Summary
Although there is a body of evidence about sibling relationships in typical families, the report authors say much less is known about the significance of such relationships in the context of adversity, such as childhood mistreatment.
The researchers analysed data from a study of 374 children recently placed for adoption in Wales, including responses from 96 adoptive families who filled in a questionnaire and 40 in-depth interviews with adoptive parents.
Of the 374 children placed for adoption in the study period, 87 per cent had at least one half or full brother or sister. A third of all children were placed as a sibling group, the majority in pairs. Most of those placed in a sibling group - 71 per cent - were placed with full siblings and 21 per cent with siblings who shared the same mother but not the same father. It could not be established whether the remaining children were full or half siblings. No children sharing the same father but not the same mother were placed for adoption together.
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