The Sibling Creed

We are the surviving siblings of The Compassionate Friends. We are brought together by the deaths of our brothers and sisters. Open your hearts to us and have patience with us.

Sometimes we will need the support of our friends. At other times we need our families to be there. Sometimes we must walk alone, taking our memories with us, continuing to become the individuals we want to be.

We cannot be our dead brothers or sisters; however a special part of them lives on with us. When our brothers and sisters died, our lives changed. We are living a life very different from what we envisaged and we feel the responsibility to be strong even when we feel weak. Yet we can go on because we understand better than many others the value of family and the precious gift of life.

Our goal is not to be the forgotten mourners that we sometimes are, but to walk together to face our tomorrow as surviving siblings of The Compassionate Friends.

The Compassionate Friends Mission

• To offer support to all families bereaved after the death of a child or children

Support for Siblings . The Compassionare Friends (TCF) Sibling Support is available to all siblings whether they have lost their brother or sister, half-brother or sister, step-brother or sister, or an adopted or fostered brother or sister.

Following the death of a sibling, support frequently is aimed at parents or sometimes the sibling's children or partner. As parents are often struggling to cope with their own grief the grief of bereaved siblings often goes unrecognised by friends and family. This unfortunate situation is sometimes aggravated by the siblings themselves feeling the need to protect their parents from the full extent of their grief and try to protect them from any added pain.

The unique relationship and experiences shared between siblings makes it even harder to understand why this area of bereavement is often not recognised and highlights a need for websites such as this which allows the siblings to contact and connect with other bereaved siblings. This website allows siblings to come together to provide help, support and sometimes just a listening ear for each other. We welcome anyone at any age who has experienced the death of a sibling at any time.

Sibling Forum

The Sibling Forum is a discussion board for bereaved siblings over the age of 16, siblings of all ages seeking help can also look at www.winstonswish.org.uk . At the moment there aren't any TCF Siblings groups running in the UK so the Sibling Forum is available online so that siblings can share experiences and help each other cope. The Forum is a place for siblings to talk with others who have been through similar experiences. The Forum can be used to chat, ask questions or just to post a thought they may have. The Forum is not open to every member of the public, bereaved siblings should click on the Forum link and submit the form for access.

Telephone Support, Email Support and Letter Contact

Email info@tcfsiblingsupport.org.uk for telephone, email or letter support.

Helpline

08451 23 23 04 (+ 44 8451 23 23 04)

Our Helpline is always answered by a bereaved parent who is there to listen when you need someone to talk to. They will be able to refer you to one of our TCF Siblings Contacts who are all bereaved siblings themselves . They can also put you in touch with your nearest Local Contact and provide you with information about our services. The Helpline also offers support and information to those supporting bereaved families. It is open every day of the year - 10am to 4.00pm / 6.30pm - 10.30pm (GMT).

Leaflets

TCF have produced leaflets for bereaved siblings that have been written by bereaved siblings themselves. Click on Leaflets to see them.