Professionals

If you work with families of disabled or chronically ill children this section is for you.

Why do siblings need support?
Have a look at The needs of siblings and at Siblings' experiences to find out more about the main issues for siblings of disabled children.

I work in a school and wonder how we can support siblings
For practical ideas on supporting siblings in mainstream school see Supporting siblings in schools. If you would like one of our development officers to help you plan one to one sessions or small groupwork sessions with siblings in your school, you can arrange a phone call through our Enquiry form. You will find activities for working with individual siblings in Activities for one to one work with siblings.  If you work in a special school see Supporting the siblings of children at special schools.

I often see siblings on home visits but don't know how to help them
See our Tips for professionals for ideas on supporting siblings when you meet them and on how to make sibling support an integral part of your role in working with families of disabled children.

Parents ask me how they can support siblings at home.
Parents need information on giving attention, information and support to siblings. You will find ideas for these to pass on to parents in Tips for parents.

I need to find a sibling group for a child 
Sibs keeps a database of sibling groups across the UK so contact us to see if there is a group in your area. A sibling may also benefit from accessing a young carers project and you will find a list of current projects at www.youngcarer.com

I am thinking about setting up a sibling group
Our tried and tested model for running a sibling group is outlined in our Sibling Group Leader Manual. Our sibling group development officers can advise you on getting going, as well as provide training and follow up support. You can request a phone chat through our Enquiry form.

How can Sibs help me?
We run workshops for professionals on supporting siblings throughout the UK, as well as training days on running sibling groups; see Sibs' training. If you want to be on our mailing list or need further ideas on supporting a sibling then let us know through our Enquiry form.