Whybridge
Infant School
'Learning together to make a difference'
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
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 haveringfloatingsupport@peabody.org.uk
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.
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 jo@samaritans.org
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
