Siblings of a child or young person with or beyond cancer
Supporting siblings is an important part of a family’s journey through a child’s cancer diagnosis. Siblings may feel worried, left out, or unsure how to cope with the changes happening at home. This page brings together resources to provide support for families impacted by cancer, with a focus on the unique needs of siblings.
Within this section, you can access:
- Guidance for parents on supporting siblings of children with cancer, including how to talk to them about the diagnosis.
- Information on how to look after yourself when there is cancer in the family.
- Tips for keeping the family connected during these challenging times.
Every sibling’s experience is different, but no child should feel alone when cancer impacts their family. These services and resources are here to help siblings feel supported, understood, and connected.
Looking for more help? Our services page outlines dedicated support for individuals and families living with cancer.
Frequently asked questions
Call Cancer Hub on 1800 431 312. The intake team will work out what you need and connect you with services built for siblings of a child or young person with cancer, so you are not trying to figure it out on top of everything else going on at home.
For siblings, the most useful starting points are Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, free professional counselling for ages 12 to 25, including siblings impacted by their brother or sister’s cancer), Children’s Counselling (Redkite, for siblings aged 5 to 17), Canteen Connect (Canteen’s secure online community where siblings talk to other young people in the same situation), and Events and Programs (Canteen camps and recreation days where you do not have to explain).
When your brother or sister has cancer, the spotlight shifts off you in a way that is hard to talk about. You are still worried, still affected, still grieving the version of life your family had before. The support is built for siblings specifically, not adapted from the patient’s services.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
For siblings of a child or young person with cancer, support includes counselling, peer connection through online and in-person community, camps and recreation programs, and help understanding what is happening in your family. In Australia, this is delivered free through Cancer Hub.
The services most siblings use are Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, free counselling for siblings aged 12 to 25), Children’s Counselling (Redkite, for siblings 5 to 17), Canteen Connect (Canteen’s secure online community for young people impacted by cancer in the family), Events and Programs (Canteen camps and recreation days), and Family Camps and Family Retreats (Camp Quality, for families with a child aged 0 to 15 so the whole family can take a break together).
Being a sibling in a family dealing with cancer is its own kind of hard. You are not the one who is sick, but everything in your life is affected by it, and you often end up explaining your own situation to friends who do not really get it. The services here are built for that.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
In Australia, free support for families affected by a child or young person’s cancer is available through Cancer Hub, a partnership between Canteen, Camp Quality and Redkite. Siblings have their own pathways alongside the services for the young person who is unwell.
For siblings specifically, the relevant services are Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25), Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17), Canteen Connect (Canteen’s online community), Events and Programs, and Family Camps and Family Retreats (Camp Quality, families with a child 0 to 15). Financial Assistance (Redkite) is available for the family for essentials like fuel, groceries, electricity and school costs.
Cancer in a family is rarely a single problem to solve. The point of Cancer Hub is that one conversation gets the right support to each family member, including you. Your needs as a sibling are not an afterthought.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
When your brother or sister has cancer, the whole rhythm of your family changes. Treatment cycles, hospital stays, the worry your parents are carrying, and your own grief over how things used to be. It is a lot to hold, especially when you also do not want to add to anyone else’s load by saying you are struggling.
Cancer Hub has support specifically for siblings. Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25) is free professional counselling for young people, including siblings, impacted by cancer in the family. Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17) covers younger siblings. Canteen Connect is the secure online community where you can talk to other young people whose sibling has cancer. Events and Programs (Canteen) include camps and recreation days that give you a break from being “the well one”.
You do not have to be the one diagnosed to deserve support. The impact on siblings is real and well-documented, and the services exist precisely for that.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
Practical things matter, but the most useful thing is staying in their world. Treatment can isolate the person with cancer, and being the sibling who keeps talking to them about normal stuff, music, friends, what is happening on the group chat, is more valuable than you probably think.
Beyond that, take care of yourself too. Siblings often skip support because they feel they should be focused on their brother or sister. That is unsustainable. Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25) is free professional counselling for siblings impacted by cancer. Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17) is the option for younger siblings. Canteen Connect is the online community where you can talk to other young people whose sibling has cancer. Events and Programs and Family Camps (Camp Quality, families with a child 0 to 15) give your whole family a chance to step out of cancer together.
