Keeping siblings together

We recognise the importance of sibling relationships for children in care and have introduced legislation to help siblings stay in care together and connected.

The Independent Care Review (2020) heard from care-experienced children about the importance of their relationships with their brothers and sisters, and those with sibling-like relationships. These relationships can provide a lifelong connection, emotional safety and contribute to shared identity.

The Promise is the conclusion to the Independent Care Review and called for children’s rights to a relationship with their siblings to be strengthened in law. Keeping siblings together is fundamental to Keeping the Promise.

We recognise the importance of sibling relationships through the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 and the Looked After Children (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021.

Definition of sibling

Under the law, a sibling is not just someone who a child shares a parent with. It could also include someone a child has lived with - or has an ongoing relationship with, that is like the relationship between brothers and sisters.

Protecting sibling relationships

Local councils have a duty to:

keep siblings together when they can’t live at home with their family, where appropriate

keep siblings as part of the same community if there is a reason they can’t live together and take action to make sure their relationship is supported and nurtured, where appropriate

seek and consider the views of the children they are making decisions about

The legislation also includes a duty in relation to Children’s Hearings, giving children the right to participate in their siblings’ hearings about decisions on contact.

Guidance for social workers and other practitioners

We published National Practice Guidance, ‘Staying Together and Connected: Getting it Right for Sisters and Brothers’ in 2021. The guidance was developed with children and young people with care experience, carers and practitioners to help social workers and other practitioners implement the legislation.

It provides practice advice based on research and evidence about what children need to grow and flourish through positive connection with their siblings.

Staying Together and Connected

The Siblings: Staying Together and Connected National Implementation Group was established in November 2021. The group identified opportunities and challenges to successful implementation of the legislation.

Find out more about the group’s findings and recommendations in their final report: Siblings: Staying Together and Connected National Implementation Group executive summary report (2023).

We will continue to work with partners who work with children and families to ensure the rights of siblings are recognised.