Our Story

Siblings Australia was founded in 1999 by Kate Strohm in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, becoming an independent entity in 2003. The organisation was created with a focus on support for siblings of children and adults with disability,  and since our inception we have built a reputation both nationally and internationally for our work with siblings, their families and professionals.

Over this time, some of our achievements have included:

  • Conducting over 400 workshops/presentations in Australia for families and professionals
  • Facilitating national conferences that attracted overseas delegates
  • Presenting in the US, Canada, UK, Italy
  • Playing an important role in areas of research and advocacy to inform social policymakers
  • Developing the peer support program SibWorks, for young siblings
  • Creating peer support options for adult siblings both face to face and online
  • Contribution to awareness in schools, including through the Kids Matter and Mind Matters programs

From our early days, we have been recognised for our approach to supporting siblings. As early as 2004, the Australian Institute of Family Studies reported that: 
Siblings Australia clearly taps into a need in our community. It has developed a comprehensive approach to early intervention and support that acknowledges the need to intervene at the individual, family and community level and to do so with services, information, education, resources and policy change– Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2004, pp. 30-31.

Most recently, Siblings Australia received a three year Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grant through the NDIS, and was recognised as a Disabled Peoples and Families Organisation [DPFO]. This has allowed us to expand what we can provide to both families & professionals.