Children, just like adults, need to be given the opportunity to express their feelings. They often find it hard to deal with the common but painful and confusing feelings of shock, guilt, anger and despair when confronted with the illness or loss of their brother or sister.

We provide support groups for siblings to meet other brothers and sisters of children with life-limiting illnesses or those who have experienced bereavement. The children enjoy activities in a variety of settings including our beautiful grounds, in the hospice or sometimes recreational activities.

The groups are often divided between Juniors (aged 6-11) and Teens (12-18). For both groups it is an opportunity to have fun together and enjoy activities and outings. Most importantly, children are able to discuss common fears, joys and concerns and for some, share their feelings around grief.

The activities that we run at Buddies try to build skills, confidence and resilience in children and young people. This follows a resilience model. Some examples of our recent activities include drama and circus skills workshops, fire station and football stadium visits, sports day and a West End outing for dinner and a show.

Brothers and sisters of a child who uses, or has used our services are eligible to receive sibling support from the Buddies group.

Our brother Cameron first came to Haven House 11 years ago. Buddies has given us so many opportunities to meet and socialise with people who have gone through the same experiences as us, and has helped us cope with many of our problems and fears.

Download our leaflet about how we support brothers and sisters of children at Haven House.

For more information please contact:

Paula Scott
Buddies Event Co-ordinator
telephone: 020 8506 5523