Family Support
Healthy Start
Are you pregnant or have a child under four? Did you know you could be missing out on free fruit and vegetables or milk worth at least £200 a year?
If you are at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old, and in receipt of certain benefits, you could be entitled to Healthy Start Vouchers worth £3.10 per child per week (£4.25 per week from April 2021), to spend on milk, plain fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, and instant formula milk. You can also use them to buy certain pulses and canned fruit and vegetables.
If you are pregnant and under 18 you do not need to be in receipt of any benefits to qualify. If you are entitled to Healthy Start Vouchers you will also get free vitamins designed to help pregnant and breastfeeding women and growing children.
Pregnant women and every child over one and under four years old can get one voucher every week. Children under one year old can get £6.20 per week.
Some supermarkets are also reducing the cost of shopping by an extra £1 to those redeeming the Healthy Start Vouchers.
Check your eligibility on www.gov.uk/healthy-start
You can also use the benefit-checker on the County Council’s website, and access free information about benefits that you might be missing-out on: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/benefits
Families in Focus
Families in Focus is an organisation that supports parents caring for children with additional needs and disabilities. They run a variety of free workshops and groups all over Hertfordshire.
Website: www.familiesinfocus.co.uk
Families First
Families First brings together the full range of County Council professionals that help children, young people or their families.
HABS Family Support Team
HABS is a team of highly trained Family Support Workers, supporting the local community and working on projects to help improve the lives of families living within Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Turnford and Wormley. The available support on offer is open to all families whose children attend the partnership schools and range from parenting classes, holiday activity sessions and family support covering a wide range of issues including emotional well-being, debt, bereavement and other complex issues.
Website: www.habsfamily.co.uk
Link Family Services
They are an organisation in place to support families whose children attend a Link School in Dacorum. There is no problem too big or too small. If they cannot help with your particular problem or query, they will know someone who can. Your involvement with them is totally dependent on your needs and they only get involved if you want them to. They are not social services and do not work directly in the school. Your details and what you talk about, are kept confidential.
Website: www.linkfamilyservices.co.uk
Aspects
Aspects is a family & pupil support service to help you through some of the challenges. They can support children 5-19 at school and as well as their family. Family Support Workers can help with a wide range of family challenges. They work with children, families and schools to make sure they are all giving the same messages and that your child is surrounded by a team of caring people. The service can be accessed by residents of Bishop Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and surrounding villages.
Website: www.aspects.org.uk
The OLLIE Foundation
OLLIE is a charity dedicated to delivering suicide awareness, intervention and prevention training by empowering professionals and young adults in their own communities to lead suicide prevention activities. It is widely accepted in society that with appropriate support and education, suicide can be prevented.
Website: www.theolliefoundation.org
Families Feeling Safe
Families Feeling Safe is an award-winning Social Enterprise, delivering high quality protective behaviours training, courses and workshops. Their work aims for children, young people and families to feel safer in their communities by improving their resilience and emotional & mental wellbeing.
Website: www.familiesfeelingsafe.co.uk
Home-Start Herts
Home-Start is one of the leading family support charities in the UK. Home-Start volunteers help families with young children deal with the challenges they face. They support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children.
Website: www.home-startherts.org.uk