How to help your foster children develop positive relationships with siblings

As a foster carer, your role is to help children in foster care and provide them with support they cannot get from their families of origin.

You could be fostering one child, several children, or even have one living with children of your own. If you are experiencing the latter scenarios, you might be wondering how you can ensure they develop positive familial relationships with one another, in spite of differences.

Here are some tips from Beacon Fostering about ways you can help children in foster care develop positive familial relationships with other foster children or your biological children.

Use of inclusive language

If you are fostering and have children of your own, they might be unsure whether to refer to the foster child or children as ‘sibling(s)’ or ‘foster sibling(s)’. It helps to discuss with your biological children and your foster child(ren) about what terms they would prefer to use, while also teaching them that families are connected by love and shared experiences, not just DNA, bloodlines and ancestry.

Bonding activities

Activities in and outside the home are great ways to create lasting experiences and strengthen ties between foster children, as well as those between biological and foster children. At home, you could put on a favourite movie, or watch a sporting event. You could even go to conventions, shows and attractions to share your children’s interests, so they can learn about their similarities.

Time apart

Ensure that your children have time apart for self-reflection and exploration, and that you dedicate one-on-one time for each of them. This will build the parent-child relationship and ensure they are treated fairly.