Wed 13 Apr 2022 – 3 min read
Written by Heather Liveston – Principle Social Worker & adopted person
I was surprised when I traced my birth family (thirty years ago) to find that I had a number of full siblings, and I was so excited! Having grown up as an only child, I had always wanted brothers and sisters. Of course, as with many aspects of family reunion, developing and sustaining a relationship with them was more complex and challenging than I thought and the relationships I hoped I would have, did not materialise (with the exception of one lovely sister who I am very glad and privileged to have in my life).
And this is why I am so passionate about siblings who are separated as children through adoption or long term fostering, being aware of each other and having contact with each other – direct contact if possible and safe – throughout their childhoods.
I am thankful that sibling contact is gaining traction. In Scotland, the law changed in July 2021 regarding what councils and the Children’s Hearings System must do to help siblings. Councils and the Children’s Hearings System must now help Care Experienced siblings to have contact with each other. www.siblingsreunited.org.uk is a fantastic resource in Scotland where children can come together, have fun and make memories
Two weeks ago I was delighted to learn that, in England, Coram BAAF are going to be piloting sibling activity days for separated siblings to meet, play and have photographs taken together and I hope that some of our AFA children will be able to benefit from this important scheme over the years. If you have adopted and are interested in sibling contact days, please get in touch with your social worker.
I recommend watching Ashley John Baptiste’s documentary where he talks about reaching adulthood without knowing he had a brother and meets other young people who have been separated. You can watch it here by signing in to your BBC account or registering for a free account.
Care experienced young people and adults are telling us that their siblings are important to them and that they need to be supported to remain in contact with each other. If you are in the adoption process with AFA and would like more information on sibling contact please get in touch with your allocated social worker.
If you’d like to find out more about adopting with us, please get in touch here.
