Parenting, health and wellbeing, housing and relationship support
Support and guidance resources.
Parenting support
Courses and groups
- Family Learning courses for parents and carers so they can support their child and family at home and develop their own skills improving their health and wellbeing, improving their social interactions by making friends and engaging in a group, supporting them to find volunteer opportunities or empowering them to progress to further accredited courses or into employment. Book family learning courses online
- Starting Well Partnership provides support for parents and families and includes parental wellbeing, groups for parents, feeding, sleeping, reducing parental conflict, financial and childcare support and supporting children who are being bullied. You can also find details of your nearest family hub under local support.
- Action for Children parenting support services
Support and guidance
- Family first from YSS The Families First service delivered in the Worcestershire area by YSS, is a pilot program aiming to support families that are facing parental incarceration. The service provides one to one support and guidance in a safe space, to enable the whole family to cope with the demands of having a partner, and parent, in prison.
YSS Families First provides expert support and guidance for families to navigate through the criminal justice system, including preparations for prison visits. The key workers also provide an one to one emotional and practical support both for the children to process the imprisonment and the family as a whole.
The criteria for referral is for the family to be residing in Worcestershire and for the partner/parent to be imprisoned or about to be sentenced. - Childcare
Here you can search for childcare near you. This includes childcare that has spaces for 2, 3 and 4 year old funded children, as well as those that provide before and after school pick-ups and those that specifically cater for children with a disability or special educational need. - England | Childcare choices
Providers information toolkits about childcare for parents. - Children's Centres
Children's Centres in Worcestershire are run by lots of different providers. Many of them are run by schools and early years settings (e.g. nurseries) providing childcare, antenatal and postnatal services and in some cases extra services, such as speech and language and family support, to meet the needs of families in their local area. - Netmums
Netmums is the UK’s most relevant, inclusive and supportive parenting community, welcoming millions of parents every month to our forum, parenting content, recipes, local listings, product reviews, email newsletters and courses. - Is your child ready for school?
Starting school for the first time can be an exciting time but also very daunting for both the child and the parents. Here you will find some things that will help your child get ready to start school and make the most of their learning. - Protection from harm
If you've been affected by crime or by abuse you might feel scared and helpless. It's important to know there are places you can go for help and there are things you can do to protect yourself. You are not alone. - Worcestershire school holiday, food and activities
Provides information about food, activities and support available to families and children from nursery and primary aged, through to older children and teenagers during the school holidays. - Icon
Advice for new parents on infant crying, including support and techniques on how to comfort your baby, advice on how to cope and be able to relax as a parent with a new-born baby. - Safe Haven
Are you going through a tough time? Safe Haven can offer you support
Health including emotional health and wellbeing
Text service supporting young people Chat Health, a free and confidential text service which puts 11–19-year-olds in touch with their local school health nurses
Social Prescribers from Onside Support individuals to take control of their health and look after themselves by making connections with different types of community support.
Groups and activities for young people
Mental health and emotional wellbeing
Mental health and emotional wellbeing resources
Bullying
Sexual health
The Branch Project works with children and young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation (CSE), or are worried about it, throughout Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire. As part of WMRSASC (West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre) we are able to offer families additional services such as the family independent sexual violence advocacy service which can provide support to parents whilst the Branch project supports the child. Please click on the following documents for more information.
Branch Technology Assisted Child Sexual Exploitation (TA-CSE) (PDF)
Worcestershire Integrated Sexual Health Service (WISH)
WISH provides free and confidential advice, information and support around relationships and sexual health. This is a confidential, non - judgemental service. WISH provides contraception including LARC and free condoms. WISH provide testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
Bereavement
The death of a loved one or close friend is one of the most difficult times in each of our lives. Whether this is expected, following a long-term illness, or sudden and unexpected, the grieving process is deeply personal.
Bereavement support for children and young people following the death of a sibling, parent or a person important to a child
Housing and finances
Finance support
Age UK Worcester and Malvern Hills - Warm Spaces
Warm Spaces is launching on Friday 4 November 2022
This service is offered to anyone over the age of 50 who may be struggling to heat their home this winter. Our Warm Spaces service will offer a place to get warm, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and socialise with others alike. There will be other activities throughout the day such as crafting, puzzles, and games. For more information, please visit the Age UK Worcester and Malvern Hills, warm spaces website
- Money and legal
Information and advice on how to support your family with money and legal matters - Money, debts, budgeting and welfare support
Managing finances such as paying bills and planning for the future can be difficult - Worcester Citizens Advice
- Guidance: Loan sharks for advice and how to report a concern.
Anyone can be a victim of a loan shark your family, friends, neighbours and even you. It’s not always easy to spot a loan shark as they come in all shapes and sizes and will at first appear friendly, just part of the community. It is when you can’t pay that they will turn on you. Find out what a Loan Shark is.
Employment and opportunities
- Building Better Opportunities (BBO)
Is designed to help local people move closer to or into employment, improve lives and secure the future prosperity of Worcestershire - Worcestershire Healthy Minds Employment Support Service
Mental Health Matters are working in partnership with Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust to provide employment related support to individuals who are accessing the Worcestershire Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies service, Healthy Minds
Worcester Job Centre Plus
Your local job centre can administer claims Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support.
