How to contact us for advice

Find out more

Telephone Handler
Close form

Our advice service

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.

Telephone Handler

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.

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 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.

Exit
Family Rights Group
Cover Your Tracks
Generic filters
Exact matches only

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.

People pie chart

Our funding means we can currently only help 4 in 10 people

Your donation will help more families access expert legal advice and support from Family Rights Group.

Donate Now