Should children be told about siblings taken into care years ago?

[flowerpot13]

A close family member had their children taken into care and then they went to live with their father overseas. There was abuse and she went to prison for 6 months but I don't know the details. She has had social workers involvement since the children she has now were babies. She never intends to tell her children and it is too painful for her to talk about but I feel like that is wrong to deny their existence and I can't understand why she would. So generally speaking should children be told about family members?

I’m confused
so she had to give up some of her children and by the sounds of it - was very very serious abuse
and she’s gone on to have more?

my concern would be for those children’s welfare. As for telling them about siblings…. That would be the least of my worries. This person shouldn’t be a parent and I really hope there’s extensive SS involvement

Is this your neighbour you were posting about yesterday? The one you reported for child abuse and now their kids are calling you a paedophile?

@flowerpot13
Im an adoptive mum and foster carer.

As difficult as it is yes the children do need to know. Keeping secrets like this is corrosive.
Its also obviously well known in the family. She is in effect asking people to lie about it.
And one day, someone will say something, even if they dont mean to and the consequences would be huge.
There is of course also the possibility that those other children will come looking for their mum one day.
Its a very positive thing that despite what has happened in the past, your relative has had subsequent children she has kept. That shows huge progress.
She won't want to tell them because she will be ashamed and it will be an incredibly difficult part of her life.
She should be able to explain that to her children. Otherwise she runs the risk of people giving a one sided version.
One one or another, the children will find out eventually - its best that she tells them.

Yes they deserve to know and will likely find out eventually anyway (either someone will tell them, the other children might come looking for her, someone will do an ancestry dna test etc.) Does she not keep any pictures of them around or anything like that? How old are the children?