Housing support
- North Worcestershire Basement Project
Basement offers support to children and young people aged 16 to 25 years old who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, offering a drop in centre and floating support across communities - St Basils
St Basils work with young people to help develop the skills to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, increase opportunity and reduce homelessness - YMCA
The YMCA offers supported housing to children and young people, along with access to education and training to help build life skills and engage within the community - Wyre Forest and South Worcestershire Nightstop
Providing safe, emergency, temporary accommodation and family mediation for homeless young people between 16 to 25 years - Redditch Nightstop – Homeless Prevention and Support Services
Redditch Nightstop provides emergency accommodation, supported lodgings, support and learning opportunities for those aged between 16 and 35 - Homelessness
- Housing advice
- Each council in Worcestershire offers a housing options service which provides specialist housing advice. The service is accessible to anyone requiring housing advice, experiencing homelessness or threatened with homelessness
- Accommodation options
You may want to consider living in a more supportive environment if you have a long-term, severe health or physical condition, where adapting your home is not possible and you are finding independent living difficult - Housing options for people with a learning disability
Supported living is where a person with a disability gets the support they need to live in a home they own or are a tenant in. They can live alone or with others. The support people receive is personalised and centred on their needs. Watch the following video to meet a number of people who show us how supported living helps them live more independently
Fire Safety
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service offer a free online home fire safety check which will provide actions and advice to help make your home a safer place and protect you and your family from the risks of fire. You may also be offered a free Home Fire Safety Visit. Click the links below to find out more:
Relationships and Sexuality
Supporting healthy relationships
- Harmony at home
Parental conflict, which can range from a lack of warmth and emotional distance, right through to swearing and shouting, is known to be a risk factor for poor child outcomes, particularly when conflict is frequent, intense and poorly resolved. - CRUSH
Is an awareness raising and support programme to help young people make safe and healthy relationships. The sessions are run in small groups and are specifically designed for 13 to 19 year olds. - Relate Worcestershire
Most people have times in their lives when difficulties seem hard to cope with; talking things through with a counsellor can make a real difference. Relate Worcestershire has been delivering relationship counselling to people of all ages, backgrounds and sexual orientations in Worcestershire - Family Mediation Service
Family mediation is a process in which an independent, professionally trained mediator helps you work out arrangements for children and finances following separation. FMC Registered Mediators have helped hundreds of thousands of families to agree on financial arrangements after separation, and to find a way to parent their children co-operatively after separation.
Protection from harm
- Hollie Gazzard Trust
Helps reduce domestic violence through creating and delivering programmes on domestic abuse and promoting healthy relationships to schools and colleges. The ultimate aim of the Trust is to positively change the lives of young people through partnerships in communities, as well as working alongside other charities and professional agencies. - Domestic abuse
If you are a victim of domestic abuse and violence, or know someone who is, there is help available. - West Mercia Women's Aid
- Hate crime
Hate crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's hostility or prejudice towards someone because of their actual or presumed race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or individual characteristics that makes someone appear different. - DAWN Project
DAWN is a free, confidential, non-judgemental service for any individual who lives in Wychavon, Malvern Hills and Worcester City and is experiencing, or has experienced, domestic abuse.
Carers
- Carers
You are a Carer if you are 18 years old or older and you look after an adult (18 years and older) who is ill, disabled or frail and cannot manage without your help or a person who is perhaps a relative or friend, whether or not they live with you. - Worcestershire Young Carers
LGBT Relationships
What is available locally for children, young people and adults?
- Bromsgrove Youth and Community Hub ‘The Hub’
The Hub runs a LGBT+ group for young people that meets at 4.00pm on Tuesdays and also provide online support and mentoring- The Hub can be contacted through TheHubBromsgrove@outlook.com or on Tel: 07717 438427
- Tuesdays from 4.00pm to 6.00pm, The Hub Bromsgrove (basement of Bromsgrove Baptist Church), New Road, B60 2JD. Ages 11 to 19 (10 year olds who really need the support can attend with older friends or siblings
- Newroad Parents Group
Newroad Parents Group provide peer to peer support for parents and carers of LGBTI+ children, the group provides a safe space for parents and carers to discuss how to best support their children and how to respond when their child comes out. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month currently via Zoom and can be contacted through newroadparents@gmail.com or on Tel: 07864 397422 - Out2gether
Out2gether is a social support group created to promote and support the well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender adults and those with non-heterosexual or non-cis identities (LGBT+) people and those affected by LGBT+ issues in Worcester and South Worcestershire. Currently the group are providing regular Zoom meetings for LGBT+ people to get together, the groups include quizzes, creative writing, book club, film club, meditation, Trans2gether. They can be contacted via email on out2gether.worcs@gmail.com - Pink News
A global LGBT+ Community working to inform, inspire change and empower people to be themselves - Worcestershire Children First Fostering are members of New Family Social
There's loads of information available if you are a carer or prospective carer from a LGBTQ+ background available online here: New Family Social - Latest