Child Protection, Family Care and Young People Links

Social Services

Social services for children and families in need, including child protection and services for children with disabilities or children who cannot live at home.

Residents of Crouch End, Green Lanes, Highgate, Muswell Hill and Wood Green contact:

Residents of North, Mid and South Tottenham contact:

For more information about social services for children, please contact the main office for children's services and fostering and adoption.

Supplies a range of information about services and facilities for young children, including childminders, nurseries, play groups, parent and toddler groups.

Offers counselling and support to parents, carers, children and families. Provides a variety of workshops including parenting skills. Offers after - school clubs.

Solicitors

Solicitors listed here can advise on all matters concerning your family including Adoption, Divorce, Child care and Disputes. For more information contact your chosen solicitor.

This a multi-disciplinary crisis intervention service for young people aged 11 to 18 with mental health problems living in Haringey. Professionals from education, health or social services can make referrals. Disabled access and contact with interpreters. (Tiers 2 and 3 of CAMHS).

Early intervention and support for young Black and mixed-heritage people aged 16 to 25 years experiencing mental health problems.

Multi-disciplinary service for children and young people, and their families who are experiencing difficulties in the development of thefr gender identity. The service also sees children of parents with transsexualism or other gender identity problems. The service has disabled access and interpreters can be arranged on request. (Tier 4 of CAMHS).

CAMHS is a multi-disciplinary team providing psychiatry, psychology, child psychotherapy, speech and language therapy and family therapy. Service offers disabled access. Health professionals, social services, education and voluntary sector can make referrals. Age range: 0 to 16 years (up to 18 years if in education). (Tiers 2 and 3 of CAMHS).

Free advice for families involved with social services. Advocacy and advice service provided (10am-3.30pm weekdays).

Free helpline for lone parents (9am-5pm weekdays).

A council-run educational psychology service for children and young people aged 0 to 19 years, to enhance their development and learning. An educational psychologist visits each school regularly. Teachers can make referrals using the educational psychology form, and getting the parent's agreement. Parents and other professionals (if they have received parental permission) can contact the service directly for an initial consultation. Disabled access and contact with interpreters. (Jiers 2 and 3 of CAMHS).

Specialises in working with families, individuals, couples and other relationship groups.

Advocacy for children.

Helps families resolve conflicts arising from break-ups.

Free advice for lone parents.

Open Door works with young people aged 13 to 24 years and parents of teenagers and young adults offering psychotherapy and counselling. Any agency is welcome to refer although contact from the young person will be sought prior to an appointment being offered. (Tier 2 of CAMHS).

Freephone 24-hour helpline for parents. Parentline also run parenting courses.

The clinic provides forensic psychotherapy for children and adolescents who have problems with criminal behaviour, delinquent or violent acts or sexual impulses. Disabled access and contact with interpreters. (Tier 4 of CAMHS).

Family counselling service to support better family relationships.

Family intervention, which extends to siblings and one-to-one counselling.

Specialists in speech, language and communications therapy for children with mental health difficulties. (Tiers 2 and 3 of CAMHS).

AHEADS works with young people (aged 10 to 18 years) and their parents and carers to minimise the harm and potential for substance misuse. They offer in formation, advice and support to parents and carers of younger users. (Tier 1 of CAHMS).

A range of services for children, adolescents and families experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties or distress. Translated material and interpreting services available. (Tier 3 of CAMHS).

Promotes child and adolescent mental health services, It is also involved in consultancy work training, and producing information leaflets.

A self-referral service for young people aged 16 years plus. Telephone referrals are encouraged. The service helps young people get a clearer understanding of the difficulties they have. Disabled access and contact with interpreters. (Tier 2 of CAMHS).

On Track forms part of the Government's Crime Reduction Programme and is therefore a part of the Youth Offending Service. It aims to reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in offending by providing a range of evidence based early-intervention support early to children and their families. The focus is primarily on service provision for children aged 4-12 whilst also considering links for younger and older age groups.

A broad ranges of local youth clubs and centres offering advice and information, support and counselling. Also a range of school and educational support programmes as well as award schemes to further attainment and accreditation. Target age 13 to 19.

Advice and support for young people involved with the police and courts.

Action for Sick Children works to ensure that sick children are given the highest standard of care possible. They provide information on parents' and childrens' rights and produce quality standards on levels of heathcare.

Barnardo's, the UK'S biggest and best known children's charity, works with around 22,000 children, young people and families. Over 150 projects provide youth training, day care in deprived areas, special education for children with disabilities, adoption and fostering, and schemes for those affected by HIV/AIDS, homelessness and child sexual abuse.

Centrepoint is a registered charity and housing association aiming to ensure that young people are not at risk because they do not have a safe place to stay. Emergency shelters, hostels and flats are provided for homeless 16-25 year olds in London. Centrepoint works with local groups to improve services nationally.

