Navigating Ambiguity: Considerations When Making Decisions on Out-Of-Home Placement of Siblings

Abstract

Policy-makers and professionals recognize the importance of relationships between children and their family system and between children and their siblings in out-of-home placement. However, it is not always possible to keep siblings together; separation may be necessary for the child's normal development and even to protect the child's well-being. Social workers have noted that despite the complexity of placement decisions, no body of knowledge is available to guide knowledge-based decision-making. Considerations for separation are scarce in the literature. In response to this need, a mixed-methods action study was conducted to provide a collection of considerations for social workers on planning, treatment and evaluation committees. This study surveyed considerations for the separation of siblings in the decision-making of out-of-home placement in literature and practice and created a typology of considerations using a model of gap analysis. The model facilitates a systematic comparison between the desired state, as articulated in policy documents, professional standards and normative assumptions, and the actual state reflected in welfare practices and case decisions. By using it, the considerations are clarified to foster better practice.