Siblings of young adults with chronic conditions
Life throws us all challenges, but being the brother or sister of a young person with a chronic health condition has its own added set of pressures. Don't worry, you're not forgotten!
There can be the pressure to do well at school, sport, art, music or pretty much anything you try, the added responsibilities and having to act like an adult before you even reach double figures in age and having to be ‘good’ all the time because your parents have their hands full already.
We know it can be difficult managing this type of situation, or missing out on ‘normal kid stuff’ because your parents just don’t have the time, energy or capacity, so we've rounded up some resources we think you'll like.
Siblings Australia
Siblings Australia supports siblings of children and adults with disability. They provide direct support to siblings, offer education and support, empower parents to support their children and work with service providers within the health, education and disability sectors to assist them in providing more informed support to siblings.
Source Kids
Source Kids has built a list of support and services for siblings including peer groups, camps and retreats for families. If you know of any others, do get in touch with them and they'll add it to the list, we can put it on here too!
Sibz - Supporting the Siblings of Children with Disabilities
Sibz provides siblings who, due to their brother or sister’s high support needs, may have limited access to social groups and fun recreational opportunities.
Siblings can spend time with other kids who are experiencing similar situations, make some new friends and learn some new skills. It’s a chance for them to be like any other kid without the added responsibilities of caring for their sibling or helping around at home, with other kids who are experiencing similar situations.
Australian Parenting Website
The Australian Parenting Website has a dedicated page for siblings of children with disability. Parents can find tips on talking about feelings of siblings, spending quality time with them, helping siblings understand people with disability and how to connect with them and finding support groups where they can connect with other young people in similar situations.