Find a list of useful organisations and their contact details.
On this page
- Become
- British Red Cross International Family Tracing Service
- Buttle UK
- Catch 22
- Change, Grow, Live
- ChildLine
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Community Legal Advice
- Complaints
- Childrens Advocacy Service
- Childrens Advocacy - Nottinghamshire
- Department for Education
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Leaving care service / Personal advisers
- Missing People
- Nottinghamshire County Council LAC & Care Leavers Partnership & Strategy
- Nottinghamshire Women's Aid
- Ofsted
- Refugee Council
- The Care Leavers’ Association
- The Howard League
- The Rees Foundation
- Young Minds
Become
Become’s mission is to provide help, support and advice to children in care and young care leavers so that they can take control of their lives and unleash their potential.
Telephone: 0800 023 2033
Email: advice@becomecharity.org.uk
British Red Cross International Family Tracing Service
Helping you trace your family abroad.
Telephone: 01158 505942
Emaiil: DBoulton@redcross.org.uk
Buttle UK
Buttle UK’s mission is the maintenance, education and advancement in life of children and young people who through poverty and family circumstances are in need of, and will benefit significantly from, Buttle UK’s support.
Catch 22
Catch 22 works with young people who are in or leaving custody, involved in or on the fringes of crime, out of work, struggling at school, homeless or facing young parenthood without the safety net of a supportive family. Catch 22 offer practical support services which are flexible, highly personalised and often intensive.
Change, Grow, Live
Change, Grow, Live provide a free and confidential drug and alcohol service open to anyone over the age of 18 living in Nottinghamshire.
Telephone: 0115 896 0798
Visit Change, Grow, Live's website
ChildLine
ChildLine is a free national 24 hour telephone help line for any child in trouble or danger. It is a confidential counselling service which offers information and help to children and young people.
Telephone: 0800 1111
Citizens Advice Bureau
The Citizens Advice Bureau helps people to resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice and influencing policy makers. Some branches can provide legal advice on immigration and asylum cases.
Telephone: 0300 330 5457
Visit the Citizens Advice Bereau website
Community Legal Advice
Community Legal Advice (CLA) is a free and confidential advice service in England and Wales paid for by legal aid. If you are living on a low income or benefits, you may be eligible for free specialist advice from legal advisers on issues including:
- Debt, if your home is at risk
- Housing, if you’re homeless or at risk of being evicted
- Domestic abuse
- Separating from an abusive partner, when you’re making arrangements for children or sorting out money and property
- Special education needs
- Discrimination
Telephone: 0345 345 4345
Complaints
Nottinghamshire County Council wants to hear your views about our services, good or bad. This helps to improve services and plan for the future.
Telephone: 0300 500 80 80
Provide feedback by filling in the online form
Childrens Advocacy Service
The Children's Society Advocacy Service is a UK charity providing children's rights and socio-legal services. The Children's Society offer information, advocacy, legal representation and advice to children aged 10 and over and young people up to the age of 21 through a network of advocates
Telephone: 0808 196 8422
Visit the Childrens Advocacy Service website
Childrens Advocacy - Nottinghamshire
The independent advocacy service will:
- Provide independent and confidential information, advice representation and support
- Ensure that children and young people have a voice in decisions made about their lives, and they are enabled to share their concerns about their circumstances
- Provide access to an independent advocate for children when making or intending to make a complaint about children’s services
- Build relationships and make contact via telephone or digital platforms with children and young people placed in residential settings on an 8 weekly basis to support, enable and empower the young person to speak up about what they want and help them to be heard
The advocate’s role is to support children and young people in articulating their views themselves or providing access to a competent and independent voice in safeguarding their rights, expressing their wishes, feelings or needs, making a complaint or taking forward any issue which is of importance to them.
- Help young people to participate in initial child protection conferences and their subsequent reviews
- Assist homeless 16- and 17-year-olds in weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of becoming looked after and coming to a balanced decision
- Support care leavers to articulate their views expressing their wishes, feeling or needs, making a complaint or taking forward an issue of importance to them.
Visit the Children's Advocacy Nottinghamshire's website
Department for Education
Information from the Department of Education about your rights as a care leaver.
Visit the Department for Education's website
Department for Work and Pensions
Information on finding jobs and accessing benefits.
Visit the Department for Work and Pensions website
Leaving Care service (personal advisers)
The Leave Care service personal advisers are available from:
Monday to Thursday: 1:30pm to 5pm
Friday: 1:30pm to 4:30pm
Contact a personal adviser near you
Bassetlaw and Newark
Telephone: 0115 804 4401
Email: LeavingCare.North@nottscc.gov.uk (opens in new tab)
Mansfield and Ashfield
Telephone: 0115 804 1236
Email: LeavingCare.Central@notts.gov.uk
Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe
Telephone 0115 854 6318
Email: LeavingCare.South@nottscc.gov.uk (opens in new tab)
For 21+ getting back in touch
Telphone: 0115 804 4154
Email: 21plus@nottscc.gov.uk
Missing People
Missing People is a free phone confidential service for anyone who has run away from home or care, or been forced to leave home.
Telephone: 11600
Visit the Missing People website
Nottinghamshire County Council LAC and Care Leavers Partnership and Strategy
This partnership is responsible for ensuring the best possible outcomes for all looked after children and care leavers in Nottinghamshire.
Their strategy sets out how their shared vision and plan on how they will do this. They are responsible for creating and improving the Local Offer for Care Leavers
Nottinghamshire Women's Aid
We provide a safe environment for women experiencing domestic abuse, with ongoing support, advice, counselling and learning opportunities. Run a 24 hour free helpline. We believe that every woman should live a life free from abuse and be the director in their own lives.
Telephone: 0808 800 0340
Visit the Nottinghamshire Women's Aid website
Ofsted
The national regulator that ensures local authorities are delivering the best possible outcomes for children in care and care leavers. You can view reports of how Nottinghamshire County Council performs when delivering services for looked after children and care leavers.
Refugee Council
The Refugee Council is one of the leading charities in the UK working directly with refugees, and supporting them to rebuild their lives.
Visit the Refugee Council's website
Samaritans
Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal. A free and confidential service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Telephone: 116 123
The Care Leavers’ Association
The Care Leavers’ Association provides advice and information about leaving care and your rights and entitlements
Telephone: 0161 236 5665
Visit the Care Leavers' Association website
The Howard League
Free, independent and confidential advice, assistance and representation on a wide range of issues to young people under 21 years old in custody.
Telephone: 0808 801 0308
Visit the Howard League website
The Rees Foundation
Supports care leavers and care experienced individuals across the UK. They champio services, projects and interventions with and for care experienced people. They empower and inspire others to effect social change and improve support, policy, practice, interventions.
Visit the Ress Fundation website
Young Minds
Young Minds is committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people and empowering their parents and carers.