SIBLING SEPARATION IN FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION: THE GAP BETWEEN POLICY AND PRACTICE

Abstract

Even with state and federal policies calling for joint sibling placement and visitation, sibling separation still permeates the foster care and adoption systems, affecting approximately half of siblings in care. This work looks into a gap that nonetheless exists between sibling separation policies and practice by analyzing the actions and motivations of social actors involved in the process. I conducted twentythree phone interviews with child advocates, agency workers, and foster parents. The results show that agency workers contribute most heavily to the gap between policy and practice. In order to shrink this gap, I present a list of best practices for agencies to employ. Additionally, I find that even when all social actors perfectly perform the sibling advocacy duties of their roles, the policies themselves contribute to the gap. As they stand, these policies are too narrow and do not protect the rights of all siblings in care.