East Midlands
Experience of Foster Care
How Fostering Siblings Together Changed One Family’s Life
For Rose and Patrick, fostering siblings just made sense. They both grew up in large families. Brothers, sisters, shared histories. The kind of bond you don’t have to explain.
They know what siblings mean, both in terms of comfort and identity. “I look at them like I was with my brother and sister growing up”, Rose says. “They’ve got someone to fall back on. Someone who understands”.
Rose and Patrick’s Sibling Fostering Story
Rose and Patrick didn’t set out to foster siblings. After a challenging situation with one of their foster children, Rose and Patrick were planning to pause, take stock, breathe. Then the phone rang.
Two young siblings urgently needed a home, and they needed to stay together.
We were going to think about it,” Rose recalls. “But before I even got to Patrick, my phone rang again. I just thought – let’s do it. Two kids instead of one".
It was a decision made quickly, but with certainty, and one that would go on to transform not just the children’s lives, but their own.
How Siblings Help Each Other Feel Safe
From the moment the children arrived, something clicked. “Within ten minutes, they’d moved in – they were home,” Rose says. “The first thing they asked was, ‘Where’s my room?’ When I showed them, they were jumping up and down with excitement.”
Now, with birthdays celebrated and routines created, Rose and Patrick say sibling group fostering feels normal.
We don’t even know if we’d go back to fostering just one,” Rose explains. “We love fostering siblings. They’ve got each other".
And that shows up every day. “They understand each other in a way that’s hard to explain,” Rose says. “Mind you, half the stories they tell are made up,” she laughs, “but it’s their story – and they’re telling it together.”
That connection doesn’t end at the front door. The children attend the same school as their other brothers and sisters, keeping those relationships alive. “In a way,” Rose says, “we didn’t just take two children – we got four”.
Letting Foster Children Be Children Again
One of the things Rose feels most strongly about is protecting childhood itself, especially for children who may have had to grow up too soon. “I said to her, ‘I don’t want you to be my mum. I don’t want you to be anyone’s mum.’”
When asked what she wanted most, the little girl’s answer was simple, a pram. Now Rose watches her play for hours. “When she’s playing, it fills my heart,” Rose says. “Seeing her just be a child again is everything.”.
Alongside that, Rose keeps a record of their lives: swimming certificates, school reports, photographs and Christmas cards, all saved into albums.
When they leave us, they take it with them,” she says. “It’s their life. Their memories”.
How Fostering Siblings Can Change Your Life
Fostering siblings has brought far more into Rose and Patrick’s lives than they ever expected. “They’ve brought quality of life to us,” Rose reflects. “We moved here knowing no one. Now we’ve got school, swimming, music lessons – we meet people all the time.”
Through everyday routines, they’ve built connections, friendships and a sense of belonging. The children have opened doors to experiences, relationships and joy that simply wasn’t there before.
They’ve changed how we live,” Rose says. “Our world is bigger because of them”.
Working Alongside Birth Parents
For Rose and Patrick, fostering siblings also means working closely and respectfully with birth parents. “100%,” Rose says. “The closer we all work together, the better it is for the children”.
It’s not always easy. But it’s necessary. At home, the children are simply family. “We don’t say foster child,” Rose explains. “They live here, they eat here, they sleep here – how could they be anything else?”.
Why Fostering Siblings is Worth the Challenge
Rose speaks highly of others fostering siblings: “I’d recommend it to anyone,” she says. “If you’ve got the space and the love, keeping brothers and sisters together is so important.”
The reason is simple.
They’ve already lost so much. Having each other gives them comfort, strength and a sense of who they are.”
And for Rose and Patrick, opening their home to siblings didn’t just change those children’s lives. It changed theirs.
Think you could foster siblings? Speak to our team!
