book is available as an eBook only. It can be downloaded free by CoramBAAF members from the members’ area of the website or purchased below.

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