Support Services

For many families, the most challenging time in their lives is when they have dependents under the age of 18. These difficulties can include:

parenting, managing behaviour and emotional support
making choices about/ supporting your child's educational development
accessing health or disability services
low income and benefits in affording basic essentials such as housing, clothing, or food
accessing mental health services
English as an additional language/ translation requirements
transport, access and attendance issues
legal advice and assistance around employment or your statutory rights

See below a list of services that can support children, parents and care givers at challenging times or with more general topics*.

School Based Support

Home-School Support Worker (HSSW)
Inclusion, EAL, SEN & Disability
Safeguarding

External Support Agencies & Advice

Family Support

Havering Family Services Advice & Support: area on the London Borough of Havering website where you can find support, groups and information about a range of family topics.

Family Lives: provides early intervention and crisis support to families with help available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from volunteer parent support workers.

0808 8002222 www.familylives.org.uk

Child behaviour: NHS page with advice regarding childhood behaviour and expectations.

Cost of living and housing support

Peabody: Here to Help Service provides free confidential advice, information and support on a range of issues to residents of Havering. Different things they can support with include; accessing benefits, financial advice, housing needs, accessing other local services.

01708 776770 [email protected]

Shelter: a charity working to alleviate homelessness and bad housing through giving information, advice and advocacy to those in housing need.

0808 8004444 england.shelter.org.uk

Havering Housing and Homelessness: links to Havering borough housing advice and support with homelessness. In a housing emergency call 01708 432824 9am to 5pm (01708 433999 5pm to 9am)

Turn2us: a national charity that helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support service.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk/

StepChange: debt charity for free, expert advice.

0800 1381111 https://www.stepchange.org/

Rainham food bank: emergency food supplies (and other support) for people in crisis.

National helpline: 0808 2082138 https://rainham.foodbank.org.uk

Food waste apps: Olio (people giving away food and other items in the local community) https://olioex.com/ TooGoodToGo (low-cost food from local cafes, restaurants and shops) https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/

Havering emergency financial help: information, from Havering, about support in the event of and emergency expense.

Individual support – mental health and wellbeing

Mind: mental health charity that provide advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. https://www.mind.org.uk/

If you need to talk to someone urgently please call:

Samaritans: 116 123 [email protected]

SANEline: 0300 3047000 (4.30-10.30pm every day)

Havering Women’s Aid: an organisation based in Havering that support both men or women affected by domestic abuse and violence. Support includes safety planning, specialist information and advice, access to one-to-one counselling, and the Freedom Programme.

01708 728759 https://haveringwomensaid.co.uk/

National Domestic Violence Helpline: freephone 24 hour helpline 0808 2000247

Gingerbread: charity for single parent families. Provide advice, guidance and support.

0808 8020925 https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/

Havering Aspire (CGL): Havering drug and alcohol support service focusing on recovery.

01708 747617 https://www.changegrowlive.org/aspire-havering/info