The Sibling Kinship Carer Initiative seeks to reform policies and practices for kinship sibling carers within the out of home care system. Sibling carers—both formal and informal—play a critical role in providing stability, cultural continuity and emotional support. Yet, current frameworks often overlook their unique contributions and challenges, letting sibling kinship carers fall between the cracks.

Many sibling kinship carers take on the role of caring informally before officially becoming a formal kinship carer. Despite this, the transition to full-time care of a child is likely to be a big adjustment for sibling kinship carers, as they are less likely than other kinship carers to have parented a child, particularly an older child; they may be on average younger than parents in the population, and they may not have anticipated such responsibilities at that point in their lives

Through this initiative, PeakCare aims to ensure sibling kinship carers are recognised as a distinct carer category and receive tailored support to thrive while caring for their brothers and sisters.

View the factsheet or for more information, contact Project Lead Caroline Fletcher at office@peakcare.org.au "For Att'n: Caroline"