The most common mistake siblings make is waiting until they are at breaking point. Reach out earlier than that.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
When you are a sibling helping look after a brother or sister with cancer, the support you need is different from what your parents need, and different from what the person with cancer needs. Cancer Hub has services built specifically for siblings.
The most direct pathways are Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25, free counselling for siblings), Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17), and Canteen Connect (the secure online community where siblings talk to other young people in the same situation). Events and Programs (Canteen) run camps and recreation days, and Family Camps and Family Retreats (Camp Quality, families with a child aged 0 to 15) give the whole family time together away from cancer.
When you are a sibling helping at home, you often pick up more responsibility than you would otherwise, and you do it without anyone formally asking. That is real care work, and the support exists for you. You do not have to wait to be invited to use it.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
Practical guidance for siblings specifically, plus connection to the services that match where you are at.
For siblings, the most useful starting points are talking to your parents about how you are feeling, finding peer support with other young people whose sibling has cancer, and giving yourself permission to keep living your own life through this. Canteen Connect is the secure online community where siblings talk to other young people in the same situation. For one-on-one professional support, Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25) and Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17) cover the full age range.
Cancer in your family changes the dynamics in ways nobody warns you about. Your parents are stretched. Your brother or sister is the focus. You can end up feeling invisible at home and unable to explain it to your friends. None of that means you are not affected. The services here are built for the sibling experience specifically.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
The honest answer is: with the right support around them, and one day at a time. For siblings specifically, the support needs to be yours, not a hand-me-down from what your parents are using.
When a brother or sister receives a terminal diagnosis, you are dealing with grief before loss, while still trying to be there for them, while also still being a young person with your own life. Cancer Hub connects you with Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25) for free professional counselling, Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17) for younger siblings, Canteen Connect for peer support from other young people whose sibling is unwell, and Grief and Bereavement Support for what comes during and after.
Siblings often carry grief silently because they do not want to add to their parents’ load. That instinct is real and it is also exhausting. The support is there so you do not have to do that.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
When your brother or sister has cancer, every part of your life is affected, often in ways your friends do not see. Cancer Hub has support built specifically for siblings.
The most direct pathways are Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen, 12 to 25, free counselling for siblings), Children’s Counselling (Redkite, 5 to 17), and Canteen Connect (the secure online community where siblings talk to other young people whose brother or sister has cancer). Events and Programs (Canteen) include camps and recreation days designed for young people impacted by cancer, including siblings.
Being a sibling in a family dealing with cancer often means putting your own stuff on hold without anyone asking you to. Your routines shift, your parents are stretched, the focus is on your brother or sister, and your own worry can build quietly. Reaching out for support is not taking away from your sibling. It is making sure you have what you need too.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
Yes. There are free services specifically for siblings of a child or young person with cancer.
Counselling and Individual Support (Canteen) is free professional counselling for siblings aged 12 to 25, with sessions in person, by phone, or online. Children’s Counselling (Redkite, ages 5 to 17) is the option for younger siblings. For peer support, Canteen Connect is Canteen’s secure online community where you can talk to other young people whose sibling has cancer. Sometimes the most valuable conversations are with people who already know what it is like.
When your brother or sister has cancer, you can end up feeling like you should not need to talk about it because they are the one who is sick. That is not how it works. Your experience of this is yours, and it deserves a space of its own.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
Financial Assistance (Redkite) helps families where a child or young person has cancer with essentials like fuel, groceries, electricity and school costs. It is paid as direct support to the family, not as a loan, so it can ease the household pressure that often lands on siblings as much as anyone else.
On the Centrelink side, families with a child or young person with cancer may be eligible for the Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, Family Tax Benefit adjustments, and Youth Allowance for siblings aged 16 and over who are studying or unable to work. See our Centrelink guide for siblings for what may apply to you.
When your brother or sister has cancer, the financial pressure on your household shows up in your life too. School costs, transport, what your family can afford to do together, whether you can keep working part-time around hospital trips. Some of this is solvable with the right support in place.
Call 1800 431 312 or visit our get support page.
Last reviewed: June 23, 2026