Siblings Together Welcomes You

Siblings Together is a UK-based charity, founded in 2008, By Care Experienced Art Psychotherapist, Delma A Hughes.

Our programmes came about following many years of working with young people in Care & Careleavers, seeing such fundamental relationships being abandoned and neglected. 

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Witnessing first hand the detrimental impact & loss experienced by failing to maintain such vital attachments upon their young lives, how this effects their mental health and stability. Tragically this continues to negatively impact their future, natural need to belong, identity & feel a strong sense of family..

We set about creating services which offer respect to these relationships, focussing upon the huge benefits of securing these vital lifelong bonds, close relationships, resilience, and overall wellbeing.

 

We promote positive contact between brothers and sisters no matter where they are placed or separated in foster care, kinship care, residential care or adoption. Young people have a human right to maintain contact should they wish to do so, but requires effective support by those who care for them. All relationships take time nurturing and care, no better time than during childhood years where they can create fun memories together building a lasting sense of belonging and of being valued & loved.

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We have created 3 unique & innovative programmes, which serve to meet the needs of children whose relationships will benefit from positive support. We recognise we cannot alter their past life experiences, but together with our amazing volunteer teams, led by highly skilled staff we can begin to build lifelong 'vital links' for their future. This matters greatly to all of us, it impacts outcomes of care considerably, long into their future.

 

We are careful to identify the individual dynamics and experiences of each siblings group, we enjoy working to identify what nurtures and strengthens their bonds, to flourish & continually grow beyond care.

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• Through Monthly Siblings Activity sessions (MAD's)

• Residential Summer Camps and weekend trips

• Our Siblings Buddying programme. 

All can be directly referred into following discussions and consultation.

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Creative Connection Retreats;

Older Careleavers are very much central to our work, following time with us they can choose to become trained mentors, they also make excellent sibling ambassador's. Further able to promote best practice for children in care. We established a powerful 'Creative Connections' Programme specifically for Careleavers, which we have ran regularly over 10 years, published 4 anthologies of creative writing and poetry also. Supported by partners such as the Arts Council, Young Vic, Goldsmiths charity.

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These are life enhancing affirming spaces for much needed reflectiveness, to reassess lives, gain new insight into themselves, positive networks and building friendships for their future.

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