Sibling Work

Sibling support is an important feature of our work at Children's Hospice South West as we believe that sometimes well brothers and sisters become the 'forgotten children' as all the attention is focused on the sick child. On average, for instance, in the school holidays we have eight well siblings or more, staying at Little Bridge House at any one time. The service is managed by one coordinator and two sibling workers at Little Bridge House and support is also provided for the brothers and sisters staying at Charlton Farm.

With the sibling team, the children and young adults can enjoy activities and visit outside attractions that they would perhaps not normally be able to as a family. Parents are always welcome to join in with any sibling activity although we often find they are happy just to have a complete break for a couple of hours! Sometimes it's possible to arrange activities for siblings to enjoy with their sick brothers or sisters, reinforcing and supporting family relationships. This might be something that they've never done together before, for example, we recently arranged for two brothers to go bowling, and it is always delightful to see two siblings relaxing and having so much fun together.

We also try to build some pre-bereavement work into the sibling activities to help them understand and talk about what is happening to their brother or sister. This may include making living memory books to encourage siblings to talk about their family, looking at life cycles and importantly providing plenty of opportunity to explore and discuss the emotions they're experiencing, through many different activities craft activities, books and related resources.

A newsletter, 'The Sibling Voice', is sent to all siblings aged ten and younger, this includes all the latest news from Little Bridge House and Charlton Farm to keep brothers and sisters updated in between visits. We send the newsletter addressed personally to the siblings at home. As well as news, competitions and puzzles, siblings can write in with their questions - perhaps about forthcoming sibling events or more seriously about their brother or sister and the condition affecting their life and their family. We've also included a feature called 'Your Space', especially for siblings' stories, poems and letters about themselves and their families.

For the older brothers and sisters, a website has been designed to meet their needs and interests. 'The Teen Lounge' was designed from ideas given by the teenage siblings who attend Children's Hospice South West and funded by Barclays Bank. It provides chat room, message board facilities and advice pages for the older age group to access via the internet, plus links to other useful sites and news from the sibling service.

The siblings are supported throughout the life of their brother or sister and the service aims to individualize care towards the end of this life and following death. The sibling staff are able to provide bereavement activities and care specifically for the children and spend time specifically focusing on their need and the needs of the whole family. This allows time for the parents to grieve freely and for the children to 'dip in and out' of their own grief and many emotions.