Help for siblings with disabled brother/sister

kingfisherblue

My younger son attends the local Young Carers, but I also make sure that he has his own hobbies as well (YC is only one session a month, two hours long). He flies remote controlled model helicopters and also goes to the gym. This gives him a chance to do things that he wants to do, without having his disabled brother there, and without having to worry about him.

He also has a mentor at school, and his teachers are aware of his circumstances. If he is late (because the school bus for his brother is occasionally late), I ring to say that we are on our way, and he doesn't receive a late mark. He has a mentor that he can chat to, and this particular teacher happens to have some similar interests (such as woodwork, design, and games of Uno!).

School also had a YC group for ten weeks, working on self esteem, coping strategies, and other relevant topics. My son attended this, and discovered that he isn't the only person in school with a disabled person in the family.

As a Rainbow and Brownie guider, I have suggested Young Carers to families where a child has a caring responsibility, whether it is as a sole carer, or a sibling who helps where they can, or anything in between. In my area, it is a really good team of people who run the group, but unfortunately there are so many children on their books, they can only offer a session once a month, although they do have a drop in once a week for more urgent matters as well.