A new law set to strengthen the rights of children in care to stay connected with their siblings has been shaped by the personal experiences of a North Yorkshire care leaver. The proposed legislation, part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, is expected to be voted through by MPs next month.
The new framework places a clear duty on local authorities in England and Wales to promote and arrange contact between separated siblings, including half and step-siblings. The duty applies even when children are living long distances apart, unless social workers determine that contact is not in the child’s best interests due to safety or wellbeing concerns.
The move follows years of campaigning by individuals with lived experience, including Jonny Hoyle, a former child in care who is now a group manager for North Yorkshire Council’s leaving care team. Mr Hoyle has spoken openly about the “agonising” experience of being separated from his brother, Chris, at age 13 because of a policy regarding teenage boys sharing a bedroom. After his own intervention as a teenager, a senior officer helped reunite the brothers in the same foster home.
Jonny Hoyle said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see that the law is set to change. My brother was my most important relationship and being able to grow up together was so important to both of us. Knowing that future generations of brothers and sisters in care will have stronger rights to stay together means everything to me. It shows that lived experience can make a real difference.”
Cllr Janet Sanderson said: “This change in the proposed law is hugely important and long overdue. Keeping brothers and sisters together wherever possible should be at the heart of our care system and these new measures will help ensure that. Brother and sister relationships provide stability, comfort and identity for children in care.”
The Hoyle brothers’ story has become a cornerstone of the national campaign to ensure that sibling bonds are protected during one of the most vulnerable periods of a child’s life.
