How to contact us for advice

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Our advice service

Are you a parent, kinship carer relative or friend of a child who is involved with, or who needs the help of, children’s services in England? 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.

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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). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.

Discuss on our forums

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.

Advice on our website

Our get help and advice section has template letters, advice sheets and resources about legal and social care processes. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, you can use our webchat service to chat online to an adviser.

 

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Does a disabled child have a legal right to specific services?

No, not under the Children Act.

The help and services given will depend on:

  • The child’s assessed needs, and
  • The local threshold document used to decide which children in the area are enough ‘in need’ to get help and services.

The local threshold document should explain the measures used in the local area to decide what help children can receive. It helps social workers decide if a child is likely to get any extra help or services. The threshold document (or the measures in it) may be called ‘eligibility criteria’ in some local areas. Slightly different measures or ‘thresholds’ apply in different parts of England. See our Child in need page for more information.

If a disabled child has been assessed to need a specific service under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act there is an enforceable right to that service.

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