Are you a professional in the health, education, disability or community services space?
Does your work bring you into contact with the siblings of children with disability?
Do you want to do more to support these sibling children through your own professional practice?
If so, facilitating our SibWorks peer support program could be for you!
About SibWorks
SibWorks is a peer support program for children aged 8-12, who have a brother or sister with disability. Created by Siblings Australia founder, Kate Strohm, in conjunction with psychologist, Monique Nesa, the program is designed to support siblings by building their emotional wellbeing and resilience, and connecting with others who share the same experience.
The SibWorks peer support program runs over seven sessions conducted by a registered SibWorks facilitator, and on completion of the course, children who take part will:
- understand more about disability and functional challenge
- feel less alone
- know new ways to deal with tricky feelings
- have practiced coping skills they can use in their lives
- feel more positive about themselves as siblings
Also, it is likely that siblings will also better understand and accept their brother or sister with disability. This can add to the strength of the relationship.
Why become a SibWorks facilitator?
Growing up as a sibling can be a challenging experience, and the benefit of early intervention to tackle feelings of isolation and complex emotions cannot be understated. The impact you can make as a facilitator of the SibWorks program in your place of work or community has the potential to be life-changing and life-long for the children who participate, and their families.
After 15 years, during which SibWorks has primarily been run by Siblings Australia, and a select handful of professionals, the program has had a major review and upgrade. In order to make SibWorks available to as many sibling children as possible, we’ve decided to provide formalised facilitator training to appropriately qualified and experienced professionals who work with children.
If you’re a health, education or disability professional, such as a social worker, psychologist, teacher or counsellor, or experienced in working with children through another role, SibWorks facilitator training will allow you to expand your professional practice in a way that has the potential to make a huge difference to the lives of sibling children and their families. We will also set up a community of practice for facilitators of the program.
What’s involved?
SibWorks facilitator training is entirely online and can be completed at the learner’s own pace. It comprises an introductory course, SibWise, followed by SibWorks facilitator training, broken into 5 modules. Once your training is completed, you will be able to:
- respond to the unique needs of siblings
- deliver support to siblings in a peer group format
- bring developmental theory into your work with siblings
- implement all elements of a SibWorks program
- Claim 4-6 hours of PD points (SibWise+SibWorks combined)
The cost of registration for the SibWorks Facilitator Training package is $250 (including GST and P/H of materials), and includes:
- Access to our SibWise eLearning course (completion is a pre-requisite for SibWorks facilitator training)
- Access to the SibWorks facilitator training course
- 1x SibWorks facilitator manual
- 10x SibWorks participant workbooks
- Ongoing professional development opportunities
- Membership of a national facilitator Community of Practice (CoP)
If you would like to vary the above, e.g., extra manuals/booklets, please contact our office on info@siblingsaustralia.org.au or 8253 4936.
In addition to the above pricing, SibWorks can be purchased for $100.00 for those participants who do not wish to be part of the Community of Practice (CoP).
If you have previously completed SibWise and wish to upskill with SibWorks facilitator training, please get in touch.
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Go to www.dss.gov.au for more information.