Best practice in sibling placements requires that reasonable efforts be made to place siblings initially together; ongoing efforts be made to place siblings together when they have been placed in separate foster care settings; siblings in separate placements be placed as near to one another as possible; and  the needs of siblings when joint placements disrupt be assessed and addressed. 

Federal guidelines require that a state Title IV-E agency make reasonable efforts to place siblings removed from their home in the same foster care, adoption or guardianship placement, or to facilitate frequent visits or ongoing interactions (for example, letters, phone calls, text, email and other electronic communication) for those that cannot be placed together, unless it is contrary to the safety or well-being of any of the siblings to do so. 

Following the enactment of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, states enacted states laws requiring public child welfare agencies to make “reasonable efforts” to place siblings in foster care together. http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/fostering-connections-act-2010-legislation.aspx

Many states have developed resources to guide sibling placement practice.

Kansas requires that siblings be placed with the same placement resource whenever possible. If siblings are not placed together when they enter out of home placement, a plan must be made to move them into the same placement as soon as possible. If after 90 days the siblings are still not in the same placement, a staffing -- which includes the children, parents, kin and other significant people --  must be held to review the actions taken to reunite siblings and plan further actions needed to accomplish this goal.  The staffings must occur every 90 days until the siblings are placed together unless the Case Management Provider documents that the sibling separation during foster care is due to the safety or well-being of any of the siblings.  

Washington State’s Fact Sheet:  The Importance of Sibling Relationships and Maintaining Sibling Connections addresses the importance of siblings living together in out-of-home care, provides research on sibling placements, and describes “What You Can Do” to keep sibling in out-of-home care together. 

Wisconsin developed Sibling Placements: Questions and Answers after legislation passed in 2006 required agencies to make specific efforts regarding placements of siblings in out-of-home care and in adoption. This memorandum provides information about the requirements in a question-and-answer format.

Minnesota’s PIP Tips: Placement with Siblings provides social workers with guidance on placing siblings together, documenting the reasons for sibling separation, and fully utilizing agency efforts and resources that are available to support sibling group placement. 

Oklahoma policy provides the following examples of reasonable and ongoing efforts to place siblings together:  conducting family team meetings that address sibling placements;  diligent search for relatives and important people in the child's life who are appropriate and capable of providing placement and connections for the sibling group; ongoing discussions with the foster care specialist or county of placement specialist regarding placing siblings together; and (4) requesting that placement providers for the siblings notify the Child Welfare (CW) specialist or foster care specialist when there is an opening in the placement provider's home for a sibling(s).

Idaho developed a Standard for Sibling Placement (2011) that describes the importance of sibling relationships, the priority of placing siblings together, and the specific steps that caseworkers are to take in implementing the sibling placement standard.  

New York State developed Keeping Siblings Together: A White Paper on Sibling Placement and Visits (2007) that describes best policies and practices in placing siblings in foster care together. 

Some states have developed practices and policies that require ongoing efforts to reunite siblings placed in separate foster care settings. These practices and policies include:

• Monitoring placement decisions for opportunities to place siblings together

  New York State regulations state that foster parents must be informed if any child placed with them has siblings or half-siblings and if so, their location.  Agencies are expected to approach foster parents about their ability to care for siblings.
  

  Texas policy requires that if siblings are initially placed separately, they should be reunited them as soon as possible. Diligent efforts to reunite the siblings are to occur within 60 days and these efforts must be documented.

• Regular reassessments of siblings’ split placements

  Michigan’sChildren’s Foster Care Manual requires that foster care workers make ongoing efforts to place children in the same home. A reassessment of the sibling split placement is required in the case plan each quarter and must include the efforts and progress made to place all siblings together in the same foster care placement.

• Assign all siblings to the same social worker regardless of when they enter care

  Minnesota  assigns one worker per sibling group as one method of ensuring consistent and diligent efforts to support and preserve vitally important sibling relationships.
  

South Carolina requires that when siblings cannot be placed together, reasonable efforts must be made to place them in close proximity to facilitate contact.

Texas policy requires that after all efforts to place siblings together are exhausted and it becomes necessary to place siblings separately, the following issues must be considered:   (1) close proximity of placement between siblings, including the same community, school, church, or the like; (2) caretakers ability and willingness to continue the child's contact with all siblings. Children should be allowed to have frequent and regular contact. Contact can include phone calls, e-mail, letters and visits; (3) therapeutic needs for siblings’ continuity of relationships; and how placement of a sibling group separately might impact permanency outcomes for these children.  

The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services’ policy on sibling disruptions states that every effort should be made to avoid and prevent sibling disruptions. Any potential disruption which could result in a sibling being separated must be staffed.  The policy outlines the following: (1) services should be provided to prevent sibling disruptions; (2) in most situations, consideration should be given to moving all siblings if one child needs to be moved. If separated, every effort should be made to reunite the siblings as soon as possible; (3) if sibling separation occurs, the separation must be reviewed within the first 90 days and at each subsequent case review; and (4) staff must document any compelling reasons justifying the continuing separation of the siblings AND efforts that will be taken to expedite sibling reunification OR alternative permanency plan based on the child’s best interest.