There are nearly 500,000 children in foster care in the United States and between 65% and 85% of them enter care with least one sibling.  It is estimated that only 25% of these children are placed with all their siblings.

The sibling bond is unique; it may be the longest lasting relationship in a lifetime. There are strong indicators that siblings who are placed together in foster care experience higher rates of stability, a decreased length of stay in foster care, and suffer less trauma.

At Neighbor To Family:

• Sibling groups are placed together in a single home

• Birth parents are held accountable for the long-term well being of their children

• The role of the foster caregiver is professionalized

• Planning for permanency is a consistent, purposeful team effort

At the heart of Neighbor To Family's service philosophy is the organizations commitment to keeping siblings together from initial placement to permanency. Recognized as "best practice" our sibling model is acknowledged nationwide for our approach to permanency planning which begins from the family's initial contact with the child welfare system. NTF is an "evidenced based" agency that utilizes family engagement as a tool to develop and monitor case plans in addition to meeting the expressed needs of the family as a means to ensuring permanency quickly. NTF's Professional Foster Caregivers serve as mentors to birth parents or indentified caregivers. This relationship helps birth parents and/or caregivers learn positive ways to interact with children

NTF accepts siblings between the ages 0-21 who are in the custody of the child welfare system. NTF utilizes a treatment team that consists of Professional Foster Caregivers, Case Managers, Family Advocates, and Therapists.

Although all of our programs focus on siblings in care, the Neighbor To Family program in Maryland offers additional services. Our Maryland site is licensed as treatment foster care. The Daytona Beach and Georgia programs coincide with the Neighbor To Family's sibling model.