Case No. LV21C01426

[2018]includes the following observation:“There is strong recognition of the importance of sibling relationships: that they are the most enduring or longest lasting relationships in most people’s lives. They are increasingly considered as a relevant factor in care and adoption proceedings, but the significance attached to them is easily and routinely outweighed by other considerations. The resulting tension is such that decisions which impact on siblings are sometimes described as the hardest, the most difficult, and heartbreaking.” 28.This report draws on a significant number of interviews with stakeholders including practising lawyers, young people and judges. The report informs that whilst all the stakeholders interviewed, recognised the importance and significance of sibling relationships post placement the approaches to this conundrum are diverse.29.It seems the key to the cause of the manifestation of difficulties in making decisions with regard to the separation of sibling is the lack of consistency in sibling assessments. Under the heading assessing sibling relationships the following observations are made:Sibling relationships are acknowledged to be a relevant factor in legal decision making, but although recommended in official and practice guidance, there is no statutory underpinning for formal assessments of them. Practitioners often referred to sibling assessments as ‘the Together and Apart’ or ‘the BAAF’, indicating that Lord and Borthwick’s good practice guide,