Peter Burke

Siblings of Children with Disabilities A Pilot Study

This paper brings together initial results from the pilot stage of research being undertaken on the needs of siblings of children with disabilities. Our findings have helped us to restructure the questionnaire to be used in the second stage of the research, the main study, and enabled emergent trends to be identified following comments received during face-to-face interviews with non-disabled siblings. Comments recorded concern both advantages and disadvantages of having a brother or sister with disabilities. Note is also made of the caring responsibilities undertaken by siblings, and the popularity and need for a sibling support group.

Listening to young people with special needs: the influence of group activities.

The article reports on the experiences of group activities within an area of Yorkshire that helped young people with special needs to express their views and opinions. Significant issues were raised by the ethics of undertaking work with young people and these are reviewed. The young people involved in the research reported that their participation in the groups developed their self-confidence and advocacy skills. This led them to be more confident in expressing their needs at school and in the community. To establish wider generalizability for the study findings, the Yorkshire group activities were compared with another similar group in London where further data were collected from the young people involved. In facilitating group activities, willing staff were an important addition to the group because their presence provided and encouraged positive reactions to the distinctive achievements of the young people themselves. In both groups, members were committed to participation in project-based activities that raised their self-esteem and helped establish a sense of their own identity and purpose.

Brothers and sisters: Supporting the siblings of children with disabilities

Abstract In this article we examine the support needs of siblings of children with disabilities. Siblings often help and share some caring responsibilities at home; they need the opportunity to share their feelings with others in a different environment. We find that siblings benefit from attending a support group where opportunities to share their feelings and to take part in various activities are available to them, opportunities which otherwise might not be provided at home or at school. We note that the support function of the sibling group is highly valued by the siblings themselves. We illustrate our findings with the words of the siblings themselves (actual names are not used). In conclusion, we recommend that practitioners should recognise that meeting the needs of siblings is an essential part of their responsibilities in providing support and assistance for the whole family.

Consultation and the use of policy guidelines in case recording

Abstract This paper describes a small survey, undertaken in the Barnsley and York area, which asked about case recording as practised by social workers working predominately with children and families. Some 43 social workers returned self-completion questionaires on 63 clients. The process of recording assessments is examined, and linked with the practice of consultation and the use of policy guidelines on recording. It seems from this small survey that field social workers record assessments in different ways, do not always consult supervisors or colleagues, and their knowledge of agency policy on recording is not always apparent. It became clear that social workers need to be encouraged to consult their senior colleagues to promote awareness of departmental policies on case recording. Additionally it seems that training courses in social work should stress the importance of using records particularly when planning work with clients at risk.