Adopting Siblings with Family Care

30th Nov, 2021

Adopting siblings with Family Care

In the UK, 61% of children waiting to be adopted are in sibling groups of two or more and need to be adopted with their brothers or sisters. On average, siblings wait longer in care before being adopted than single children do.

FCAS is committed to finding families for the children who wait the longest in care and reducing the wait for siblings who need new adoptive families.

Could you adopt more than one child?

If you are adopting for the first time, maybe you have assumed you will be placed with a single child into your family first…maybe you have thought about adopting siblings, but felt that it might be too difficult or overwhelming.

At FCAS, we talk to everyone who is considering adoption to think about whether they could parent siblings…We know that that having more than one child comes with real challenges and will require commitment and energy. But it also has advantages and brings great rewards…

 Better for you….

• If you think that you would eventually want to have more than one child in your family, adopting a sibling group means you will only have to go through the assessment, training and approval process once.
• If you adopt siblings together, it is usually an easier ‘match’ than placing a second biologically unrelated child into your family later.
• If you adopt siblings, they already have an established bond and relationship with each other.
• Sibling groups are often a wee bit older than single children, which means that you will know more about any health or other issues that your children may face as they grow up.
• This can help you as new adoptive parents to be more prepared and get access to appropriate support for your children straight away.

  Better for your children….

• It is often in the best interests of children in sibling groups that they find a family together, and not face the further trauma of being separated from their brothers and sisters.
• If children come from birth families where they have suffered abuse or neglect, their bond with a sibling can be particularly strong.
• By adopting siblings, you are allowing your children to hold onto the brother or sister who has been with them throughout their difficult start in life.
• Siblings coming together into your family each other to help them to adjust and learn to trust you.

Siblings who have a shared past may be the only ones who remember or have been affected by their history. This often means they will be able to offer each other special support and emotional security through their ups and downs, and will always have someone in their lives who understands what they’ve been through.

It takes special kinds of people to adopt more than one child at a time, but there are special kinds of children who need new families together.

If you’d like to talk further about adopting a sibling group of two or more children, please  CONTACT US

We will be delighted to talk to you and answer your questions.