Up to 75% of siblings entering foster care are separated, despite 37 states having laws requiring agencies to keep them together

Over 70% of the 400,000+ children in U.S. foster care are members of a sibling group. Yet studies consistently find that 53% to 75% of children with siblings in care are separated from at least one sibling during placement. This happens despite 37 states and the District of Columbia having statutes requiring agencies to make reasonable efforts to place siblings together. The separation rate increases with sibling group size — a group of four siblings is far less likely to be placed together than a pair, because most foster homes are licensed for only 1-3 additional children. Why it matters: A seven-year-old removed from her home along with her three siblings is the only one placed in a different foster home because no single home has room for all four. So she loses not just her parents but the only remaining source of emotional continuity — her brothers and sisters. So she exhibits increased anxiety, behavioral problems, and attachment difficulties compared to co-placed siblings. So her placement is more likely to disrupt (co-placed siblings have one-third fewer placement moves), creating a cycle of instability. So she spends longer in care and is less likely to achieve permanency through reunification or adoption because adopting one child from a sibling group is legally and emotionally complicated. So by adulthood she has lost contact with her siblings entirely, severing the one family bond that could have sustained her. The structural root cause is that foster home licensing caps and bedroom requirements make it physically impossible for most foster families to accept sibling groups of three or more. Agencies recruit foster families one household at a time without specifically targeting families who can accommodate larger groups. Even in states with sibling-together mandates, the 'reasonable efforts' standard provides an easy exception when no single home is available. There is no federal funding incentive for states to prioritize sibling co-placement, and child welfare IT systems often do not flag sibling connections across different case files.