Family and Parent/ Carer Support

There are many sources of information, support and guidance for parents and carers. The Local Offer is a good place to start: www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk/directory

The Family Information Service also offers a free impartial information and signposting service on all aspects of family life for parents/carers: www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/support-and-advice/families.

You could visit your local library for more information or find more information on the website: www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries

  1. Services that can support you
  2. Workshops, courses and training for parents and carers
  3. Support groups and drop-ins for parent carers
  4. Family Centres
  5. Support for siblings
  6. Financial help

Services that can support you

Surrey's Parent/ Carer Forum - Family Voice Surrey

Family Voice Surrey is a parent carer forum that champions the needs and rights of families who have children with AN&D.

SEND Advice Surrey

SEND Advice Surrey is Surrey's Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities information, advice and support (SENDIAS) service.
They provide information, advice and support to parents, carers and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years.

The information, advice and support provided is impartial, confidential, free and at arm's length to the Council. They will listen to your concerns and discuss any issues in confidence.

They aim to provide information, advice and support to empower parents, carers and young people to:

  • fully participate in discussions and make informed decisions
  • express their views and wishes about education and future aspirations
  • promote independence and self-advocacy
  • develop positive relationships with nurseries, preschools, schools, colleges, universities, the Council and supported services to achieve positive outcomes.

You can visit their website: www.sendadvicesurrey.org or get in touch with them by email sendadvice@surreycc.gov.uk or telephone 01737 737300.

Home-Start Surrey

Home-Start are local charities passionate about promoting the welfare of local families who are struggling and who have at least one young child. There are eight local offices across Surrey. Home Start works with Surrey County Council and many local charities to provide early help where possible and make referrals to additional support if needed.

The Surrey Care Trust (SCT)

SCT tackles disadvantage, social exclusion and hardship in local communities by equipping young people and families with the skills to improve their economic situation, reduce their social isolation and to convince them they have a valuable contribution to make to society.

They help families across Surrey with issues ranging from poor mental health to unemployment and problems with school or getting qualifications – especially if a family member is living with a learning disability.

You can request help by emailing mentoring@surreycaretrust.org.uk or visit the website for more information www.surreycaretrust.org.uk

Workshops, courses and training for parents and carers

Parenting courses and workshops are available to all parents and carers in Surrey. There are details on the Family Information Directory.

There are specialist courses and workshops for parents and carers of children with AN&D.

Online parenting programmes

There are free online parenting courses from understanding pregnancy to understanding teenagers, including understanding your child with additional needs. Use the code 'ACORN'.

Family learning courses

These help parents and carers give children a positive start in life and support their learning and development at home and school.
There are a wide range of free online courses, from parenting and wellbeing, to Maths and English for parents who speak English as an Additional Language.

For full details and to sign up, see the Family Learning web page:

Free online guides for families in Surrey

If you are a Surrey resident, you can have free access to online parenting guides that include top tips from childcare, education and NHS health experts. The guides can come in text, audio and video formats and other languages (including Urdu, Chinese and Polish).

The Surrey Family Support Programme (FSP)

Like our Family Centres, the FSP helps families solve problems and build their own resilience and self-reliance. There are five local teams across Surrey who co-ordinate help for families, with one-to-one family support where circumstances are having a significant impact on children's health, development or wellbeing.

Support groups and drop-ins for parent carers

There are several support groups for parent carers around Surrey. Search for those near you on the Local Offer website or see the list of groups recommended by other parent carers on the Local Offer.

The Local Offer website has lots of helpful information about support services in your area. If you don't have a computer at home you can book a computer in a library or ask your child's nursery or school for help.

Drop-ins

Many charities and family support groups offer 'drop-ins' where you can get support from people who have a similar experience to you. You can find your local drop-ins by searching the directory on the Local Offer. www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk/directory

Helplines

These are usually free and offer confidential information and advice about any concerns you may have about your children or family. You can talk to them about any aspect of family life including children's behaviour, teenagers, adult relationships, separation and divorce, grandchildren and step-parenting issues.

You can find details of some popular helplines on the Local Offer and in the Local Offer directory.

If you need someone to talk to about parenting or personal issues you can call FamilyLine on 08088 026666.

Family Centres

Family Centres help families with parenting and relationship challenges so they can solve problems, grow in confidence and manage future difficulties. They help families build their own resilience and self-reliance.

Family Centres are based as near as possible to the most disadvantaged communities, but families needing help anywhere across Surrey can use them.

Support for siblings

Having a brother or sister with AN&D can be life enhancing but comes with its own individual challenges.

Sometimes siblings will provide care or support for their brother or sister. They are known as 'young carers'. Often children and young people growing up with a disabled brother or sister get less attention from parents and have more worries and responsibilities than their peers. They may face public prejudice or find it hard to get schoolwork done. Going out for the day or getting enough sleep might be difficult. They also need recognition for learning new skills and being supportive of their brothers' and sisters' needs.

What you can do

The Local Offer has lots of help, as well as suggested activities for siblings to do together.

Support may be available through Children's Services, and you can self-refer for an assessment.

Other sources of support are:

Surrey Young Carers

Surrey Young Carers support children from Year 1 upwards.

SIBS

Sibs is a charity supporting people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister

Financial help

You and your child may be eligible for means-tested benefits because of the impact that AN&D has on your finances. It could be that you are doing less paid work because you are caring for your child, or you may have to spend money to support their health and wellbeing.

Please note: your child does not need a diagnosis or an EHCP for you to apply for benefits.

What you can do

You can check what benefits you are entitled to using a benefit checker:

Find details of charities and organisations offering financial assistance depending on your family's circumstance.

Benefits that you could look into include:

  • Disability Living Allowance can be claimed on behalf of an eligible child under 16 years old.
  • Carer's Allowance can be claimed by a parent when the child gets Disability Living Allowance.
    Carer's Credit is used to top up National Insurance when you provide care for over 20 hours
    a week.
  • Income Support helps some adults who are not available for work because of their caring responsibilities.
  • Child Tax Credit is a universal benefit for families with a child under sixteen.
  • Council Tax Discount ensures you do not have to pay more Council Tax if you need a larger property to meet your child's needs.
  • Disabled Facilities Grant can be awarded by your local district or borough council to pay for adaptations to your home.
  • Blue Badge scheme - this allows you to park close to where you need to go, such as in disabled parking spaces. You do not need an EHCP.

You may be able to get more help here:

  • Help for Households is a government website page with information and advice to help with the cost-of-living crisis.
  • Gingerbread is a charity offering practical support for single parents, including support for the cost-of-living.
  • Turn2Us has a search tool for grants that you might be able to apply for from other charities. There is also benefits calculator to check you are receiving all you are entitled to.
  • School uniform costs. If you are worried about paying for school uniforms, the Surrey County Council website suggests services that might help.
  • Family Fund provides grants to families on a low income who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child.