The Community of Practice for Siblings held another successful event on 13th May.
A huge thanks to STAR for hosting the in-person session.
We were welcomed and hosted by Karen and the many volunteers in the stunning natural and nurturing environment of STAR, enabling lifelong loving sibling relationships day in day out, and a beacon for work elsewhere.
The overarching theme for the day was Building Momentum and moving forward. There were morning presentations from Clan Childlaw, with breakout discussions.
This morning focussed on the legislative, UNCRC and case-law advancement of siblings’ rights in Scotland. And the reality on the ground in with challenges for broad understanding and recognition, active rights’ enablement and implementation.
The afternoon focussed on how well The Promise to sisters and brothers is being kept across Scotland (in the context of limited cohesive data), the role of the Community itself, and next steps. That built from the Sisters and Brothers route maps and the Development Day in Stirling in April.
Clan Childlaw input and discussion
Speakers Katy Nisbet and Rachel Farrier outlined the significant progress made in sibling rights in Scottish law. There was a focus on rights for siblings to participate in Children’s Hearings, alongside Local Authority duties to promote connection and relationships. There was exploration of how UNCRC incorporation has strengthened a rights-based approach.
However, significant challenges identified:
- Legislative limits, challenges with language/drafting and in the scope of UNCRC incorporation (particularly on much older, but key legislation passed at Westminster rather than in the Scottish Parliament).
- Very significant gaps in practice, including low awareness and uptake of participation rights, inconsistent application by reporters, social workers and professionals.
- Continued barriers for young people and adult siblings being aware of and enabled/encouraged to access and implement their rights.
- The need for cultural, procedural, and practice improvements.
For more information, you can view Katy and Rachel’s powerpoint presentation.
Short summary of breakout discussions
Scotland is making important progress in recognising the importance of sibling relationships. However, this progress remains inconsistent and uneven, with significant variation across local authorities and services.
There was a shared view that:
- Sibling relationships are fundamental to identity, belonging, and lifelong wellbeing.
- Practice is shifting in the right direction, but systems, resources and culture continue to constrain progress.
- Sustained change requires more strategic ownership, not reliance on individual practitioners.
The Community of Practice for Siblings is seen as a key mechanism for driving improvement, through shared learning, reflection, and collective influence.
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