Call for more foster carers to keep larger sibling groups together

In July, 163 children were in the care of foster families in the district, including 85 children from 36 sibling groups.
Of these, 22 sibling groups had been placed into the same foster homes as their brothers and sisters; however 30 children were fostered separately from their siblings.
The remaining children were from single-child families or when only one child was being placed into care.
The Newbury Weekly News put questions to West Berkshire Council after a Freedom of Information request to local authorities in England, conducted by charity Action for Children, found that one third of children put into foster care across England had been separated from their siblings.
A spokeswoman for West Berkshire Council, Peta Stoddart-Crompton, said: “Unless there are clear reasons to separate siblings, sibling groups becoming looked after by the local authority are kept together if at all possible.
“What makes this challenging is insufficient numbers of foster care places available and very large sibling groups that are too big for current foster carers to accommodate.
“Every effort is made to keep siblings together, but in the case of a family of three, four or five siblings being taken into care, this is not always possible. There is a need for more foster carers and particularly carers who can take large sibling groups.
“Occasionally, because of the nature of a child protection issue that may have caused children to become looked after, it may not be appropriate to keep siblings together.
“Every child’s needs are considered individually as well as in the context of their family group.”
The council is currently running an intensive recruitment campaign to encourage members of the public to ask about becoming a foster carer.
For more information, visit www.westberks.gov.uk/fostering