National Family Support services

National Parenting Support

Information for Positive Parenting

Parenting. Give it time (opens in a new tab)

It provides helpful tips and advice to parents on how to encourage positive behaviour. It’s about showing how offering children encouragement and praise can be more effective than punishments when they misbehave. 

Incredible Years (opens in a new tab)

A number of free downloads and resources for parents on different aspects of positive parenting

Agored Cymru (opens in a new tab) 

Agored Cymru offer parents the opportunity to be awarded an accreditation on completion of a parenting course. Gaining a formal qualification can boost parents’ self esteem and encourage them to continue their education or find work. 

Information for Parents of Teenagers

Family Lives (opens in a new tab) has also launched a new website for professionals working with parents:

Relate Cymru (opens in a new tab) parenting support services Relate’s services are not usually badged as ‘parenting support’.

Nonetheless, Relate provide many services which support parents with parenting, including the following services:

Family Counselling - Helps families work together as a team, through aiding communication and helping them understand each other and resolve differences. It can help family members to support one another through difficult times, toreduce conflict and arguments and grow stronger as a result.

Mediation for separating/separated couples  – Relate’s Mediation service helps separating couples to settle disputes over contact and living arrangements, child maintenance, property and money, without going to court.

Working Together For Children (WT4C) – The WT4C programme is designed to help parents learn more about the challenges of post–‐separation parenting, including the effects on children of ongoing conflict. For parents who have been ordered or directed to attend by the Court; WT4C focuses on how to negotiate post–‐separation co–‐parenting arrangements in the interests of the children.

Adult Relationship Counselling  – It is most often face to face but can also be accessed via telephone and webcam. While this service is not explicitly aimed to address parenting, the majority of clients are parents to under 18s and they often report significant benefit to their children following counselling.

Information for disabled parents and professionals working with disabled parents

Disabled Parents Network (opens in a new tab)

Deaf Parent (opens in a new tab)

Useful websites for parents

BBC Parenting (opens in a new tab) - A useful web-site for parents which looks at a variety of issues. 

NSPCC (opens in a new tab) - Its aim is to protect children from cruelty, support vulnerable families, campaign for changes to the law and raise awareness about abuse. 

Wise Kids - provides training programmes and consultancy to promote innovative, positive and safe Internet use, i.e. awareness of new Internet and mobile applications and technologies, Internet proficiency, Internet literacy and safety issues. 

Family and Parenting Institute (opens in a new tab) - The Family and Parenting Institute researches what matters to families and parents. We use our knowledge to influence policymakers and foster public debate. We develop ideas to improve the services families use and the environment in which children grow up. 

Action for Children (opens in a new tab) - Action for Children formerly known as (NCH) supports and speaks out for the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK