Parenting
This is an on-line directory that brings together information about services, activities, support and guidance for children and young people, aged 0 -19 years, parents and practitioners across Kent.
Its aim is to meet people's needs and to provide practitioners with a network of information.
You can search a wealth of information by keyword search or by using the advance search tab. You can also access more focussed information by clicking on the different zones and headings to find the information you need.
Understanding Childhood
provides a wonderful range of free downloadable information leaflets for families and childcare professionals to help raise emotionally secure children.
- One in five children experience emotional or behavioural difficulties sometime in childhood
- Early intervention is vital to help families
- Every child matters
Understanding Childhood offers leaflets on children’s emotional development from birth to adulthood. These popular and well-regarded leaflets were written by experienced child and adolescent psychotherapists for the Child Psychotherapy Trust, which operated successfully from 1987 to 2004.
They are useful in training and parenting education. The leaflets provide helpful insights into the emotional development of children.
They can be downloaded free - just click on the link below:
Understanding Childhood leaflets
The leaflets can be viewed and downloaded using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You can find this in Parenting
Itsfinished.com
Breaking up is never easy but it doesn't have to be the end - itsfinished.com is about starting over and all the help you need to embrace single life, whether you are divorced, separated or bereaved.
Whether you are looking for advice, friendship, revenge or fun, itsfinished.com has something for you. If you like our site, please tell others about us!
Contact a Family
is the only UK-wide charity providing advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children - no matter what their disability or health condition. They also enable parents to get in contact with other families, both on a local and national basis. Each year they reach at least 275,000 families.
Contact a Family produces a range of factsheets, covering a range of issues that can affect families, regardless of their child's special need. They can be downloaded free - just click on the link below:
http://www.cafamily.org.uk/families.html
You can find this in Health, Special Needs & Disabilities and Parenting
turn2us is a new charity helping people to find out about the charitable grants and state benefits they may be entitled to.
turn2us, founded by Elizabeth Finn Care, aims to address this problem by increasing awareness and improving access to the help available. As well as obtaining information through their website – turn2us.org.uk – people can also apply directly to charities for financial help.
Babycentre
Planning a pregnancy? Expecting? New parent? We're here for you with expert advice, up-to-date information and parent-to-parent support.
Baby World
We believe that being a parent is one of the most important jobs that we will ever do and that information and a thriving community should be available to parents 24/7. Babyworld is committed to bringing you essential, up to date information and support that is in tune with the needs of today's parents.
Bliss
Helpline: 0500 618 140
Provides equipment for neonatal units, sponsors specialist nurse training, funds research and offers support and information to parents and families of "special care babies".
Bounty
Bounty is your pregnancy and parenting club, there for you from bump to baby and beyond.
It was created to bring mums-to-be and new mums trusted advice on pregnancy and being a parent, not to mention the famous Bounty packs to help care for the whole family. So join the club that's bursting with benefits for you and yours, plus have a whole lot of fun being a Bounty mum.
Bounty.com is packed with news and features about pregnancy and parenthood plus you can go shopping, get special offers from our retail, finance and travel partners and a whole lot more right here.
Cry-Sis
Tel: 08451 228 669
Will put you in touch with a local supporter, for advice about excessively crying, sleepless and demanding babies and young children.
Dad-at-home
DadAtHome was formed to offer a unique reference point on being a househusband or a stay at home dad.
Traditionally mum stayed at home when a little one came along, but now it's frequently dad who chooses this path. We offer lots of advice for stay-at-home dads
Dads Space
Being a Dad is one of the most enriching experiences in a man’s life, enjoyable but at times a grind and frequently challenging.
Dads-Space aims to tackle all of this - from the playful to the painful, offering no-nonsense advice and information based on Dads' own experiences and up-to-date research.
DirectGov – Parenting
Find out information on your legal rights as a parent, how to keep your children safe, schools and education, money and entitlements and lots of general information!
Disabled Parents Network (DPN)
DPN provides information, advice and peer support to disabled parents, their families and supporters. We campaign on a local and national level to improve services for disabled parents. We also provide training and workshop facilitation to social and health professionals.
