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July/August 2004Vol. 5, No. 6Raising Awareness and Improving Practice for Siblings in Foster Care

The National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning (NRCFCPP) at the Hunter College School of Social Work has developed a new curriculum on issues related to siblings in out-of-home care.

The objectives of this curriculum are to:

  • Enhance understanding of issues concerning siblings in out-of-home care
  • Expand knowledge and skills in making appropriate placement decisions for sibling groups
  • Enhance knowledge and skills in the recruitment and retention of resource families willing and able to parent sibling groups
  • Enhance ability to present appropriate information to the court to support sibling groups
  • Increase knowledge of policy and legislation affecting sibling placements in participants' jurisdictions.

The curriculum is split into two modules, each requiring approximately 3 1/2 hours to present. The first module, "The Issues," is designed for varied audiences including resource parents, caseworkers, child welfare supervisors, guardians ad litem, attorneys, judges, and the general public. Module 2 focuses on practice issues and is intended for caseworkers and supervisors.

The curriculum was begun as a project stemming from the National Leadership Symposium on Siblings in Out-of-Home Care, sponsored by Casey Family Programs and the Neighbor to Family agency. It can be downloaded free of charge from the NRCFCPP website at www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/siblings.html.

Related Item

Children's Bureau Express covered the "National Leadership Symposium on Siblings in Out-of-Home Care" in its February 2003 issue.