Redcar foster parents support campaign to prevent sibling separation
'Foster Siblings Together' has been launched by Foster Care Associates to address a carer shortage in the Tees Valley area.
A North East fostering agency has launched a new campaign to reduce sibling separation in Teesside.
Throughout July, Foster Care Associates will be on the lookout for new carers to fulfil a growing demand in the Tees Valley area.
It's called 'Foster Siblings Together, and aims to prevent splitting siblings up in the care system.
Jodie Fletcher Murray, operations manager for FCA North East, said: “For many foster children, the relationship with their brothers and sisters is what they value most about their family and contact is very important, it provides them with stability and consistency by just having each other to talk to and share experiences.
“There is a shortage of foster carers in Middlesbrough to take sibling groups, and there’s evidence to suggest that **children who have been rejected and placed apart from their siblings are less likely to benefit from stable foster placements than if they had been placed with them.
"Wherever possible, we try to keep siblings together, but need more foster carers in the region willing to meet this need.”
Unlike adoption a fostered child remains the legal responsibility of the local authority and/or their birth parents, and ensures that children who cannot be with their parents or other relatives, for whatever reason, can be cared for in a family setting.
Linda Simmons, from Redcar, has been a foster carer with FCA in the North East for seven years. She said: “I’ve looked after siblings from different backgrounds, some of whom had very complex behaviour, not through their own making.
"Some have lost everything and the only thing they have is each other, so why would you want to split them up?
"I’ve made some remarkable breakthroughs with the children and young people I’ve looked after.
“As is common with sibling groups you can sometimes experience intense rivalry, they can shout and scream at each other and seemingly want to tear each other apart, but when you consider what the long-term effect of separation could be this fades into insignificance – it’s just all part of growing up with your brother or sister!”
For more information on becoming a foster carer with FCA call 0800 022 4330 and or enquire online HERE.