'My sister, that's family enough': Sibling constellations in the process of leaving care.

BACKGROUND

Various studies have shown that siblings can be an important social resource during out-of-home care, but there is limited knowledge regarding the role of sibling relationships after leaving care.

OBJECTIVE

Based on a study titled 'Relevance of family in the transition from care to adulthood', this article investigates the significance of siblings in the process of leaving care.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

The target group was 41 care leavers from various regions of Austria between the ages of 18 and 27.

METHODS

A qualitative research design was used combining problem-centred interviews and egocentric network maps. With the help of thematic and network analyses, the significance of siblings in the context of the entire relationship network of care leavers was examined.

RESULTS

The results of the study confirm that sibling relationships represent close and central family relationships. At the same time, it becomes apparent that sibling constellations are very heterogenous. Negative influences on sibling relationships arise, on the one hand, from experiences in the family of origin and, on the other hand, from the effects of out-of-home care on the sibling constellation. In some cases, the sibling relationships improve after leaving care.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the high importance of siblings in the relationship network of care leavers, the role of siblings should be given higher priority in youth welfare services and in aftercare support. Moreover, a specific sibling work is required that broadens the horizons of existing approaches to family work and encourages the positive development of sibling relationships.