Siblings in care refers to policies regarding the separation of brothers and sisters once they become state wards or are placed in an institution or foster care for other reasons. Historically, it was not the policy in Tasmania to separate siblings. Even so, for many children, becoming a state ward or entering an institution meant separation.
The reasons for separating siblings were usually organisational. Many institutions only accommodated children of one sex and even those with girls and boys kept them separate as much as possible. Some institutions only took children of a particular age. In foster care, siblings might be separated because of a number of circumstances. For instance, some families were too big for one placement or one sibling might have clashed with the foster mother.
Prepared by: Caroline Evans
Created: 25 October 2011, Last modified: 5 March 2015
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/tas/biogs/TE00222b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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