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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Local Authority Kinship Care Policies and Contacts

The Government in 2011 issued family and friends care (also known as kinship care) guidance that requires that all English local authorities have a family and friends care policy. It also requires that each authority identifies a senior manager with responsibility for overseeing this area of child welfare.

If you are aware that a local policy has been updated or contact details changed, please email ychoudhury@frg.org.uk to help keep this page up to date.

Click on a region in England to view local authorities’ family and friends care policies and contact details (where the information has been provided to us).

Newcastle

Nicki Whitehill

Team Manager, family and friends/SGO team

Darlington

Bronwen Smith

Service Manager, Children’s Placement Service

Durham

Anne Middleton

Operations Manager, Looked After Children Resources

Gateshead

Fiona Macnaughton

Team Manager Kinship Care

Hartlepool

Sue Mansell

Team Manager Fostering

Middlesbrough

Nicole Drake

Team Manager Connected Carers

North Tyneside

Carly Brownlee

Team Manager, Fostering Service

Northumberland

Laura Cassin

Kinship Team Manager

Redcar and Cleveland

Fostering Team Manager

South Tyneside

Michelle Phillipson

Team Manager, Connected Carers Team

Stockton-On-Tees

Rhona Bollands

Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Looked After Children

Sunderland

Viv Sear

Connected Carer Team Manager

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