Kidora Parent Hub

Practical guides, local activities, money-saving advice and useful resources for UK parents.

Select a topic from the menu to get started.

Free Family Support

Free help may be available for money, food, housing, childcare, disability, parenting, mental health, relationships, domestic abuse, safeguarding and practical children’s items.

Support is often local and may be provided by councils, NHS services, schools, family hubs, advice charities and specialist organisations. Asking early can prevent a manageable problem becoming a crisis.

Trusted UK Starting Points

Start with the Main Problem

Choose the most relevant first contact:

Money or benefits: Citizens Advice or benefits calculator
Housing: local council or housing advice
Baby and early years: health visitor, midwife or family hub
School: teacher, family-support worker or safeguarding lead
Health: GP, pharmacist, health visitor or NHS service
Immediate danger: emergency services

Local Councils

Councils may provide or commission:

Family support
Local welfare assistance
Housing and homelessness help
Childcare information
SEND information
Holiday activities
Uniform grants or exchanges
Food support

Use the official council finder rather than an outdated national directory.

Family Hubs and Children’s Centres

Services may include:

Parent and baby groups
Health visiting
Infant feeding support
Parenting programmes
Speech and language support
Money advice
Mental health or relationship support

Names and availability vary across the UK.

Health Visitors

Health visitors may support families with:

Baby and child development
Feeding
Sleep
Toileting
Parent wellbeing
Safety
Referrals to other services

School and Nursery Support

Ask privately about:

Free school meals
Uniform
Breakfast clubs
Holiday support
SEND
Family liaison
Attendance difficulties
Safeguarding

Free Benefits Advice

Use a calculator first, then seek advice if:

The household has variable earnings
There are disability or caring needs
A decision appears wrong
Several benefits interact
Immigration status affects entitlement

Citizens Advice benefits guidance is a useful starting point.

Free Debt Advice

Get advice early for:

Rent or mortgage arrears
Council Tax or rates
Energy debt
Credit cards
Loans
Buy-now-pay-later debt

Use MoneyHelper debt guidance, StepChange or Citizens Advice.

Food Support

Possible routes include:

Food banks
Community pantries
Free school meals
Healthy Start or Best Start Foods
Holiday food programmes
Local crisis support

Trussell provides information about its food-bank network. Independent food banks may use different referral systems.

Baby Banks

Baby banks may provide clothing, nappies, toiletries, bedding and selected equipment to families in need.

Some accept self-referrals; others require a professional referral.

Use the UK baby-bank map and ask local health visitors or family hubs.

Housing and Homelessness Support

Contact the council before a family has nowhere to stay.

Use:

Childcare Information

Use official national and local routes:

Support for Disabled Children

Contact supports families with disabled children and provides information about benefits, education, health and social care.

Local support may also include:

Short breaks
Equipment
Home adaptations
Transport
Parent-carer forums
Independent SEND advice

Support for Unpaid Carers

Carers may be entitled to:

A carer’s assessment
Benefits advice
Respite or short breaks
Peer support
Employment guidance

Use NHS carer’s assessment guidance.

Parenting Support

Family Lives provides parenting information and support on behaviour, school, relationships and family change.

Local family hubs may offer free parenting programmes.

Relationship and Separation Support

Support may include:

Relationship counselling
Family mediation
Single-parent advice
Child-maintenance guidance
Separated-parent programmes

Gingerbread supports single-parent families.

Domestic Abuse Support

Domestic abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, economic or technology-facilitated.

Use the official GOV.UK domestic abuse help page, which lists services for each UK nation.

Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.

Safeguarding Concerns

Contact the local authority children’s social care service if a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect.

Use the GOV.UK child-abuse reporting route where applicable.

Call 999 for immediate danger.

Mental Health Support

Possible starting points include:

GP
Health visitor or midwife
School pastoral team
Local NHS mental health service
Urgent crisis support

Use NHS mental health services information.

Bereavement Support

Child Bereavement UK supports families when a child grieves or when a child dies.

Specialist organisations also support pregnancy and baby loss.

Community and Peer Support

Free or low-cost support may be available through:

Libraries
Community centres
Faith communities
Parent groups
Home-Start schemes
Local charities

Check safeguarding, privacy and whether advice is provided by qualified professionals.

Prepare Before Contacting a Service

Write down:

The main problem
Important dates
What has already been tried
What help is needed
Reference numbers
Any deadline

Keep Records

Save:

Emails
Letters
Names of advisers
Reference numbers
Agreed actions
Next contact date

Avoid Support Scams

Do not share:

Online-banking passwords
One-time codes
Government account passwords
Payment through gift cards

Use contact details on the organisation’s official website.

Kidora and Practical Family Support

Kidora is not a medical, legal, benefits, safeguarding, housing or emergency service.

It can help families buy and pass on suitable preloved baby and children’s items. Sellers pay no selling fees and keep 100% of the item sale price.

Items priced at £0 appear as FREE. FREE listings are collection-only and do not include a Buyer Protection fee.

Free Support Checklist

Identify the main issue
Start with the relevant local or national service
Check eligibility and referral rules
Keep records
Ask for decisions in writing
Use emergency services for immediate danger
Protect personal information

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should I start if I do not know which service I need?

Start with the local council, Citizens Advice, health visitor, GP, school or family hub, depending on whether the main issue is money, health, education or housing.

Do baby banks require a referral?

Some do and some accept direct enquiries. Check the individual baby bank’s rules.

What should I do if support is refused?

Ask for reasons in writing, check any review or complaint deadline and seek independent advice.

What should I do in immediate danger?

Call 999.