Sibling Kinship Care?
Sibling kinship care is where an adult sibling takes on the caring responsibilities for younger dependent siblings often because their parents are unable to care for them. The circumstances that lead to a situation where an elder sibling is parenting dependent siblings often involves traumatic experiences including parental death, parental imprisonment, family breakdown, substance misuse and domestic violence etc. ​There is a misconception that sibling kinship care forms the smallest group within kinship care, with the largest group being grandparents followed by aunties, uncle and family friends, however in 2011 research used data from the 2001 Census Report revealing sibling kinship care accounts for the second largest group of kinship carers. Figures estimated that approx 173,000 children in 2001 were being raised by kinship in the UK, with around a third of children being raised by elder siblings (38% England, 37% Scotland, 49% Northern Ireland, and 22% Wales). (Selwyn and Nandy, 2014). These figures are a huge underestimate of the total number today, reflecting the rise in national statistics and trends nationally. Kinship care is increasing yearly, associated to the rise in reported abuse and neglect cases, increasing numbers of children entering the care system and a decline in fostering placements that are unable to meet the demand.
​
The first qualitative study, "Big Bruv, Lil Sis" (Roth et al., 2011) interviewed twelve sibling kinship carers and identified that many sibling carers experience an overwhelming commitment to keeping their family together often without experience of parenting. Sibling carers face extreme difficulties including poverty and threats of homelessness, often with last minute care arrangements whilst their own aspirations suffered such as career opportunities and personal relationships. Some reported occasions where they faced age-discrimination from agencies that usually tailor for grandparental and older kinship carers, suggesting they "were not taken seriously, but on account of being younger". ​​​​​
Sibling kinship carers are younger than other kinship groups and younger than parents in the general population, with 1 in 5 sibling carers in England being under 25 years old (21%). Most sibling kinship carers were not married (71%), whilst 66% of grandparents in kinship arrangements were - the younger age of sibling carers explains this difference, in addition to possible difficulties finding a partner in late teenage/emerging adulthood life stages willing to accept the sibling kinship arrangement. There are higher proportions of female sibling carers (65%) in comparison to male sibling carers (35%), whilst most female sibling carers are single and not living as a couple (93%), where more male sibling carers were living with a partner (60%) (Selwyn and Nandy, 2012).
Sibling kinship households are more likely to suffer traumatic experiences characterised by abuse and neglect, bereavement and abandonment etc. Siblings usually struggle with mental health issues, and in times of loss, siblings experience shared grief for the parent. Mental health difficulties can interfere with sibling carers parenting capacity. ​​
Sibling kinship care tends to feature more complexity than placements with unrelated carers, often because of the family breakdown and conflict. Where one or both parents are still alive, and conflict arises, siblings in the arrangement tend to unite their emotions against the parent/relatives. Despite sibling kinship care being under considerable strain, they are more likely to persevere with the arrangements in times of challenge, beyond that of unrelated carers, showing their high levels of commitment.
In 2001 around 23% of all children in the UK were being raised in poverty, whilst the chances of kinship care children living in poverty were three times greater. Many sibling carers give up education and employment, reducing their income to look after their dependent sibling, although often not complaining about this and viewing their situation as a necessary sacrifice. Most sibling households are financially reliant on welfare benefits and experience multiple disadvantages. For many sibling carers navigating the welfare system, understanding entitlements and accessing services can be difficult, sometimes out of embarrassment and feeling misunderstood.
​
The low employment rate amongst sibling kinship caregivers is reflected in the low-income areas where they live. Sibling kinship carers are twice as likely as parents with dependents to live in the poorest and most deprived sections of the country, with most sibling kinship carers residing in the poorest areas. Unlike unrelated carers who often plan to care for a child, most sibling kinship carers often take on the care of the sibling at short notice and in emergency situations. There are often mounting tensions and more pressures on relationships in kinship placements as the lack of space can cause arguments to erupt, which contributes towards family conflict.
Over 95% of sibling kinship care arrangements are informal and outside of the social services, thus relying on means-tests benefits which gives less motivation for sibling carers to seek employment and career prospects. It is only sibling kinship carers that have become approved foster carers that are legally entitled to support and financial assistance from local authorities, whereby the local authority retains Parental Responsibility for the child. The process to become an approved foster carer by the local authority involves a comprehensive viability assessment to assess the suitability of the elder sibling to parent adequately, including police criminal record, medical record and financial checks. Sibling kinship carers are less likely to become approved foster carers due their insecure social status at the time of the arrangement starting, which inadvertently denies them from entitlement to financial assistance and support from social services, including aftercare support for the dependent sibling. Sibling kinship carers that fail the assessment, do not become foster carers but instead may have other legal arrangements in place that does not legally entitle right to financial payments. Furthermore, many sibling kinship carers may also be hesitant asking for help from social services for fear of being labelled inappropriate caregivers - and even when they do ask for help, they are often declined support because of their very commitment to care and safeguard their dependent sibling. ​​​​