In the USA and UK, at least one in ten children and young people have special health, developmental and mental health concerns. Most of these people have typically developing brothers and sisters. As the people who, over the course of their lifetimes together, will be most involved with their siblings with special needs, it is important that typically developing brothers and sisters are involved and empowered in their growing relationship with their sibling. This article discusses the importance of providing relevant support for siblings and recognising, validating and including their unique perspectives. It presents the Sibshop model of sibling support, pioneered and directed by Donald Meyer at the Sibling Support Project in Seattle, USA, followed by Sally Conway's description of Sunsibs, a sibling participation model from Sunfield School in the UK adapted from Sibshops.
Group analysts are increasingly being called upon to provide effectiveness evidence, which may be critical to the development of group analysis as a therapeutic intervention in National Health Service provision of psychotherapies. This article describes a practice-based outcomes research initiative conducted in a timelimited group-analytic programme. The research was manageable and informative for profiling patients before therapy, recording benefits during therapy, and measuring outcomes at the end of the programme. Results suggest that the therapeutic programme is effective in terms of yielding decreased symptoms and improved mental health, but longer follow-up is needed to measure benefits in interpersonal functioning. The research was conducted by clinicians in collaboration with academic researchers and demonstrates the benefits of a positive clinician-researcher relationship. Carrying out the research has helped the clinicians to address the national agenda of evidence-based practice and accountability.
This article describes an innovative week of training days, entitled ‘Celebrating Families’, which took place at Sunfield, Worcestershire, in July 2002. The week, for and around families of children with special needs, arose from a shared vision and philosophy held by three host organisations. Representatives of all three organisations have contributed to this article. Barry Carpenter is chief executive of Sunfield, an independent school which provides education and care for children with severe and complex learning needs, and Sally Conway is the school's co‐ordinator of family services. Mandy Addenbrooke is currently working as an independent consultant in communication and autistic spectrum disorders, and, at the time of the training week described here, was regional development officer for Contact a Family in the West Midlands. Elizabeth Attfield is children's services training and advisory officer for Autism West Midlands. The week of events was underpinned by the notion of the self‐defined, extended family. T he format and content of the week were designed to highlight and celebrate the vital roles that extended family members play in supporting one another, and in educating professionals. Workshops and a conference were planned to explore common themes and illuminate unique contributions, and family members were actively involved as ‘trainers’ as well as delegates. Outcomes were highly positive. Evaluations from participants not only validated the inclusive training model, but also inspired a series of further events for families at Sunfield during 2003 and 2004. ‘Celebrating Families’ week delivered a clear message: families of children with special needs must be recognised, involved and celebrated.
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