Help & advice for parents
Services available in Devon
- Devon's family information service (DISC) - holds a wide range of information about Children's Services and Registered Childcare.
- Find your local children’s centre here - Children’s Centres offer local support and advice for parents of children under 5.
- Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) - for parents and carers of children with additional educational needs.
- Exeter Community Initiative Family Resources - Provides a range of services to meet the needs of children and families including Parenting Courses, Family Support, Counselling and Play Therapy.
- Meet a mum - A message board run by netmums so that you can meet other mums in your local area.
Services available Nationally
- Family Lives is a national charity providing help and support in all aspects of family life. They have a free Parentline. Call 0808 800 2222.
Services for dads
- Dad Talk - chat online to other dads online and get advice and support
- Dad.info - online information for dads
Services for mums
- Netmums is a family of local sites that cover the UK, each site offering information to mothers on everything from where to find playgroups and how to eat healthily to where to meet other mothers.
- Mummy Social - highly active and very friendly free social media site to find mummy friends locally to chat with and get out of the house with for a coffee, walk, softplay etc. Now with 43,000 members across the UK, set up by a young mum who experienced isolation herself.
Services for single parents
- Gingerbread - provides expert advice, practical support and campaigns for single parents.
- Only dads - for single dads
- Only mums - for single mums
Services for families facing difficulties
- Family rights group advises families whose children are involved with or need children’s services because of welfare needs or concerns.
- Home-Start provides informal, friendly and confidential support to families with at least one child under five years who are facing challenging times
- Relate is a national federated charity with over 70 years experience of supporting the nation’s relationships
The following books have proven helpful to many people with depression:
Greenberger, D. & Padesky, C. A. (1995). Mind over mood: Change how you feel by changing the way you think.New York : Guilford.
This guide draws on the authors' experience as clinicians and teachers of cognitive therapy to help clients successfully understand and improve their moods, alter their behaviour, and enhance their relationships. Illustrated with case examples, the book presents the skills for identifying problems, setting goals, and achieving the desired changes.
McDonnell, F. (2003). Threads of hope: Learning to live with depression. A collection of writing.London : Short Books.
This book is a collection of writing by people from all walks of life who have struggled with depression – farmers, politicians, poets, the unemployed, the famous and the non-famous – who share their experiences and offer insights into what made a difference to them.
Please note that this page contains links to relevant external websites. Whilst we select these links carefully, we cannot guarantee, or be held responsible for, their quality or content.