Get help (advice and ideas)
If you need support with parenting, how your child is speaking and communicating, the development of your child or if you feel isolated, talk to:
- your health visitor
- your key person, or
- one of the family support people you meet at a Children and Family Centre group.
These people will put you in touch with organisations that can help you.
This handbook was developed to help us cope with the COVID pandemic. It's still here because it contains all kinds of useful information:
- helplines and contact details for most emergencies
- ideas for what to do in all kinds of situations
Help for your relationship
- If you are struggling with your relationship, it can help to have someone separate from both of you to help you communicate; Relate provide relationship counselling.
- If your partner is behaving in a way that harms you, and talking is not what you need, get help from the Women's Aid website. Sometimes it's easier to write down what the problem is, so on their website you can chat online, email them, or take part in a forum for survivors. Their Survivors Handbook has been translated into several different home languages.
- If you are separating from your child's other parent, this government website has advice about how to make arrangements with them in a way that protects your children.
Free parenting course
The strengthening families strengthening communities programme is a 13-week course designed to support you to raise happy and successful children by getting access to information and strategies for bringing up your children, meeting other parents, and making sure your voice is heard.
Simple advice to help your child stay safe
Learning the NSPCC underwear song together is a light-hearted way to give children a way to keep safe personal boundaries.
Infant feeding: breast, bottle or mixed
Two sources of advice and support for infant feeding are Henry and la leche league.
Childcare
Church Hill and Low Hall Nursery Schools, offer daycare from 8am to 6pm to 3-4 year olds.
We have a small number of places for 2 year olds who are eligible for the Free 15 hours scheme and occasionally take 2 year olds for paid 15 hour places, but 2 year old places can't be topped up with additional hours.
We don't have any places for children who are younger than 2.
You can look for alternatives on the Ofsted website:
Educational Psychology
If you have concerns about your child that you would like to discuss with an Educational Psychologist, you can make an appointment. How to do this and the dates available is on the flyer which you can download at the bottom of this page.
Food for babies and toddlers
You can find lots of information about feeding babies and toddlers at an organisation called Best beginnings.
Food for young children
An organisation called HENRY works in Waltham Forest to help families, and here is their timetable.
The BDA -- Association of British Dieticians -- has a recipe finder that you can search by ingredient, meal type, cooking method, preparation time or specific need e.g. gluten-free. The yummy recipes include nutritional information and are designed for you to cook with your child.
Health for all the family
- Please download the booklet below, 'A Parent's Guide from birth to five and beyond for Child Health and Common Illnesses'. It has lots of information that you might find useful. There is also a free app.
- You can find lots of information on the NHS conditions website.
- Our local hospital is Whipps Cross University Hospital.
- Taking your child to the dentist is free. Find your nearest dentist on the NHS service website.
- Children can learn how to care for themselves by seeing you care for yourself. Many people find yoga a good way to do this. Find out if this works for you by trying it in private with free and donation sessions with yoga with Adrienne.
Housing
For housing advice go to Waltham Forest housing service.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Join Waltham Forest parent forum, an organisation for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Haven House is our local children's hospice.
Markefield is a charity in Tottenham which provides a school and other support for children with disabilities and who are autistic and their families.
The Local Authority's SEND offer page has an enormous amount of information about where to get support.
Also make sure you have read what we can offer you by reading our Church Hill SEND Offer and our Low Hall SEND Offer.
Training
Waltham Forest adult learning service provides courses to help you find work.
Victim Support
If you have been the victim of a crime, contact Victim Support to get help and advice.
Help for families who are dealing with death
It is now recognised that babies and toddlers also grieve. The Child Bereavement UK website has lots of information families might find helpful in all kinds of circumstances relating to death. You can download their leaflet for talking to under 5s about death at the bottom of this page.
Teeth
Taking your child to the dentist is free. Find your nearest dentist on the NHS service website.
An organisation called HENRY works in Waltham Forest to help families, and here is their timetable.
