Vision statement four: Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed.
The proportion of brothers and sisters staying together in the ‘care system’ increases.
Proportion of family groups living in foster families who have been separated
| Year | Proportion |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 24% |
| 2023 | 21% |
| 2021/22 | 24% |
| 2020/21 | 25% |
| 2020 | 24.0% |
| 2018/19 | 21% |
Notes
Reporting period: 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Last updated: October 2025
Next Update due: October 2026
Expanded Content
At 31 December 2024, there were 763 family groups of children living in foster families. Of these, 24% were living separately. This is similar to the previous 5 years, although not as low as in 2019 (21%)For local authority services in 2024, the most commonly cited reason for siblings living separately was ‘lack of resource’. Other possible reasons include ‘following assessment’ or ‘emergency situation’.