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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When might emotional abuse occur? What might it involve?

Emotional abuse can occur on its own. But may be experienced as part of other types of abuse. Such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Examples of what emotional abuse may involve include:

  • Putting a child down. Making them feel they are useless or not loved
  • Not giving a child the space to express their views
  • Silencing a child, or ‘making fun’ of them
  • Expecting a child to do things that are too much for their age
  • Over-protecting a child. Preventing a child from taking part in normal social activities
  • Exposing a child to the ill-treatment of someone else. Such as seeing or hearing domestic abuse
  • Causing a child to feel frightened or in danger at home.

Children of any age can suffer emotional abuse. And the person responsible for the abuse may be an adult or a child. They may live in the child’s home or live elsewhere.

Emotional abuse can be deliberate. But it can also happen where families are struggling or overwhelmed. Or where parents or carers don’t have the information or help they need to understand or meet their child’s needs.

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