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). 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

Fathers

Sometimes fathers can be overlooked or excluded from decisions made about their children. The aim of this page is to help fathers understand their legal rights and responsibilities.  And to know the options available if they need support. Fathers may want to start by looking at our Children’s services page. This shares helpful information about what children’s services do and how they should work.

Partnership working and parental responsibility

Children’s services have responsibility for supporting children and families. And for keeping vulnerable children safe. Children’s services should work in partnership with children and their families to do this. This includes parents. Government statutory guidance called Working Together 2018, makes this clear (see page 9 at paragraph 11). Parents includes all birth fathers who have parental responsibility and birth fathers who do not.

Five big topics: contact, child protection, care proceedings, the care system, adoption

Click on the blocks below for more information and advice for fathers on five important topics:

Where fathers can get further help and support

Dad Info

Provides a range of helpful, practical, entertaining resources and content for fathers.

Website: https://www.dad.info/

The Fatherhood Institute

Provides the UK information centre on fatherhood through newsletters, training information, policy updates, research summaries and guides.

Email: mail@fatherhoodinstitute.org
Website: http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/

Families Need Fathers

Provides information and support to parents and carers of either sex. Is chiefly concerned with maintaining a child’s relationship with both parents following family breakdown.

Helpline: 0300 0300 363 (Open Monday – Friday 6pm – 10pm)
Email: fnf@fnf.org.uk
Website: https://fnf.org.uk/

Future Men

Gingerbread

Offers a range of services for lone parent families throughout England and Wales: a telephone helpline, membership, training and learning opportunities, free publications, and campaigning work.

Helpline: 0808 802 0925
(Open Mondays: 10am – 6pm, Tuesday/Thursdays/Fridays-10am – 4pm, Wednesdays: 10am-1pm and 5pm – 7pm.)
Website: 
https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/

Respect

Provides confidential helpline services for domestic abuse perpetrators, those supporting them and for male victims of domestic abuse.

Respect Phoneline: 0845 122 8609 (Monday – Friday 10am-1pm and 2pm -5pm)
Website: https://www.respect.uk.net/

Respect Phoneline

Works with domestic violence perpetrators, male victims, and young people. Respect runs a helpline for men and women who are harming their partners.

Website: https://respectphoneline.org.uk/
Freephone: 0808 801 0327

They also run a Men’s Advice Line which provides advice and support to men experiencing domestic abuse and those supporting them.

Freephone: 0808 8010327
Email: info@mensadviceline.org.uk

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