Resources
Support Organisations
Below are a list of links to organisations and resources that can support families in various ways regardless of whether intervention by children’s services is active.
Whilst we are not a support group for families intrinsically, if you want to make contact with us, please email us at facherefordshire@proton.me.
If you provide a support service and would like to be listed below again please make contact.
Useful Websites
The Families’ Alliance for Change (Herefordshire) suggest the below websites with a particular emphasis on children’s services in Herefordshire.
Support and information for struggling families
Home-Start Herefordshire and Vennture help struggling families in Herefordshire:
The website of the national Family Rights Group (FRG) gives information and advice for parents etc whose children are involved with children’s services:
Care Proceedings
There is information on the government’s website, for example, about care proceedings.
Solicitors can be found from the Law Society’s website below. Select “Family public law – legal aid” to find a Legal Aid solicitor if care proceedings are possible.
You can check if someone who claims to be a professional social worker (working in England) is actually currently registered to practice on the social workers register.
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
For the parents and carers of children and young people with SEND there is Parent Carer Voice Herefordshire and the national Sunshine Support:
Mental Health Support
Mind gives support and information (including useful contacts) about different types of mental health problems, for example, postnatal depression and PTSD.
The Samaritans help those struggling to cope with life.
GP practices can medicate, refer and signpost to additional services e.g. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) - Herefordshire or Adult Mental Health Services.
Within Herefordshire Talk Community services are available online and at various locations along with Herefordshire Talking Therapies.
Support For Those Affected By Adoption
We know how devastating it is to loose a family member to adoption. If you are affected there are various sources of support available.
The Family Rights Group interactive map details information and support locally available to the birth relatives of children who have been adopted, are being adopted, or may be adopted.
Adoption Central England (ACE) is the regional adoption agency covering Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Solihull and Coventry. It supports those affected by adoption - adopters, adoptees and birth families (through Family Connexions).
PAC-UK supports those affected by adoption and other types of permanent care (for example, “special guardian”) including the First Family Service for birth relatives.
The Adoption Contact Register is a chargeable government service that both an adoptee and relatives can join which instantly flags if you do or don’t want to be contacted.
Lived Experience
There are numerous resources by people with lived experience available online.
Two helpful resources are Professor Luke Clements’ website and a book by Mary Kidson detailing how she was unjustly jailed whilst investigations on Fabricated or Induced Illness (FIII) were undertaken by Herefordshire Council Children’s Services. Both attended an FII event held in Hereford which was filmed by a local amateur.
Fabricated or induced illness (FII) is a rare form of child abuse. This information event in February 2023 was held for families falsely accused of FII.