Growing Hope are providing a training course to enable the running of Siblings Support groups within local schools or communities. This course has been developed by Jess Bond, Children's Counsellor and Dr Naomi Graham, Occupational Therapist. The training will include:

• Detailed training on how to run a seven week support group for brothers and sisters, age 5-11, of children with additional needs. Additional needs are wide ranging and could include physical, learning, mental health or undiagnosed needs. 
• Facilitator handbook in order to run the group.
• All resources needed to run the group (e.g. puppets, a gym ball, scooterboard). 
  
• Basic skills training to support the running of the group, e.g. listening skills, creating a supportive environment, enabling regulation.
• Two hours of support for the first two groups run (within a year of the training). 

Please note it is essential that two individuals who will run the course together complete this training at the same time*. The group can only be run by trained facilitators. You can send additional facilitators on the course at a reduced rate. The group has a therapeutic basis which is why we include support from a children’s counsellor as you run the first two groups. Additional support can be purchased for future running of the group. This will enable facilitators to discuss the children who are attending the group, reflect on and think about how to adjust their approach in order to best support them.

Growing Hope (www.growinghope.org.uk) is a charity providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs in partnership with local churches across the UK. We aim to grow: hope for children through the provision of free therapy clinics; hope for families through groups for parents and siblings to connect and share their experience; hope in Jesus, through the opportunity for individuals to pray and access church if they'd like to within our clinics. Growing Hope is open to all individuals regardless of their background and beliefs. The siblings support group can be run by and attended by individuals of any or no faith background.  

*Primary Facilitator training and Resources (1 person) - This training enables one individual to train to run the siblings group. Please note, you will not be able to run the group until your setting has two individuals trained, we have zoom training coming up for second facilitators in the autumn term 2022 at £25 per person.