National Offenders' Families Helpline, supporting families across England, Wales and Scotland
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Chat to other families
Listening, supportive and non-judgemental
Get advice and support whenever you need it
Helpline 0808 800 2222
Download our leaflets
Read our leaflets with further information and advice about topics including bullying, moving to secondary school and gangs.
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Bullying UK Helpline Poster
We're here if you need to talk. Please print our poster and share with your friends, family and colleagues. If you have permission to do so feel free to place this poster on community notice boards. Thank you.
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Family Lives Helpline Poster
We're here if you need to talk. Please print our poster and share with your friends, family and colleagues. If you have permission to do so feel free to place this poster on community notice boards. Thank you.
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6-18 months – From first tooth to first steps
Being a new parent can be isolating – but there’s no need to be lonely. Getting out and about with your baby and meeting others builds a strong support network which can last through and beyond your baby’s pre-school years
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Starting primary school
Starting primary school is daunting – both for children and their families. It marks a big change in family life, especially if it’s the eldest or youngest child who is going.
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Bullying - information and advice to support you and your child
When children and young people talk about their experience of being bullied, they’re not talking about the give and take of normal socialisation. Many children are bullied for being ‘different’. It could be due to being tall, small, thin, fat, red-headed, clever or having a disability, special needs or because of gender, religion, sexuality or race.
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Moving to secondary school - Supporting your child through the change to secondary school
It may seem like yesterday that your child started primary school, but now secondary is looming. You may worry about choosing the right school, how you can help your child prepare and how to help them get the most out of secondary
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Families – we’re here for you
We have a strong presence in local communities: our offices are located across England. We offer tailored local services including drop-in sessions, face-to-face parenting courses, visits to schools and groups and workshops on specific issues like bullying, handling difficult behaviour or boosting children’s confidence.
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Stepfamilies
At Family Lives, we speak regularly to stepfamily members and we know that, while stepfamilies
are fast becoming the norm, the process of feeling safe and secure in a new family can be difficult and takes time.
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Discipline- information and advice for parents and families
Discipline is not about punishment. Ideally,it begins from the earliest stages in a child’s development with parents and adult carers helping children to understand what is right and wrong whilst creating a secure place from which to experiment and learn about life.
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Splitting up or staying together? - Making the right decision – with Family Lives and Relate
Problems in a relationship don’t have to mean it will end. Talking to a Relate counsellor can help you share your feelings and decide whether the relationship can be saved. And if a split is inevitable or has already happened, Family Lives can help you think about what’s best for the whole family
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Gangs, teenagers and your family - Support for you and your family
Media reports about young people joining criminal gangs make it easy to believe this is widespread, which is not the reality according to the statistics of the number of young people actually caught up in gang membership
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Teenagers and risky behaviour- Getting through the teenage years together
Having a teenager in the family can be tough. As a parent, you might feel that overnight your son or daughter has become sulky, bad tempered and seems to want to do nothing but shock you. But teenagers themselves may be feeling that they are going through a tough time too.
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The Outsiders - Telling the Children
This Outsiders booklet provides helpful and practical information about the impact that imprisonment of a parent has on the children. The booklet covers a wide range of issues from what to say to the children, dealing with the child’s changing role in the family to coping with changes in a child’s behaviour.
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Guide to adoption for women prisoners
The issues relating to adoption can be complex and we have provided a very basic overview of the words used, law and court practice and procedure.
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When social services are involved - Guide for women prisoners
The issues relating to children can be complex and we have provided a very basic overview of the words used, law and court practice and procedure.
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Booklet for young people - relative in prison
We hope this leaflet will help teenagers who have relatives in prison. You might feel isolated, alone, not sure how to get support or talk to other young people in the same situation as you. You may have questions or are looking for a little more information on what happens when someone is arrested, appears at court or goes to prison.
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The Outsiders - Sent to Prison
This Outsiders booklet is for individuals experiencing the imprisonment of a family member. It explains the impact on the family from the point of initial arrest to imprisonment itself, providing helpful information ranging from visiting prison to becoming familiar with prison jargon.
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The Outsiders - Living with Separation
This booklet is for individuals experiencing the imprisonment of a family member. It explains the impact that separation can have on you, your imprisoned partner and the children involved. It also offers practical help about how to cope with your changing roles.
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The Outsiders - Preparing for Release
This booklet discusses the issues for families as they prepare for the release and resettlement of a family member from prison. It provides helpful and practical information on some common hopes and fears expressed by both the person in prison and the family on the outside. Featuring quotes from ex-prisoners and their partners, the booklet covers issues ranging from the practicalities of finding employment to getting to know each other again and re-establishing a relationship.
Meet the family
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Parenting UK, part of Family Lives is a national membership organisation for professionals working with parents. -
Action for Prisoners' and Offenders' Families, part of Family Lives, supports all those working with families of prisoners -
Workshops to prevent sexual bullying, peer on peer sexual exploitation and promote positive gender relationships -
Advice on all aspects of bullying -
Watch our videos for hints and tips on parenting