title: Sibling kinnections: a clinical visitation program.
abstract: The growing literature on sibling relationships throughout their lifespans is of great importance to those working in the child welfare system, and in adoption services in particular. Sibling bonds are important to all of us, but they are particularly vital to children from disorganized or dysfunctional families. These relationships assume even greater importance when children from these families enter the care system. Supporting and sustaining these sibling bonds should be, and most often is, a priority throughout the child welfare system, with practice literature providing guidelines for arranging and sustaining sibling contact. However, children in the care system may also have dysfunctional sibling relationships as a result of their early experiences, and sibling visitation alone may not be enough to ensure a healthy, long-lasting relationship among siblings. Some form of sibling therapy, or 'clinically supervised visitation,' may be required to help children remove the barriers to form mutually satisfying relationships and to reinforce life-long relationships with each other.
authors.affiliation: Center For Family Connections, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141, USA.
authors.forename: Joyce Maguire
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pavao
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: St John
authors.forename: Rebecca Ford
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Cannole
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maluccio
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peining
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods; D035781:Siblings