A group often overlooked for specific supports in schools are siblings of children with a disability, special educational needs or a serious long-term condition (SEND). In this article we review the current sibling research and identify a lack of literature on interventions, particularly within a school context. We then present a description of Sibs Talk, an example of a new school-based intervention to support siblings. Sibs Talk is a tensession, one-to-one intervention approach for schools to complete with Key Stage 2 children who have a brother or sister with SEND. Finally, we present an initial evaluation of the effectiveness of Sibs Talk, using a pre and post evaluation format with a sample of 55 children from 11 schools. The data presented in this evaluation indicate that Sibs Talk may have contributed to positive outcomes for participating children.

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Monica MCaffrey explores the key issues facing siblings of children with SEND and outlines practical recommendations to address barriers.