We often think of relationships as being between intimate adults. However, relationships come in many forms and especially cover all aspects of family life and the way we interact together. Good communication is a key part of any relationship, whether that is with each other, our children, extended family members and the wider community.
The aim of the information, advice and guidance below is to help you build strong bonds with your children and your wider family network whether you are a dad, a mum, a grandparent or part of a wider family network.
Parenting matters
We have a range of parenting resources available to support parents. These can be accessed online, through group programmes and one-to-one consultations over the telephone or face-to-face. These resources are available to all parents and carers to use together or individually:
- Find out more on parenting support
- Book a parenting workshop
- Find out more for expectant and new parents
- More information on your baby and child’s health and development
Family Support at Children and Family Centres
Children and family centres offer flexible support for families with children aged 0-19 (up to age 25 with additional needs). Family support workers are also available through a family support helpline to listen, support and offer advice and guidance to families and professionals:
- Find out more about your local children and family centre
- Contact a family support worker for parenting advice and support
Support for parents and carers
Barnardos support children and families in the UK. They help children and young people directly and also offer online guidance and support for parents, carers and families.
Barnardos support for parents and carers
Parent Talk
Action for Children have produced Parent Talk to provide down-to-earth parenting advice you can trust. Browse their articles on common parenting questions or talk one-to-one with a qualified parenting coach about anything that’s worrying you. It’s all free and no topic is too big, too small or too embarrassing.
Find out more about Parent Talk
Family Links Parent Zone
Family Links is a national charity dedicated to the promotion of emotional health at home, at school, and at work. Family Links have created the Parent Zone to help support you to get the best from family life.
Find resources for parents and carers at the Parent Zone
Family Lives
Family Lives is a national charity which has over three decades of helping parents, grandparents, stepparents and non-resident parents deal with the changes that are a constant part of family life. They have information to help you will all aspects of family life.
Care for the Family
Care for the Family offers a range of information to help build and maintain a strong and healthy family. They recognise the pressures parents can be under and aim to support parents keep their own relationship strong as well as help them through the joys and challenges of parenting.
More information on Care for the Family
Action for Happiness
Action for Happiness has great topics for keeping relationships happy and positive with your partner, family and friends.
Find out more about Action for Happiness
Dad Info
Dads can sometimes feel excluded from conversations about parenting or family life and have often said that they were unclear where to find the information and support they needed. Research emphasises the importance of a father’s role in bringing up emotionally healthy and happy children so while all of the information on these pages is for everyone in the family, we want you to be able to find support specific to your needs too.
Dad Info has lots of information, advice and support for dads on fatherhood, being a step dad or a single dad, relationship support, family life and much more, including an online forum.
More support for dads and new dads can be found on the following sites:
MindEd for Families
MindEd for Families has informative and helpful sections on talking to your child or teenager, top parenting tips, everyday parenting and parenting a child with issues as well as other topics around building confidence and resilience and keeping the family strong.
Family Action Family Line
This free telephone line, email, webchat and text message service uses a network of trained volunteers from across the country to support family members over the age of 18 who are finding it difficult to manage family pressures and need some emotional support and guidance to help. The service provides a listening ear to answer particular parenting questions or help with guidance around more complex issues. Immediate and longer term practical and emotional help.
Family Action Family Line – further details
Prisoners’ Families Helpline
You can call the Prisoners’ Families Helpline for advice and support on all aspects of arrest, going to court and prison. The helpline number is 0808 808 2003. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
Find out more about the Prisoner’s Families Helpline
The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT)
PACT is a national charity that provides support to prisoners and their families to help them make a fresh start and minimise the harm that can be caused to families and communities. Children and young people can find information and resources to help them make sense of what has happened. For parents and carers there are resources to help support your child including what to say if a loved one goes to prison, resources you can use with your children and support for mums in prison.
Information for families of prisoners going through parole
The Parole Board has produced two information booklets to help families of prisoners going through parole and for prisoners who want to represent themselves:
Leaflets published for prisoners and their families
Young Minds Parents Survival Guide
This guide offers support and advice if you are concerned about your child or children’s behaviour or mental health.
- View the Young Minds Parent Survival Guide
- More information and support for children and young people’s mental health
Kinship
Kinship is a national charity supporting kinship carers – grandparents and other relatives raising children who aren’t able to live with their parents. There are over 200,000 children in kinship care.
Get information, advice and support for kinship carers
Special Guardians
A special guardian is someone appointed to care for a child following a special guardianship order (SGO).
Warwickshire County Council has produced information and a leaflet to support special guardians and their families. This covers the practical, emotional and financial support available for carers who have a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) for a child previously looked after by Warwickshire County Council.
Special Guardianship order (SGO) - support for families
Parenting children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
Parenting a child with SEND can bring its own unique challenges to family relationships. See below for organisations who are specialised in providing advice and support to parents of children with SEND.
Contact
Contact is an organisation with a range of information, advice and support for families with disabled children. They cover child and family wellbeing, education and learning, health and social care, benefits and financial help, work and childcare. They have a section providing specific advice for fathers as well as a helpful guide for families of disabled children.
- More information about Contact
- Contact’s One-to-one Listening Ear Service
- Workshops for Parents
- Looking after your relationship
- Relationships and caring for a disabled child guide
Navigate
Navigate is a national mentoring service run by Scope which offers emotional support for parents of newly diagnosed disabled children.
My Family, Our Needs
My Family, Our Needs covers information relevant to parents and carers of children with SEND.
More information on My Family, Our Needs
Warwickshire’s SEND Local Offer
For local information, advice and support across education, health and social care for families with SEND: