Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 32
32
Accepted
Strengthen legislation for sibling contact, collect and annually publish data on separation.
Recommendation
The Department should strengthen the legislation relating to sibling contact to ensure that children in care are placed with siblings whenever it is in their best interests, and that where they cannot be placed together, regular contact between siblings is facilitated and sustained. The Department should collect data on sibling separation in all forms of care and publish this on at least an annual basis. (Recommendation, Paragraph 76)
Government Response Summary
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will place a duty on local authorities to assess sibling relationships and support contact or placement together. The department is exploring options for collecting data on sibling separation and contact.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We accept this recommendation. We recognise the importance of sibling relationships for children in care, and the positive impact that being placed with or maintaining contact with siblings can have. Local authorities already have a legal duty to promote contact between siblings in care unless it is not in the child’s best interests. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will place a further duty on local authorities to assess the relationships between siblings when a child enters care and to take steps to support ongoing contact, or to place siblings together where this is in their best interests. The department currently collects data on the number of siblings placed together, and we are exploring options for collecting data on sibling separation and contact to improve our understanding of these issues.