Useful Contacts

Become’s mission is to provide help, support and advice to children in care and young care leavers so that they can take control of their lives and unleash their potential.

Telephone: 0800 023 2033

Website: http://www.becomecharity.org.uk/

https://www.becomecharity.org.uk/for-young-people/care-advice-line/

Become also run a free  and friendly help and advice line 

Help and advice line: Freephone 0800 023 2033

Email: advice@becomecharity.org.uk

Helping you trace your family abroad.

Contact: Donna Boulton at DBoulton@redcross.org.uk or 01158 505942

Buttle UK’s mission is the maintenance, education and advancement in life of children and young people who through poverty and family circumstances are in need of, and will benefit significantly from, Buttle UK’s support.

Website: https://www.buttleuk.org/

Catch 22 works with young people who are in or leaving custody, involved in or on the fringes of crime, out of work, struggling at school, homeless or facing young parenthood without the safety net of a supportive family. Catch 22 offer practical support services which are flexible, highly personalised and often intensive.

Website: www.catch-22.org.uk

Change, Grow, Live provide a free and confidential drug and alcohol service open to anyone over the age of 18 living in Nottinghamshire.

Telephone: 0115 896 0798

Website: Find a service near you | Change Grow Live

ChildLine is a free national 24 hour telephone help line for any child in trouble or danger. It is a confidential counselling service which offers information and help to children and young people.

Telephone: 0800 1111

Website: www.childline.org.uk

The Citizens Advice Bureau helps people to resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice and influencing policy makers. Some branches can provide legal advice on immigration and asylum cases.

Telephone: 0300 330 5457

Website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Community Legal Advice (CLA) is a free and confidential advice service in England and Wales paid for by legal aid. If you are living on a low income or benefits, you may be eligible for free specialist advice from legal advisers on issues including:

• Debt, if your home is at risk
• Housing, if you’re homeless or at risk of being evicted
• Domestic abuse
• Separating from an abusive partner, when you’re making arrangements for children or sorting out money and property
• Special education needs
• Discrimination

Telephone: 0345 345 4 345

Website: https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice

We want to hear your views about our services, good or bad. What you tell us helps us improve services and plan for the future.

Telephone: 0300 500 80 80

Website: http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/contact-and-complaints/complaints/make-a-complaint-comment-or-compliment

The Children's Society Advocacy Service 

The Children's Society Advocacy Service is a UK charity providing children's rights and socio-legal services. The Children's Society offer information, advocacy, legal representation and advice to children aged 10 and over and young people up to the age of 21 through a network of advocates

Telephone:0808 901 9488 or 0115 900 3104

Website: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

More details about the advocacy service

Children's Advocacy - Nottinghamshire

The independent advocacy service will:

• Provide independent and confidential information, advice representation and support
• Ensure that children and young people have a voice in decisions made about their lives, and they are enabled to share their concerns about their circumstances
• Provide access to an independent advocate for children when making or intending to make a complaint about children’s services
• Build relationships and make contact via telephone or digital platforms with children and young people placed in residential settings on an 8 weekly basis to support, enable and empower the young person to speak up about what they want and help them to be heard

The advocate’s role is to support children and young people in articulating their views themselves or providing access to a competent and independent voice in safeguarding their rights, expressing their wishes, feelings or needs, making a complaint or taking forward any issue which is of importance to them.

• Help young people to participate in initial child protection conferences and their subsequent reviews
• Assist homeless 16- and 17-year-olds in weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of becoming looked after and coming to a balanced decision
• Support care leavers to articulate their views expressing their wishes, feeling or needs, making a complaint or taking forward an issue of importance to them.

Please click here for more information: Children's Advocacy - Nottinghamshire | Change Grow Live

Information from the Department of Education about your rights as a care leaver.

Website: https://www.gov.uk/leaving-foster-or-local-authority-care

Information on finding jobs and accessing benefits.

Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions

Personal advisers are available Monday - Thursday 1.30 p.m. - 5 p.m. and Friday 1.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.

(Bassetlaw, Newark) 0115 804 4401 or LeavingCare.North@nottscc.gov.uk 

(Mansfield, Ashfield) 0115 804 1236 or LeavingCare.Central@notts.gov.uk

(Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe) 0115 854 6318 or LeavingCare.South@nottscc.gov.uk

For 21+ getting back in touch -  0115 804 4154 or 21plus@nottscc.gov.uk

Missing People is a free phone confidential service for anyone who has run away from home or care, or been forced to leave home.

Telephone: 11600

Website: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/

This partnership is responsible for ensuring the best possible outcomes for all looked after children and care leavers in Nottinghamshire.  Their strategy sets out how their shared vision and plan on how they will do this.  They are responsible for creating and improving the Local Offer for Care Leavers

apartnershipstrategyforlookedafterchildrenandcareleavers2022-2025.pdf (nottinghamshire.gov.uk)

We provide a safe environment for women experiencing domestic abuse, with ongoing support, advice, counselling and learning opportunities. Run a 24 hour free helpline.  We believe that every woman should live a life free from abuse and be the director in their own lives.  

Freephone: 0808 800 0340

Website; www.nottswa.org

The national regulator that ensures local authorities are delivering the best possible outcomes for children in care and care leavers. You can view reports of how Nottinghamshire County Council performs when delivering services for looked after children and care leavers.

Nottinghamshirereports:https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/local-authorities/nottinghamshire

The Refugee Council is one of the leading charities in the UK working directly with refugees, and supporting them to rebuild their lives.

Website: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk

We offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal.  A free and confidential service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Website: www.Samaritans.org

Free phone: 116 123

The Care Leavers’ Association provides advice and information about leaving care and your rights and entitlements

Telephone: 0161 236 5665

Website: http://www.careleavers.com/what-we-do/young-peoples-project/leavingcare/

Free, independent and confidential advice, assistance and representation on a wide range of issues to young people under 21 years old in custody.

Telephone: 0808 801 0308

Website: https://howardleague.org/

Supports care leavers and care experienced individuals across the UK.  They champio services, projects and interventions with and for care experienced people. They empower and inspire others to effect social change and improve support, policy, practice, interventions.

Website: www.reesfoundation.org

Young Minds is committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people and empowering their parents and carers.

Website: https://youngminds.org.uk/