Surrey foster carers needed to keep a brother and sister together

A not-for-profit fostering agency is appealing for a family in Surrey who could give a temporary home to a young brother and sister, so that the two children do not have to be separated.

Diagrama Fostering, which supports foster carers across Surrey, Sussex, Kent and London, is looking for a household with two spare bedrooms who can offer stability and warmth to a five-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister. The two bedrooms matter: they would give each child their own space while keeping them under the same roof.

‘The only family each other have’

The agency says the siblings have times when they get on well and have fun together, and times when they need an adult to help them nurture that relationship. They are, in Diagrama’s words, the only family each other have, and there is a strong wish for them to grow up together.

The five-year-old has some developmental delays that the agency expects will affect him throughout his childhood, and would benefit from patient, nurturing carers who can help him reach his full potential. His older sister is protective of him and finds it hard to let go of those caring responsibilities. Diagrama says she has struggled to enjoy her own interests, reading and drawing among them, because of the challenges she has already faced.

Why sibling placements are hard to find

The appeal comes at a time when the UK is short of foster carers. Around 100 children enter care every day, and there are not enough foster families available. One consequence is that brothers and sisters are often separated, simply because no suitable home can take them both.

A sibling placement asks more of a household than a single placement does. It needs the space, in this case two spare bedrooms, but it also needs carers with the time and patience for two children who arrive with different needs and a relationship of their own to look after. That combination is harder to find, which is why children in sibling groups often wait longer.

Diagrama says it concentrates on finding homes for the children who have waited the longest, and that there are too many children who have been waiting too long.

Kate Patel, Head of Fostering and Adoption at Diagrama Fostering, said: “These two young children have one simple wish, to stay together in a loving home where they can feel safe, go to school, make friends, enjoy after-school clubs and just be children. They have already experienced significant change in their young lives and being able to remain together would provide them with comfort, reassurance and a sense of belonging at a time when they need it most.”

She added: “We urgently need more people to come forward and consider fostering. Every day around 100 children enter the care system, and sadly there are not enough foster carers to meet the growing demand. Keeping siblings together whenever it is safe and appropriate is incredibly important, as they are often each other’s greatest source of comfort.”

Who can foster?

Previous experience of caring for children is not essential, the agency says, because full training and continuing support are provided at every stage. Diagrama welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, whether single, married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner.

Fostering is a professional, paid role. Diagrama says its carers get a benefits package, 24/7 support, additional payments, holiday cover, a free training programme and a dedicated social worker.

“Many people dismiss the idea of fostering because they think they wouldn’t be suitable,” Ms Patel said, “but if you have a spare bedroom, patience, compassion and a desire to make a difference, you could provide the stable, nurturing home so desperately needed by so many children. You won’t be on your own, fostering is a professional, paid role, and we provide comprehensive training, ongoing support and a dedicated social worker every step of the way.”

Who Diagrama are

Diagrama Fostering is an independent, not-for-profit fostering agency working with looked-after children across Surrey, Sussex, Kent and London. It describes itself as small enough to offer a personal service while having the backing of a larger organisation behind it: the agency is part of the Diagrama Foundation, a Kent-based charity that supports vulnerable children, young people and adults.

That wider charity gives a sense of the scale involved. Alongside the fostering and adoption service in the South East, the foundation runs supported living for 33 adults with learning disabilities across seven schemes in Bromley and one in Mid Sussex; Cabrini House in Orpington, where 23 adults with learning disabilities are supported to live independently in their community; Duckyls Farm, a 100-acre care home in West Sussex where residents work with animals and on the land; a day service at the same site for people with learning disabilities, physical and sensory impairments, acquired brain injury or autism; and Edensor Care Centre, a fifty-bed nursing and dementia home in Clacton-on-Sea.

How to find out more

Anyone who wants to know more can contact Diagrama Fostering for an informal, no-obligation conversation, with no commitment to go any further. The agency also runs free online information sessions for people who want to hear how it works before deciding whether to apply.

Details of both are at diagramafostering.org.uk. The agency is also on Facebook as @Diagramafosteringadoption, on Instagram as @diagrama.foundation and on X as @diagramaUKKids.

For this particular placement, carers would need two spare bedrooms — one for each child, in the same home.

Surrey Extra published this appeal at the request of Diagrama Fostering, a not-for-profit fostering agency, through its PR representatives. The children have not been named and are described only as the agency has chosen to describe them.