We provide advice to parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and kinship carers who are involved with children’s services in England or need their help. We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.
Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.
By phone or email
To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). For Textphone dial 18001 followed by the advice line number. Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.
Our get help and advice section describes the processes that you and your family are likely to go through, so that you know what to expect. Our webchat service can help you find the information and advice on our website which will help you understand the law and your rights.
Stepping up for children and families in crisis. Will you help us?
It’s hard when a loved one is having a tough time and you don’t know how to help.
A son struggling with mental illness. A daughter trapped in an abusive relationship. A teenage grandson mixing with street gangs. A sister whose drinking has got out of hand.
That stress and anxiety is even worse when there is a child involved. If social workers are concerned about their welfare, they might want to move them into a foster home. For the struggling loved one, that can be scary and confusing. Relatives on the sidelines might want to step in but don’t know how.
Family Rights Group is here in times of crisis. Our specialist support is a lifeline. We help keep families safely together.
Our work includes:
Advice for families: Our free, specialist, confidential advice service is for parents, relatives, and friends in England whose children are involved with children’s services or need their support. The service is more in demand than ever but our current funding means we can only answer 4 in 10 calls. If you or someone you know needs advice, find out more here.
Family led decision making: We champion an approach called ‘family group conferences’ which means that when children are at risk of going into care, their wider family and friends are involved in making a plan to support their welfare. We’re working to expand this so every child can benefit.
Support for kinship care: We campaign for kinship carers – relatives or friends stepping in to raise children who cannot remain at home – to access the practical, financial and emotional support they need to help the children they are raising to thrive. This includes improved support in school and therapeutic help for any trauma they have experienced. Find out more.
Lifelong Links for children in care: Our Lifelong Links programme is supporting children and young people in care and care leavers to strengthen relationships with those who love them and develop a positive support network they can rely on throughout life. Watch our short film to find out more .
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