Sibling placement in State care in England: an examination of the decision-making process and the views of children

At any one time more than 80,000 children and young people in England are in State care (Department for Education, 2020), mainly due to experiences of abuse or neglect, family dysfunction, the family being in acute distress or absent parenting (Ofsted, 2021). In many instances it is not just one child, but a group of siblings that is in need of a care placement. The law states that local authorities must ensure that siblings in care are placed together unless this is not in the best interest of a child or practicable ("Children Act," 1989). Various international studies have shown the positive effects of placing siblings together on placement stability and outcomes for children such as permanency, children's mental health and well-being (Hegar, 2005; Jones, 2016; Meakings, Sebba, & Luke, 2017; Washington, 2007). However, there is currently little official data about the extent of sibling separation. A recent survey found that of the 94% of children in care who had a sibling, only 35% lived with (at least one of) them (Wijedasa, Yoon, & Schmits, 2021). Some previous international research has identified factors that complicate placing siblings together such as the age-gap between siblings, their time of entering care or the placement availability (Drapeau et al., 2000; Hegar, 2005; Shlonsky, et al., 2003; Wulczyn & Zimmerman, 2005). However, in England, very few empirical studies have examined the decision-making process and the factors influencing sibling placement in care, even though it is recognised as one of the great challenges in the field (The independent review of children's social care, 2020) This study will focus on the decision-making process on sibling placement in care.

Aim and research questions
The aim of this research is to understand the decision-making process and the barriers and facilitators
of placing siblings together in care. The study aims to answer the following research questions:
1. What are the facilitators and barriers to placing siblings together in a care placement?
2. What alternate solutions to placing siblings together can be provided based on children's perspectives?

Methodological approach
This study proposes an explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods design to address the research questions. First a quantitative case file analysis, based on a retrospective longitudinal design, will be conducted. This will provide a detailed view of facilitators and barriers to placing siblings together. Case files and case documentation such as care plans and child looked after reviews will be used, which are the formal records of decision-making about sibling placement in care. Secondly, interviews with children in care will be conducted, to provide a more in-depth qualitative analyses of how children view siblings placement and what alternate solutions could become part of the sibling placement decision. The study aims to work with two local authorities in the South-West of England.