Resources and advice
Support with the cost of living
General advice
Citizens Advice support with a range of issues, debt, housing, immigration, legal advice
Cost of living support: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Financial support
CAP work with individuals and families experiencing debt and/or poverty, giving debt advice and support and helping people to manage their money.
Get free debt advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Oxford Churches Debt Centre – Home of the CAP Debt Centre in Oxford
Housing
Better Housing: A service supporting residents to keep warm, stay safe & live well in their homes.
Home – Better Housing Better Health (bhbh.org.uk)
Feeding a family
The BBC , among other organisations, has some useful guides to eating on a budget for a variety of dietary requirements.
Budget recipes and advice – BBC Food
Eating healthy on a tight budget: 6 top tips – BHF
Some tips to save money on food – British Nutrition Foundation
Eat well, spend less | British Dietetic Association (BDA)
Some supermarkets are selling fruit and veg boxes for as little as £2.
The Centre for Early Childhood
Shaping Us (centreforearlychildhood.org)
Child developmental and emotional milestones
What to expect when. If you have any concerns your child is not meeting these milestones please contact us (see above)
Child developmental and emotional milestones 0-5 (Solihull Approach)
Children with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND)
For children with special educational needs or disability: Early Years SEN toolkit | Oxfordshire County Council
Please also see our webpage of support services here: Support for children with additional needs – Health Visiting ServiceHealth Visiting Service (oxfordhealth.nhs.uk)
Short breaks and activities for disabled children: Short breaks for disabled children | Oxfordshire County Council
Children who were born premature
For babies and children who were premature: For babies born premature or sick | Bliss
Courses for parents and carers
The Solihull Approach team at “Our Place” run free courses for parents. The Solihull Approach is an evidence based way of understanding and relating to your child while also support your own emotional wellbeing.
You can access the free course here:
All about Health
Easy read healthcare information for people with a learning disability, their families, carers, professionals and anyone who supports them – All About Health | (oxfsn.org.uk)
Single parents
Gingerbread is the national charity for single parents. They provide free support services for single parents:
Twins or more!
If you have had twins (or more!) the Twins Trust (previously TAMBA) is here to help you:
Twins Trust | Twins Trust – We support twins, triplets and more…
Support for adoptive parents
Breastfeeding advice and support
There is significant countywide breastfeeding support to give advice on the establishment and sustaining of breastfeeding. To access that support, please see the link here:
Feeding your baby – Health Visiting ServiceHealth Visiting Service (oxfordhealth.nhs.uk)
“Early Help” – if you feel you need extra support
At times any families may need a bit of extra support – and when that happens, it’s ok to ask for help. Early help is there to make sure worries don’t become bigger and you get the support you need at the right time.
- There are lots of different reasons you might need early help:
- You could be worried about your own or your child’s health, development or behaviour, or how things are going at nursery.
- You could be caring for others, or maybe you’ve had a bereavement in the family, and it’s made life a real challenge.
- It may be that you’re worried about money or housing and how it’s affecting your family.
Maybe you or your family are affected by domestic abuse, mental health, drugs, alcohol or crime
If you feel your family and children may benefit from extra support and early help, please talk to your health visitor. We will only be too happy to help and bring in any additional support that may be helpful to you and your family. The leaflet below gives some further information about the support “Early Help” can provide.
Parents & Carers – Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (oscb.org.uk)
Advice if you are trying for a baby
Trying for a baby – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Advice on alcohol
Drinking alcohol while pregnant – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Advice on smoking & quitting
Stop Smoking In Oxfordshire, Quit Smoking Today – Stop For Life Oxon
Quit smoking – Better Health – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Advice on vaping and pregnancy
Electronic cigarettes and vaping | Tommy’s (tommys.org)
General information
Birth to Five book: Birth to five 2024.pdf (hscni.net)
Resources For Families & Individuals | Oxford Brain Story — Oxford Brain Story | AFWI
Oxfordshire Family Information Service: Family Information Directory (oxfordshire.gov.uk)
Page last reviewed: 21 November, 2024