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Other services that can support your family
We also hold details of other local services that may help so please contact us if you have any questions.
Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external websites.
Benefits, housing, money and employment
Education, childcare and keeping your child safe
Involvement with social care and the law, and legal advice
Social networking and online parenting support
Relationships, separation and single parents
Benefits, housing, money and employment
See the benefits section for benefits you may be able to claim and how to get further information and advice. Other services and resources that can help are:
- Family and Childcare Trust - childcare guides and information to help you to save money when using childcare.
- Money management advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau including information to help you deal with your debt problems, how to avoid losing your home and how to get your finances back into shape.
- Money Helper Advice, tips and tools to help you get your finances under control and make your money go further.
- GOV.uk benefits adviser Get an estimate of what benefits and tax credits you could get, and find out about claiming specific benefits. You can also find out how your benefits would be affected by a change in circumstances.
- Shelter a charity that gives advice, information and advocacy to people in housing need.
- ButtleUK are a charity that provide grants programmes to help children
- Working Parents Information for working mothers, fathers and carers on their employment rights, Tax Credits and in-work benefits, maternity and paternity leave, flexible working options and maternity discrimination. This includes a section especially for parents of disabled children.
- WorkingMums help from working parents to work from home, find part time jobs, full time jobs and flexible jobs.
- The Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust Development Awards help young people enter education, training or work. This includes help with equipment and travel costs, course fees, clothes and childcare costs. To be eligible you need to be aged 14-16 and not expecting to achieve five GCSEs grades A-C or aged 16-25 and not in education, training or working less than 16 hours a week.
- Care to Learn (C2L) financial support for teenage parents who want to continue their education, or return to learning, and need help with the cost of childcare and any associated travel. It pays up to £160 a week.
Bereavement
- Child Bereavement UK support for families when a baby or child dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement.
- Winston's Wish a charity for bereaved children providing a helpline for support, information and guidance for anyone caring for or supporting a bereaved child or young person.
Education, childcare and keeping your child safe
Information is available in the schools section about applying for a school place, free school meals, absence and exclusion.
You can find information from the council about educating your child at home and the Young People's website provides information, advice and services for young people.
Other services that can help are:
- ACE an organisation that provides independent advice and information for parents on education issues in England.
- The Family and Childcare Trust website and factsheets for parents. Childcare options, help with costs and entitlements.
- Ofsted's role in regulating childcare This factsheet from Ofsted provides information about how they regulate childcare providers. It sets out how you might like to use the information available to you when choosing childcare and what to do if you have a concern about your childcare provider.
- BullyingUK part of family lives, provides advice and support for parents about bullying.
- Child Accident Prevention Trust a charity that provides child safety advice to families.
- Kidscape a charity that provides a helpline offering support and advice to parents of bullied children and confidence building sessions for children who are bullied.
- Children's Safeguarding Assurance Partnership advice for parents and carers including advice and resources to help keep children safe when using the internet and social media.
- Childnet information to help you keep your child safe online.
- UK - Safer Internet Centre e-safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe on the internet.
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) a range of resources including home and child safety advice.
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge the 24 hour helpline, is a national service for women experiencing domestic violence, their family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf.
- Missing People is a UK charity which specialises in bringing missing children and adults back together with their families. They offer help and advice and a message home service.
Health and disability
Information and support for parents, carers and children is available in the special educational needs and disabilities section. Other services and resources that can help are:
- A guide to common childhood illnesses and well-being a resource from NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group that provides advice on how to safely manage common childhood illnesses and when and where to seek help from health services.
- NHS Start 4 life Healthy tips and advice for pregnant women, new mums, dads-to-be, friends and family
- Bliss for premature and special care babies
- National Children's Bureau web resources information and downloadable resources about specific conditions/disabilities or elements of service support.
- Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) Factsheets about a range of daily living equipment
- Living made easy for children ideas, advice and information about daily living equipment
- Contact a national charity that supports the families of disabled children whatever their condition or disability.
- YoungMinds Parents' Information service a charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. Driven by their experiences we campaign, research and influence policy and practice.
- The Disability Alliance a national charity which works to relieve the poverty and improve the living standards of disabled people. They provide information on social security benefits, tax credits and social care to disabled people, their families, carers and professional advisers.
- Carers UK a charity set up to help people who care for family and friends in the UK. They can help get the best for the person you care for, make the most of your income, help you to stay in paid work, help you to stay healthy, put you in touch with other carers and provide a listening ear.
- The Family Fund provides grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people.
- Disability Grants help finding disability grants.
- NHS Care and support guide Free, confidential information and advice for carers, offering all the information you should need to get the financial help you're entitled to, as well as advice on getting a break from caring, going to work and much more.
- Adfam a national organisation working with and for families affected by drugs and alcohol.
- Brook a charity that provides sexual health services and for young people under 25, including contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
- Family Planning Association (FPA) a sexual health charity who give straightforward information, advice and support on sexual health, sex and relationships to everyone in the UK.
- Beat provides helplines, online support and a network of UK-wide self-help groups to help adults and young people in the UK beat their eating disorders.
- FRANK for friendly, confidential drugs advice, talk to FRANK.
Involvement with social care and the law, and legal advice
- The Youth Offending Team help young people involved in the criminal justice system or at risk of offending.
- Family Rights Group Advice Service 0808 801 0366 (Open Mon-Fri 9.30am - 3pm) Telephone advice for parents of children who are involved with or need social care services
- Children's Legal Centre 0845 120 2948 (Open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm) Child and Family Law advice via telephone. Calls can cost up to 4 pence per minute peak rate, networks and mobile charges may vary.
Social networking and online parenting support
- Family Lives a charity that helps parents to deal with constant changes of family life. We provide a 24 hour helpline, advice website, email service, live chat and parenting/relationship support groups.
- Netmums on-line support and advice to mums for every problem ranging from domestic abuse to PND, and special needs to relationship issues
- Mumsnet a website where parents could swap advice to make parents' lives easier by pooling knowledge, and support.
- Dad Talk A news, information and social network site for all dads everywhere, to share and discuss their most important job ever, fatherhood
- DAD info Gives dads a free source of the information they're likely to need - from pregnancy, birth and babies to financial, legal and education info - from a dad's perspective.
- Digital Parenting An online magazine from Vodafone designed to help parents stay up to date with digital technology.
Relationships, separation and single parents
- The Couple Connection A free online support service that offers parents a do it yourself approach to improving their relationship.
- The Parent Connection A free online service that helps separating and separated parents manage emotions and create successful care arrangements after parting.
- Gingerbread advice and practical support for single parents. The website is packed full of useful information and we offer training too.
- One Space Online facilitated social networking support for lone parents, provided by the Single Parent Action Network.
- Child Maintenance Options Find out about your maintenance options and making the arrangement best suited to your circumstances.
- Families Need Fathers If you are separating or divorced and are worried about not seeing your children - or worried about the effect the breakdown of your relationship might have on them, Families Need Fathers can provide you with the support and information you need.
- OnlyMums working in partnership with professionals nationwide to bring you practical, up-to-date information and guidance on separation and divorce.
- Relate counselling, support and information for all relationships
Minority groups and LGBT
- New Family Social an organisation working for LGBT adopters, foster carers and their children throughout the UK.
- Rainbow Family Holidays Advice on planning and booking holidays for LGBT parents. Recommendations of child friendly and gay friendly venues.
- Ethnic Minority/Gypsy, Roma Traveller Achievement Service
Quality and Continuous Improvement
Tel: 01772 533788 - Family and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (FFLAG) a national voluntary organisation and registered charity that supports parents and their lesbian, gay and bisexual daughters and sons.