A Trauma Model for Assessing Siblings: The Sibling Paradox

A Trauma Model for Assessing Siblings delivers a rigorous, trauma-informed framework for assessing and supporting sibling relationships in a range of caregiving settings. Drawing on decades of therapeutic and social work practice, this volume offers actionable guidance, tools, and insights, culminating in a complete assessment model for use in court, care planning, and therapeutic settings. Building upon the foundational understanding of trauma-informed assessments of sibling relationships in care and permanence planning within the authors’ other publication, Foundations, Trauma, and the Child’s Voice in Sibling Relationships, it addresses when and how to separate siblings, when to keep them together, and how to support ongoing contact in a child-centered, developmentally informed way. An invaluable guide for therapists, counsellors, social workers, child welfare professionals and indeed anyone involved in making decisions regarding the placement of children.

Tim Woodhouse is a senior trauma-informed therapist, consultant, and clinical supervisor with over four decades of experience in children’s social care, psychotherapy, and assessment. He served for 16 years on the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s Child Sexual Abuse Consultancy and helped set up the first children’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK. He is the founder and clinical lead of Tiptoes Child Therapy Services, working nationally across adoption, fostering, residential care, court-directed assessments and interventions. Tim is a level III certified sensorimotor psychotherapist, level III Internal Family Systems therapist, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing practitioner and British Association of Play Therapists-registered play and filial therapist. He is also a registered social worker and Achieving Best Evidence-approved interviewer, known for bridging relational depth with clinical precision.

Norma Howes is a highly experienced and respected independent child protection consultant, therapist, expert witness, clinical supervisor, trainer, and author with over four decades of work in trauma-informed assessments, therapeutic interventions, and children and families social work. Her clinical specialism spans complex trauma, dissociation, forensic assessment, and attachment-focused therapy within foster care, adoption, and high-risk family systems.