Emma’s Diary
Packed with diet, fitness and fashion tips, as well as expert medical advice approved by the Royal College of General Practitioners, Emma’s Diary® is your complete guide to pregnancy and beyond.
Fathers Direct - The National Information Centre on Fatherhood
Welcome to Fathers Direct, the national information centre on fatherhood. We're here to help you harness the full potential of fatherhood with news, training information, policy updates, research summaries and guides for supporting fathers and their families.
Families Need Fathers (FNF)
Parental divorce or separation should not mean that children lose the love and care of one of their parents.
Families Need Fathers seeks to obtain, for the children, the best possible blend of both parents in the lives of children. The amount of time the children spend with each parent will need to vary. However, the role of both should be enough for the children to realise that both parents are fully involved in their lives, that there is no important area of the children's lives from which either parent is excluded. It should not be so disproportionate that one parent can dominate the lives of the children or to be able to control the children's relationship with the other parent. The parents should be of equal status in law. Responsibilities and obligations, caring and financial, should be fairly shared between the parents and depart from equality only for child-centred reasons.
Families Need Fathers is firstly a social care organisation, concerned with a particular area of child welfare. Via information, advice and personal support we help parents to retain, develop and make best use of the children's relationship with them. We provide books and leaflets, a website, support workshops, a telephone helpline and internet forums in which members offer and seek comments and support.
Family Rights Group
We are the charity in England and Wales that advises parents and other family members whose children are involved with or require social care services. We run a confidential telephone advice service for families.
Family Welfare Association
The FWA offers a variety of help to enable people to find the best solutions to their problems. They work with people to build confidence and self-esteem: enable children to have fun and excitement, lone parents to make friends, and mentally ill people to rebuild their life in the community
Meet-a-Mum Association
The Meet A Mum Association was created to try and help thousands of mothers who feel depressed and isolated when their babies are born.
National Portage Association
Portage is a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families.
National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
We help over a million mums and dads each year through pregnancy, birth and early days of parenthood. We offer antenatal and postnatal courses, local support and reliable information to help all parents.
Netmums
Netmums is a unique local network for Mums (or Dads), offering a wealth of information on both a national and local level. Once you have registered on your local site you can access details for all kinds of local resources, from child-friendly cafes to childminders, places to go and much, much more. In just a few clicks you chat with local mums in our coffee house, read other mums local recommendations and check out information on pre-schools or schools in your area - it’s all here, under one roof.
NHS Breastfeeding Information
This website is provided by the NHS and aims to give you all the need-to-know information and advice on breastfeeding.
One Parent Families – Gingerbread
One Parent Families|Gingerbread believes we can build a fairer society for all families, in which lone parents and their children are not disadvantaged and do not suffer from poverty, isolation, or social exclusion.
One Space
Find information and ideas to help you with the best, yet most challenging job – being a single parent. Join our online groups to share the load with other lone parents.
Whether you’re pregnant, have toddlers or teenagers, are separated, divorced, widowed or have chosen to go it alone, this site is for you.
Parentline Plus
We’re here because you are the most important person in your child’s life. We know that family life can be challenging and difficult. We support you, so that you can do your best
Parents Advice Centre
Parents Advice Centre (sometimes known simply as PAC) has, since 1979, provided help and support to parents facing any family difficulty
Parents Centre
ParentsCentre is an official Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) website for parents and carers. We aim to act as a reference book about the education system and a provider of information about the myriad issues relevant to you and your child. We also aim to direct parents and carers to other sources of information and advice.
Tamba
Twinline: 0800 138 0509
National and local support - there may be a twins club in your local area.
Tommy’s
Pregnancy Information Line: 0870 777 30 60
Tommy's, the baby charity, funds a national programme of medical research and information. Tommy's provides information for parents, parents-to-be, health professionals and the general public, to help maximise the chance of having a healthy pregnancy, through a telephone pregnancy information line, email and web access to health professionals, plus a range of free publications.
Working Families
Helpline: 0207 253 7243
Campaigns for and provides information on new, flexible ways of working that help achieve a balance between work and family. Free information pack available.
Breast Feeding Support
Read real breastfeeding experiences written by real mums!