Communities for Children Facilitating Partners Evidence-based programme profiles
Sibworks
| Name | Sibworks |
|---|---|
| Target audience | Middle childhood (6-12 years) |
| CfC Objective | Supporting Families and Parents |
| Organisation | Siblings Australia |
| Delivery Setting | Community-based |
| Description | An early intervention peer support programme for siblings of children with disabilities. SibworkS aims to reduce social isolation, enhance social networks, improve relationships between family members, and increase children’s resilience. |
| Delivered to | Children 8-12 years of age who are siblings of a child with a disability. |
| Delivered by | Health and educational professionals can become programme facilitators. |
| Program Structure | SibworkS is run as a structured programme, delivered as 6 weekly 2-hour after school sessions. The programme is suitable for groups of 6-12 children, and requires a minimum of 2 facilitators. Each weekly session covers a set theme and includes a mix of physical activity, food, and reflective exercises. Weekly themes include:
Parents and children also participate in a pre-programme interview and there are guidelines for a parent pre-programme information session. |
| Training | Siblings Australia provides consultation, training and implementation support to agencies that wish to include this programme in their service delivery. Training is not compulsory for experienced professionals, however, a facilitator manual is needed to run the programme. Details, including a short video on the program, can be seen at: The programme materials (a detailed facilitator manual, participant booklets and parent information sheets), can be purchased by contacting Kate Strohm at kate@siblingsaustralia.org.au |
| Cost | $130 for the facilitator manual and 10 participant booklets (includes P/H in Australia). For information about training costs contact Siblings Australia directly. |
| Contact | Contact person: Kate Strohm |
| Evaluation and effectiveness | A RCT (Roberts et al., 2015) was conducted in 2015 with 42 participants aged 8-12 (22 participants assigned to the intervention and 20 participants assigned to the control group). Outcomes were measured at pre- and post-treatment stages and at a 3-month follow up point. Results showed that children in the intervention group had improved emotional and behavioural functioning with a medium to large effect post-intervention and at the 3-month follow up period. Roberts, R.M., Ejova, A., Giallo, R., Strohm, K., Lillie, M., & Fuss, B. (2015). A controlled trial of the SibworkS group program for siblings of children with special needs. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 43-44, 21 – 31. |
