Support for children and families

Safeguarding concern and referral

If you are ever concerned that a child is in immediate danger please call the police on 999.

Safeguarding children and young people is the responsibility of everyone. If you are concerned that a child is being abused or they may be at risk of harm, you should contact and make a referral to our Single Point of Contact team on:

01724 297000 (9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4.30pm Friday)
08081 689667 (free phone)
01724 296555 (answerphone – out of office hours and at weekends )
101 – Police non emergency
999 – Police emergency

Further information about safeguarding children and young people is available on our keeping children safe page.

Support for children and young people

If you are a child or young person and need help, you should speak to a trusted adult or a professional you already know.  There is also lots of online information below:

• Children and young people can get support about their concerns online from Childline or by calling 0800 1111
• The NSPCC website has information on preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover.
• If you are concerned about grooming and child sexual exploitation, there is more information on the Not In Our Community website.
• The Thinkuknow website has advice on how children and young people can stay safe online.
• You can get access to online counselling and advice on emotional wellbeing on the Kooth Website.

In North Lincolnshire we want to enable parents and carers to give the best start to their children. There is lots of information and support available, including:

• Humber Coast and Vale Maternity
• Help with childcare costs
• Imagination Library
• What to expect when – child development from 0 to 5 years
• Hungry Little Minds
• North Lincolnshire Health Visitors and School Nurses
• North Lincolnshire Family Information Service

If you cannot find what you are looking for online and need a conversation, there is always someone on hand to offer advice and guidance. Most people prefer to speak to a professional they already know, such as a health visitor or teacher. But if you would like advice and guidance about any aspect of looking after your children, please call our Family Support Service on 01724 297000 during office hours or leave a message and we will call you back. If we cannot help over the phone, or if you would prefer it, we can arrange to visit you at home.

If you need help to find suitable childcare go to the Family Information Directory (FIDY) website. Here you will find contact details for all Ofsted registered childcare settings in North Lincolnshire.

Once you have found and chosen a quality childcare provider, the next step is to look at what assistance is available to help you pay for your childcare.

There are several different schemes available to help parents and carers pay their childcare costs, depending on their individual family circumstances. For more information please see our help with childcare costs page.  You can also visit the Childcare Choices website where you will also find a handy calculator to help you work out which scheme will benefit you the most.

If you need additional help to find suitable childcare or advice on funding, please contact the Family Information Service on fis@northlincs.gov.uk. We provide free, impartial information, advice and guidance on registered childcare, children’s activities and can signpost you to local and national services offering support to families.

Fostering

Being a foster parent means caring for a child as part of your family. To become a foster parent you need to be:

• at least 21 years old
• a UK resident or have indefinite leave to remain
• able to take care of a child or young person, often on a full-time basis.

Find out more and register your interest on our Fostering page.

Adoption

In North Lincolnshire, adoptive parents are needed for children of all ages from a range of backgrounds. The Adoption team is looking for people who can offer love, time and commitment to a child.

Anyone who is over 21 can adopt – there is no upper age limit. You can be single or in a relationship; you can own or rent your home. We do not discriminate on the grounds of age, class, culture, disability, race or sexual orientation.

If you are interested in finding out more about adopting a child please visit our Adoption page.

Now more than ever, mental health problems are affecting more people. Anyone living in North Lincolnshire who needs to talk to someone about their mental health can now ring Freephone 08081 968442 at any time, day or night.  Please pick up the phone, reach out for support and know someone is there to help you.

Please note: This service is for a non-emergency response only. Anyone in need of urgent mental support in a crisis should ring the specialist North Lincolnshire RDaSH team on 0800 015 0211.

If you would like to find out about the range of courses available to parents and carers, please visit our Adult Education and Community Learning website.

Examples of courses include:

• Baby play and baby massage
• Family arts and crafts for wellbeing
• Cooking on a budget
• Stress awareness.

As well as supporting communities and local groups, and working with others to keep spaces safe for children and young people, we arrange a number of positive activities for young people.

These take place in towns and villages across North Lincolnshire. The Positive Activities offer is available online

Whether you’re together or separated, the way you and your partner communicate can impact on your children. All relationships have tricky moments. It’s how they’re experienced and resolved that matters. For information and advice visit the Relationship Matters website

If you are afraid of your partner, or feeling that they control your life, then this is more likely to be domestic abuse. Please seek help. You can get confidential advice at The Blue Door.

For more information about safeguarding children please visit the Children’s Multi-Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (CMARS) website or the NSPCC website.

For support for families with children with special educational needs and disabilities, you will find a wealth of information on the North Lincolnshire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer website.

Take a look at the Family Activities page. There are lots of ideas for adults as well as children including photography, staying active, virtual museum tours and wildlife and nature.

If you need help and advice about your money worries, or providing enough food for you and your children there are people who can help:

• Trussell Trust – lots of useful information about accessing food banks, check you are claiming the correct benefits and possible grants you may be entitled to
• Crosby Community Association
• Citizens Advice North Lincolnshire