Parent Support
Useful Websites
Local Services
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First Steps Family and Well-being Centre Based across 2 sites: Farnborough Road in Birkdale and Kings Meadow in Ainsdale. We are a busy but friendly Centre, with lots going on. Our sessions are all inclusive for families within the Farnborough and Kings Meadow Reach Area. We promise to continue to improve and review our services until we (and you) are happy that it's a true reflection of all the members in our community. All family members are welcome at the Centre, so pop in and see what's available for you and your little ones.
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Woodvale Community Centre Woodvale and Ainsdale Community Association (WACA) is a registered charity in Woodvale, Southport. We provide daytime, evening and school holiday activities for people in the local community. We have two centres within the area for the community to use, subject to availability. Our Community Centre is located on Meadow Lane and our Recreation Centre is on Orchard Lane backing on to the local recreation fields. We pride ourselves on being able to provide quality services for all members of the community.
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Change Grow Live If you’re concerned about your drinking or drug use but aren’t sure what steps to take, you can find lots of information and advice here.
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Sefton Parent Carer Forum Sefton Parent Carer Forum is a well informed, connected and empowered community of families of children with disabilities or additional needs, offering support to each other and working in partnership with service providers to create quality services that meet the needs of all parent carers and their children.
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Southport Crisis Cafe Based in Southport, we offer drop-in sessions between the hours of 5-11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to give adults aged 18+ a place of safety as an alternative to A&E. We offer one to one support and a social space with refreshments, to reduce distress and better manage crisis situations. We can also provide support via phone, Zoom or email.
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Life Rooms Southport The Life Rooms are a free NHS service who provide a safe and welcoming space to meet others, access opportunities and learn about community resources. The Life Rooms offers support for those wanting to take the next steps in their life. Our services are available to anyone.
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Rethink Southport Seasiders Group The Southport Seasiders Mental Health Group is a group that is open to anybody who has experience of mental illness and lives in or around the Southport area. They currently hold a drop-in meeting on Wednesday afternoons in a local cafe near the railway station. The group provides an opportunity for people to give and receive peer support, share personal experiences of mental illness, and hear from others about how they manage their mental illness. We hope that people will develop new friendships from attending the group as well as learn new skills and tips on how to better manage their wellbeing.
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Sefton SENDIASS SENDIASS offer free confidential and impartial advice and support to parents, carers and young people up to the age of 25. To help them make informed decisions about matters relating to SEND including issues relating to Health and Social Care.
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Sefton Carers Sefton Carers Centre provides free advice and guidance, emotional and practical support, training and a range of holistic therapies for unpaid carers living in Sefton. A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.
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Venus Charity Empowers, promotes and supports women, young women and their children in developing their potential, recognising their choices, achieving their goals and challenging injustice
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Sefton Community Adolescent Service (CAS) Community Adolescent Service is a borough wide service which works to support young people aged 12 and over. The service provides support where there are issues which are causing family relationship problems and where children may be on the edge of criminal activity, substance misuse or domestic violence within the home.
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SWACA - Sefton Women's & Children's Aid Sefton Women's and Children's Aid is committed to safeguarding women, young people and children. Our dedicated team supports them in surviving the impact of domestic abuse by giving free, practical and emotional help. Our services are offered regardless of age, disability, sexuality, race or religion. The support we provide can be delivered by phone, in person, in school, in the workplace, in Family Wellbeing Centres or in our Centre.
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Oakleaf Liverpool Bereavement Services Oakleaf Liverpool Bereavement Service is a counselling service for the people in the Merseyside City Region who have been affected by a death. It is an inclusive service offering children and young people loss and grief counselling. Oakleaf provides loss and grief counselling support to children and young people ages 4 to 19, and their families. Counselling is provided on a one to one basis, in groups, in schools or in our Family and Children’s room in Stanley Street Liverpool.
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The Life Rooms Walton The Life Rooms provides a wide range of free, short courses to increase recognition, understanding and self management on symptoms such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, self esteem and many more. There are also courses that are more creative but serve to build confidence, self esteem, skills and knowledge such as singing, arts and crafts, music, comedy and many more. Every course and workshop we offer is co-designed and co-run by volunteers with lived experience working alongside experienced facilitators.
Other Useful Services
Sleep
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The Sleep Charity Children Quality sleep is essential for children’s growth and development. A decent night’s sleep will help them to do better at school, allow them to react more quickly to situations, have a more developed memory, learn more effectively and solve problems, plus it will make them less susceptible to colds and other minor ailments, less irritable and better behaved!
