Here you will find resources and support to help parents deal with some of the challenges that family life can bring.
On this page
- Family support services
- Being a parent programme
- Family conflict
- Parental conflict
- Bereavement
- Money and financial support services
These organisations have useful advice to help with some of the difficult issues that families face.
Family support services
FamilyLine
This service offers free support and guidance on all aspects of family life to parents and carers across England and Wales. Helpline, Befriending and Counselling support are available via telephone, email and text message. The service is free and available 6pm–10pm on weekdays and 10am–1pm on weekends.
Call: 0808 802 6666
Text: 07537 404 282
Email: familyline@family-action.org.uk
Visit the Family Line website
Difficult conversations
Find advice from the NSPCC on having difficult conversations, including how to start a difficult conversation, why listening is important too and more at How to talk to children about difficult topics (NSPCC).
Parent Talk from Action for Children
Down-to-earth trusted parenting advice with articles on the most common parenting questions.
Browse articles with advice from experts 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, small, or embarrassing.
Topics include:
- Early parenting
- Development and additional needs
- Behaviour and learning
- Healthy eating and sleep
- School life
- Home and family life
- Feelings and behaviour
Visit Parent Talk (Action for Children)
Talking about consent
Talking to children about consent is important to their safety and well-being. Find support with talking to your children about what consent is and what it t means at different stages of their lives with these links:
- Talk PANTS and help keep children safe (NSPCC) - helping to keep children safe from sexual abuse by understanding their body belongs to them, and they should tell a safe adult if anything makes them feel upset or worried.
- Talking about consent with young children (Family Toolbox)
- Talking about consent with teens (Family Lives)
- Healthy relationships (NSPCC)
- 6 Resources to Help Parents Talk to Kids about Consent (NSVRC National Sexual Violence Resource Center) (opens in new tab)
Tackling radicalisation
Find out about how to protect your child from being radicalised with these sources of information. How to talk to your child, what to do if you're concerned, and what actions to take if your child has been radicalised.
- Radicalisation and child protection (NSPCC)
- If your teen is at risk of extremism or radicalisation (Family Lives)
The Sleep Charity
We understand how difficult life can be when your child has a sleep issue. Our aim is to support families to get a better night’s sleep by offering workshops, clinics and written materials.
Download sleep advice and guidance leaflets from the Sleep Charity.
Find out about training courses from the Sleep Charity
Contact the Sleep Charity Call: 01302 751416
Email: info@thesleepcharity.org.uk (opens in new tab)
Visit The Sleep Charity website
Being a parent programme
Find strategies to help make family life less stressful in a series of short videos from The Centre for Parent and Child Support. Made by the NHS with real parents sharing their experiences.
The first video in the series 'Are you the perfect parent?' provides an introduction on how to get the most from the series. This 7-minute YouTube video can be watched here, or follow the link to watch on YouTube, and you can also download some free resources to go with the video.
The other YouTube videos in this series are:
- Looking after yourself IS looking after your children! (6 mins)
- Understanding our children. Parenting strategies that help reduce tantrums and raise happy children (8 mins)
- Communicating with your child in a way that helps them LISTEN better and TALK more (8 mins)
- It's PLAYTIME! How to play with your child to help their development. (5 mins)
- This is not regular play, this is CHILD-LED PLAY - play to help child development (10 mins)
- Labels stick - how to talk with your child to increase their self esteem and confidence (8 mins)
- Tips to change your child's behaviour that actually work! Using descriptive praise (10 mins)
- Your child's behaviour is a way for them to communicate with you. Learn what their behaviour means (10 mins)
- Your Discipline Toolbox - Part 1. Change your child's behaviour but protect their mental health (11 mins)
- Your Discipline Toolbox - Part 2. How to maintain consistent boundaries and say "no" (10 mins)
- Your Discipline Toolbox - Part 3. How to make your household rules stick (6 mins)
- Communication and Listening - Part 1. What communication style do you use? (12 mins)
- Communication and Listening - Part 2. Getting your children to open up (9 mins)
- Communication and Listening - Part 3. Reflective Listening (12 mins)
Family conflict
Life is so busy these days that sometimes we struggle to find time to talk to our family about the things that are important. One way to make time is to hold a Family Meeting, when you all get together to discuss something - this could be whether your family gets a dog, where to go on holiday or it could be something more challenging, such as your child’s behaviour.
There are 10 ways you could try to encourage and/or strengthen family bond (parents).
- Family meetings
- Schedule family time
- Enjoying meal times together
- Sharing the household jobs
- Create a family mission statement
- Be supportive
- Schedule downtime
- Volunteering together
- Support your child's interests
- Join other families
Family meetings are effective as a bonding experience, as well as a way to improve communication among all family members.
You can download and print a family meeting agenda below
Parental conflict
Parental conflict can have a big impact on the well-being of your children. If you argue and fall out with your partner, or parent of your child, then find some practical tools to help manage your relationship in our Relationships Really Matter pages.
Bereavement
The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has a guide to bereavement for young children and families Supporting your children and family through bereavement [PDF]
Visit our Support after the loss of a baby or child page
Other useful contacts can be found on the Nottingham Safeguarding Children Partnership website,
Including;
- Bullying
- Online Safety
- Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
- Family Lives
- Barnardo's
- Kidscape
- Missing Person Helpline
- National Drugs Helpline
- NHS Direct
- NSPCC
- Parents against Child Sexual Exploitation (PACE)
- Women's Aid Federation
- Parents Centre
- Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (Sarah's Law)
Money and financial support services
Keeping warm during winter
If you have a young baby at home, it is important that your home is kept at a safe temperature. The NHS say that between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius is best.
If you are concerned about keeping your home warm, and you are pregnant or have a baby, then National Energy Action may be able to help.
Please contact the WASH (Warm and Safe Homes) helpline on 0800 304 7159 or for more information go to nea.org.uk/wash-advice/
Direct Help and Advice charity
Family life can be put under lots of different stress factors. If you need advice and guidance on issues including housing, debt and money advice, getting back to work or mental health issues, Direct Help and Advice (DHA) is a charity who can help.
Money Helper service
Free, impartial help on benefits, everyday money, family and care, homes, money troubles, and more.
Visit the Money Helper website
If you're looking for help with the cost of living, then have a look at their Cost of living guides (Money Helper)