ChildLine is the UK'S free helpline and young people in trouble or danger. It provides a confidential telephone counselling service for any child with any problem, 24 hours a day, every day. It comforts, advises and protects. Where a child is in danger ChildLine works with other helpline agencies to ensure the child's protection. ChildLine also brings to public attention issues affecting children's welfare and rights.

The Children's Legal Centre provides a free legal advice service by letter and telephone and produces a range of publications including Childright, a monthly multi-disciplinary journal.

Kidscape teaches children about personal safety with the help of teachers, parents, police and other concerned adults. They provide a helpline for parents of children bullied at school which is open Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm. Send A4 SAE for information pack.

NCH Action for Children is a children's charity. We run 400 projects across Britain, mostly in partnership with local health and education authorities. Whilst being fundamentally a social care agency we find ourselves involved with many children, families and young people with mental health problems but mental health is not the focus of our work, and we run no dedicated mental health service.

We have now established an education Support project specifically funded to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual young people between the ages of 13yrs-19yrs in London. This is in partnership with a lesbian, gay, bisexual voluntary youth group called The Teenage group. The project is a new initiative between the voluntary sector and the statutory youth sector. The funding bodies of this unique project are Neighbourhood Support Fund and Islington Education, Regeneration & Play and Youth Services with support from Islington Connexions.

The education support project aims to enable lesbian, gay, bisexual young peoplet overcome difficulties they may be experiencing at school, at college or in other educational environments by providing individual personalised support.

The workers of the project also offer:

• Support to youth workers and their professionals to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual young people in their care
• Training and group work to all young people between the ages of 13-19 years, around issues of homophobic bullying, sexuallty and identity. One to One support, Coming Out, Educational Support Project, referrals.

The Place 2 Be is a registered charity which pioiides emotional and therapeutic support to children in primary schools, helping them with difficulties that they experience. The Place 2 Be counsellors work within the schools in special rooms eqpped with art and play materials. The Place 2 Be offers 1:1 support, group sessions and a weekly drop-in service, Place to Talk.

Young Minds is the national charity committed to improving the mental health of all children. Parents information service, magazine seminars and consultancy help young people, parents and professonals to understand when a young person feels troubled and how to find help.

Youth Access is a membership organisation for information, advice and counselling services throughout the UK, offering training and support to paid and voluntary workers. Referrals are made to the appropriate agencies for young people either by telephone or by letter.

We offer support and friendship for bereaved parents and their families by those similarly bereaved of a child of any age and from any circumstances including murder or suicide.

Contact a Family helps families who care for children with any disability or special need.

CRUSE Bereavement Care provides counselling and support through 180 branches. Wide range of leaflets and literature are available for the bereaved, together with advice and information on practical issues. Please send SAE for further information and free leafilet.

Families Anonymous is a self-help organisation which aims to help family and friends of people with a current, suspected or former drug problem by providing mutual support and by offering a forum where experiences and anxieties can be shared.

The Family Rights Group provides advice and support to families who are involved with social services in child protection procedures, or court proceedings, or who are having problems getting family support services, adequate contact with their child or have other difficulties with their child.

Family Service Units (FSU) is a national charity with community based units throughout the UK. They provide a range of services aimed at alleviating the worst effects of social exclusion and poverty on children and families.

FWA is unique in providing support for families and individuals from cradle to grave. It manages a number of Mental Health Day Centre services, often with a café attached. The programmes offered are designed with and by service users. FWA services include support into employment and specific schemes to help people from minority communities whose menta1 health makes them vulnerable. FWA have a number of housess offering care to people with mental health problems who prefer not to live on their own. FWA is actively developing new services to support families where a parent or carer has profound mental health problems and runs many Well Family services that offer rapid help and support from within a GP surgery or primary care setting. FWA offers a telephone helpline counselling and crisis service for people with mental health problems who live in the London Borough of Greenwich.

HomeStart has local schemes throughout the UK offering regular support, friendship and practical help to families with at least one child under 5. Patent volunteers make home visits to families facing a range of difficulties, helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown

National Family Mediation is made up of 60 services nationwide offering mediation to couples who have decided to separate or divorce to help resolve issues re: contact with children, finance and property.

National Newpin is a registered charity which offers parents and children a unique opportunity to achieve positive changes in their lives and relationships through respect, support, equality and empathy.

Parentline Plus is a national charity focused on families, formed following themerger of Parentline and the National Stepfamily Association. Working with adults, children and young people we aim to provide information and support to families, to shape and expand what is understood by parenting and to change and increase the support available to those who parent and contribute to the welfare of children.

National Relate is the central charity supporting the work of 108 Relate Centres in the Relate federation. Centres provide a range of services for people experiencing difficulties in their marital or adult couple relationships.

SANDS provides support for bereaved families when their baby dies during or shortly after birth. The key elements of that support are:- National Telephone Helpline Service, UK-wide network of self-help groups.

Wandsworth Bereavement Service provides a free confidential counselling service to individuals and groups resident in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

Rd4u is a website designed for young people by young people. It is part of Cruse Bereavement Care's Youth Involvement Project and is here to support people after the death of someone close.