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Cerebra - sleep advice service Cerebra is a service that can offer support to parents of children who experience sleep difficulties. There is a self-referral section on the website.
Eating
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EDYs - The Eating Disorder Young People’s Service Provides treatment to children and young people with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and Binge Eating Disorder in Liverpool and Sefton. This dedicated Community-based service provides a timely access to multi-disciplinary assessment and intervention to children and young-people from across Liverpool and Sefton up to the age of 18.
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Beat Eating Disorders UK We are the UK’s eating disorder charity. Our mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.
Toileting
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ERIC - The children's bowel and bladder charity ERIC offers a range of support and information for parents and carers around potty training, constipation and soiling, daytime bladder problems and bedwetting.
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Toilet training support The information provided here will help you to understand the extra help and support that some children with additional needs may need to learn to use the toilet or potty. The information in the leaflets may be helpful for all children, although some of the leaflets are designed for children with named conditions.
- Toilet Training Advice.pdf
- Talk about getting ready for potty training.pdf
- Talk about going to the toilet leaflet.pdf
- Bedwetting.pdf
- A4-TALK-ABOUT-GOING-TO-THE-TOILET-2017-1.pdf
- Children affected by Crisis - Guide for Parents and Carers.pdf
- A Menu of Activities to Structure Routine and Time.pdf
- Coping with Trauma.pdf
- Helping with School Refusal.pdf
- Helping your child with Eating and Sleeping (Pre-School).pdf
Physical
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Parental Education Growth Support (PEGS) PEGS is a social enterprise set up to support parents, carers and guardians who are experiencing Child to Parent Abuse (including those with adult offspring).
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NSPCC We've got advice to help you understand why children and teenagers self-harm, and what you can do to support them.
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Mankind Our confidential helpline is available for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers. We provide an information, support and signposting service to men suffering from domestic abuse from their current or former wife, partner (including same-sex partner) or husband. This can range from physical violence or object throwing to abuse such as constant bullying or insults.
Counselling Support
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Qwell Qwell.io is a free, safe and anonymous online mental wellbeing community for adults. Our support includes an online magazine, community forums, and professional text based support and counselling through our online platform.
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Stop Breathe Think We give young people, aged 21 or younger, access to free 1-1 counselling sessions. No wait times and available nationally, Stop.Breathe.Think provides vital support to those who need it right now.
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Papyrus UK We provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through our helpline, HOPELINEUK.
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Samaritans Confidential emotional support for anyone in crisis. Samaritans volunteers listen in confidence to anyone in any type of emotional distress, without judging or telling people what to do. Free helpline 116123
Family Relationships
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Family Lives Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service. Please call on 0808 800 2222 for information, advice, guidance and support on any aspect of parenting and family life, including bullying. Our helpline service is open 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm, Saturday and Sunday.
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Relation Kit Everyone needs a hand with their relationship sometimes. Add kids into the mix, and there can be lots of extra pressure on you both, as you juggle looking after yourselves and your little (and not so little) ones. Explore the website to find content on some really common things like struggling to communicate well with your partner, raising kids together, and parenting after break-up.
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Parenting 2000 Emotional and Practical support and guidance for children, young people and families
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Cry-sis Cry-sis, the only UK charity offering help and support to parents with babies who cry excessively or have sleeping problems.
Grief
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Grief Encounter Founded by Dr Shelley Gilbert MBE, our mission is to give every child and young person access to the best possible support following the death of someone close. We work closely with individuals, families, schools and professionals to offer a way through the anxiety, fear and isolation so often caused by grief. Our services include: One-to-one counselling Group workshops Music, art and drama therapy Residentials and Family Fun Days A National, free and confidential helpline called grieftalk offering web chat service too Bespoke support for schools, universities and colleges A dedicated Trauma Team for support following a sudden or traumatic bereavement. Accredited training courses and webinars for professionals Award-winning resources including our unique Grief Relief Kit, Grief Encounter Workbook and Journal
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Winston's Wish Winston’s Wish is a charity that helps children, teenagers and young adults (up to the age of 25) find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief. We provide digital bereavement information, advice and support for young people across the UK who are grieving the death of someone important to them. We also help advise the adults who are caring for young grieving people including parents, school staff and healthcare professionals.
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Macmillan Cancer Support Because cancer can affect your life in so many ways, we do whatever it takes to give people the support they need.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
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Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who: is under 16 has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability