Aberdeen City Children’s Services

Keeping brothers and sisters together

Position Statement

Our Pledge

“When children come into our care, Aberdeen City will promise to do our best to place brothers and sisters together”

Rights based approach

This position statement and accompanying guidance sets out how Aberdeen City Council will implement the Staying together and connected: getting it right for sisters and brothers: national practice guidance. This guidance contributes to the implementation of duties for Scottish local authorities that every looked after infant, child and young person lives with their brothers and sisters, where it is appropriate to do so, and sustains strong and positive lifelong relationships with them. This guidance is set within the context of the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law and the foundation of care articulated in The Promise that

"where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home staying there for as long as needed" (The Promise p9)

This pledge meets the authority’s responsibility to meet children’s rights under the following:

• Article 3 – best interests of the child.
• Article 9 – separation from parents.
• Article 12 – respect for the views of the child
• Article 20 – children unable to live with their family
• Article 25 – review of treatment of children in care.

Background

The Independent Care Review Promise states:

 “Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. …. There is already the presumption that children will stay together with their brothers and sisters if they have to be removed from their family. This is a significant step in nurturing vital loving relationships. Brothers and sisters keep each other safe and loved. There will be few circumstances where it is not appropriate for brothers and sisters to stay together, but these will be the exception.”

Scotland already has a presumption that children will stay together with their brothers and sisters when their parents are unable to care for them. The Independent Care Review requires us to critically examine our approach and to identify areas for improvement. Aberdeen City can and will do more to ensure that our practice properly reflects the value of family relationships, both as a fundamental right and a source of wellbeing. Moreover, we will gather clear data, establish procedures to ensure rigorous scrutiny of our practice and continuous improvement.

Locally our children and young people with experience of care have told us of the emotional distress and long-term harm such separation has caused.  This pledge sets out the steps Aberdeen City will take to ensure that brothers and sisters are kept together. As a partnership we are committed to ensuring that when a child comes into our care our stated position is that we will keep them with their brothers and sisters.

What we mean by brothers and sisters

Aberdeen City Children’s Services recognises the diversity of family relationships and the fact that care experienced children and young people have different biological, emotional and social relationships which they experience as sibling relationships. We also appreciate that many children and young people with an experience of care have relationship networks which are large, diverse in age and spread over multiple households and care types. Aberdeen City uses the following definition for brothers and sisters:

• Children who share at least one birth parent; and/or
• Children who currently live or have lived together with other children in a family group. This explicitly includes half, step and adoptive brothers and sisters.
• This also includes sibling like relationships and those children themselves identify to be a sibling (as set out in national guidance, page 16) Although consideration needs to be given to the fact that information would be shared if this status was given.

Getting it right for brothers and sisters in Aberdeen City

“All children must be supported to continue relationships that are important to them, where it is safe to do so.” (Care Review 2019)

Aberdeen City’s Children’s Services recognises the fundamental importance of relationships with brothers and sisters for all children and for those with a care experience. Leaving their family home and coming into care can be a traumatic experience for any child or young person. Coming into care with their brothers and sisters and being separated can significantly deepen this trauma. Therefore, we are committed to ensuring that these unique relationships are nurtured and protected for those brothers and sisters that experience separation. We understand that if the relationship between brothers and sisters is not protected, the effects of this can echo throughout their lives, sadly resulting in brothers and sisters who do not have a relationship as adults. We therefore recognise our responsibility in ensuring that the children and young people in our care are supported to maintain regular, healthy and loving connections with their brothers and sisters.

In practice this means:

1. As far as possible we will support brothers and sisters to live and be cared for together this can include the same foster carer, kinship carer or in the same residential home
2. To ensure all children are supported to continue relationships that are important to them, and keep within their city or community, that they are supported to participate in activities locally in line with their individual views.
3. We will take steps to identify all siblings links current and future to stay connected where possible.
4. Where brothers and sisters cannot be cared for together, the reviews of their “Looked After” arrangements will always consider whether they still need to live apart. The wishes and views of the individual children will be central to the review. Plans for brothers and sisters to have family time will be reviewed to ensure they reflect their needs and wishes to consistently see one another.
5. Where it is decided that brothers and sisters cannot be cared for together, this will be explicitly recorded in the children’s assessments. This will include an individual plan setting out how the children will be supported to maintain their relationship with each other. The wishes and views of the individual children will be central to this assessment and plan.
6. Brothers and sisters will not be separated without the authorisation of the Chief Social Work Officer or delegated operational Children’s Service Manager Children and Family Services. The Chief Social Work Officer will be made aware of the reasons why this is not possible at this time or in their best interests.
7. Where brothers and sisters can’t or for safety reasons shouldn’t be kept together, we will make sure we minimise the physical distance from Aberdeen or each other. The voice of the child / young person will be central to decision making.
8. The Corporate Parenting Group will monitor compliance with our pledge. Data about the care arrangements of brothers and sisters will be closely monitored and reported in our Corporate Parenting annual report, setting out our progress towards getting it right for brothers and sisters in Aberdeen City.
9. Aberdeen City will ensure all partners in the commissioning of care for children and young people fully understand and deliver on our pledge in relation to brothers and sisters.