Grandparents helplines
Family Lives
Helpline: 0808 800 2222 (9am-9pm weekdays. 10am-3pm weekends)
Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families. If you need to talk, we're here to listen. Find advice on all aspects of family life from relationships, special educational needs, stepfamilies, fostering, to holidays and online safety.
Kinship
Kinship care is when a child lives full-time or most of the time with a relative or close family friend, usually because their parents are not able to care for them. Grandparents are the most common kinship carers, but older siblings, aunts, uncles, and people who know the child well can also take on the role. Here at Kinship, we offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including workshops, online advice and information, and peer support groups.
Grandparents Apart UK
Grand Parents Apart UK (GAUK), is a group dedicated to help grandparents keep in touch with their grandchildren following divorce or separation of the children’s parents. Currently grandparents in the United Kingdom have no inherent legal right to see their grandchildren. Grand Parents Apart UK can help grandparents who are denied contact, and with family problems like fall outs, and parents thinking of separating. Our focus is on putting the children first and conflict second, and aim to help parents reduce legal costs, reduce the stress of separation and help reduce the pain for the whole family.
Family Mediators Association Tel: 01355 244 594
Family mediation is a voluntary process by which couples in dispute, particularly those going through separation or divorce, are helped to deal with arrangements for their future. FMA has a network of over 60 not-for-profit Family Mediation Services in England and Wales offering help to couples, married or unmarried, who are in the process of separation and divorce.
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice provides online information and advice and has Bureaux all over the country delivering free, independent, confidential and impartial face-to-face and telephone advice.
Child Law Advice
Tel: 0300 330 5480 - Family Law
Tel: 0300 330 5485 - Education
The Child Law Advice Service provides legal advice and information on family, child and education law affecting children and families in England. This service is provided via this website packed with how to guides and information pages. Should you require further assistance after reading through the website, we have an email advice service and a dedicated intensive support telephone lines for complex matters and clarifying questions. We cover legal issues that may arise following relationship breakdown as well as Local Authority intervention and child protection issues.
Families Need Fathers
Helpline: 0300 0300 363
If you are separating or divorced and are worried about not seeing your children - or worried about the effect the breakdown of your relationship might have on them, Families Need Fathers can provide you with the support and information you need. Our services are open to mothers, fathers, grandparents, new partners and extended families. We are an organisation dedicated to helping parents and their families continue to provide the love, care and support that their children need after separation - and are there to support parents and families in doing this - especially if you are having problems in coming to an agreement on your own.