BBC Scotland will feature a story on their flagship programme The Nine at 9PM this evening (Tuesday 4 February) about sibling estrangement when children enter into the care system. The news piece will feature Dr Christine Jones, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy about her research on this topic conducted with Dr Gillian Henderson of Scottish Children's Reporters Administration. The piece is timed to be broadcast on the eve of the release of the findings of the Independent Care Review led by Fiona Duncan. Dr's Jones and Henderson have highlighted the high numbers of children in the care system who grow up apart from their brothers and sisters and lose touch. The research highlights the lack of good quality comprehensive national data and, as a result, the relative invisibility of this problem until now.
The issue of sibling estrangement is a key area of concern for the Independent Care Review and we await their recommendations in relation to this important area of policy and practice. The ICR findings are also launched at the same time that Scottish Parliament is proposing to strengthen the law to place a legal duty on local authorities to promote sibling relationships when children enter care.