Why siblings need support too
In families where one child has a learning disability, learning difficulty or autism, parents or carers often find it difficult to devote time and attention to siblings. It is common for children whose brother or sister is living with a learning disability to sometimes feel worried, confused or left out. Understanding and responding to their needs can be a challenge for parents or carers.
Our free support service provides a valuable opportunity for siblings to relax, enjoy activities in a different environment and share their experiences with other children.
Our qualified support staff are specialists in learning disability and creative therapies, and will work with siblings using fun, active social time to offer emotional support and positivity they can take home with them.
How it works
Funded by Children In Need, our Support for Siblings service holds social activities during the school holidays for primary school children who do not themselves have a learning disability, learning or autism but whose brother or sister does.
Sessions are run by our qualified therapists at a community venue in the Borough of Greenwich. Games such as the worry web, family tree and 'how many balloons' are designed to share and let go of anxiety.
To find out when the next Support for Siblings sessions take place, please contact us using the details below.
Who can access this service?
To access the Support for Siblings service, your child should be:
- Aged 4 to 11
- Brother or sister has a learning difficulty, learning difficulty or autism
- You do not need to be a resident of the Borough of Greenwich, though all sessions take place there
We are also keen to support foster families who may be coping with additional challenges, as well as other significant sibling relationships in a family eg. guardianship arrangements.
Referrals to this service
In order to access the free Support for Siblings service, your child can be referred by the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at their school or another professional who works with your child.
Alternatively, you can self-refer by contacting our team using the details below.
Siblings Support – Alexia
Thank you for the sessions, the boys really enjoyed them and didn’t stop talking about them. They even made some friends.
Sibling Support – Amir
I came feeling ordinary and I left feeling special.
How to apply for this service
To talk to us about our Support for Siblings programme, please call us on the number below between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email us or complete our contact form and we will get back to you shortly.
020 8305 2245 Ext 203
Or email sc1@greenwichmencap.org.uk
Tell us how we're doing
It's incredibly important to us that our service users and their families tell us how we can improve and deliver even better support.
If you or your child is currently using our service and would like to complete our short feedback survey, click the button below.
Useful information
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