Evaluation of a Multi-State Program Designed to Strengthen Relational Bonds for Siblings Separated By Foster Care

Background and Purpose:
Placement into substitute care for maltreatment related concerns may disrupt family bonds and relational continuity. This problem is particularly salient for youth who, in addition to being removed from their caregivers, may also experience separation from their siblings. Within the field of child welfare there is an increasing awareness of the protective potential of siblings, yet few programs and interventions are available that specifically target the sibling relationship.

This study evaluates a multi-state program designed to provide short-term reunification for siblings separated by foster care, through a week-long summer camp experience. During camp, siblings engage in a number of typical summer camp activities in addition to programming specifically designed to strengthen the sibling relationship. The research questions guiding this investigation are: does participation in a short term camp based reunification program (1) improve sibling relationship quality, and (2) decrease sibling conflict.

Methods:
Survey data was collected from 359 youth across 6 camp locations (mean=60.9, sd=23, range=29-103) using a pre-post survey design. The age range of youth was 7-21, with a slightly greater number of female (52.2%) and non-white (54.9%) participants. The majority of participants (58.9%) were first time campers.

Pre-camp surveys were administered on the first day of camp, and data from an alternate-form post-survey was collected during the final day of the camp experience. Dependent variables include a change score for a 7-item measure of sibling relationship quality (pre-alpha=.82, post-alpha=.88) and an 2-item measure of sibling conflict (pre-alpha=.72,
post-alpha=.75). Dependent variables are positively valued on a 5-point scale. Independent variables included age of the youth (mean=12.3, sd= 3.0) and number of prior camp exposures (mean=1.8, sd =1.3). Data were nested according to camp location, and analysis was conducted using hierarchical linear modeling procedures.

Results:
Sibling Conflict: The intercept-only model suggests a reduction in sibling conflict across all camps (mean=-.25, SE=.05,
p<.05). The ICC (.00) suggests no significant variance in sibling conflict can be explained by camp location. Youth age and number of times at camp did not significantly predict change in sibling conflict scores.

Sibling Relationship Quality: The intercept only model found a reduction in sibling relationship quality across all camps
(mean=-.11, SE=.03, p<.05). The ICC (.06) suggests 6% of variance in relationship quality can be explained by camp
location. The fixed effects model suggests the number of prior camp exposures is associated with an increase in relationship quality (Y10=.06, SE=.02, p<.05).

Implications:
Sibling separation is an important consideration for the well-being of youth in out of home care, and programming for separated sibling groups is a largely unexplored dimension of child welfare research. This study examined a brief, camp-based form of reunification for siblings separated by foster care, and found the program may be effective in reducing sibling conflict. Findings for sibling relationship quality found repeated exposures to the program led to increases in relationship quality, and variance in this outcome is accounted for by camp location. Additional research is needed to understand how and for whom does program yield beneficial outcomes.