Information and Links for Support Services

To help support families in Kent, particularly during these difficult times and the current cost of living crisis we are experiencing, Kent County Council (KCC) have created a directory called Kent Together, which contains a wide range of information and links to help families find the support that’s right for you. To find out more, please click on this link to the relevant page on the KCC website: Kent Together - Kent County Council

Below are some other links which may be useful:

https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/back-into-school/resources-for-families/ - A wide range of resources and links to support agencies collated by the Children's Commissioner, from school attendance, wellbeing and children's mental health, Parents' Toolkit, support for parents whose children have special educational needs or disability, bullying, secondary school transition and more. 

The Kent Family Website - Parents and caregivers can now get more help for common questions and concerns. The Kent Family Website is a helpful resource for the entire family, from pregnancy to teenage years. 
The website is split into sections for parents with under-fives, primary-school aged children and secondary-aged children.

helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk - See what support is available to help with the cost of living and find out how to save money with our energy saving tips.

Find a Food Bank - information about food banks in your area

Benefit Calculator | benefits-calculators - GOV.UK - useful tools to check what benefits you may be entitled to claim for

Free School Meals - a simple, quick way to check whether you can claim free school meals for your child. This could save you up to £461.70 a year

Release the Pressure Kent County Council - worrying about money and being cold and hungry can all impact upon our emotional wellbeing and mental health. There is lots of support for those who feel their mental health is being impacted by money worries

Many people will need some support at times and we have access to links for a wide variety of agencies, charities and information. Please contact Mrs Cooper -  headteacher@chilham.kent.sch.uk, or Mrs Woodland office@chilham.kent.sch.uk if there is something not listed in the links above.

 

There is a lot of information available about online safety, mental health issues and generally staying safe whilst we all try to carry on under these very challenging and unfamiliar circumstances. We will be adding links here which we hope you will find useful.

• The School Public Health Team has created some FAQs for schools and parents or carers:  https://bit.ly/2JOfp3M  These explain the activities the team are still providing as well as suggest the most useful online and digital sources of support for parents and carers at this time.

• The NSPCC has created Covid 19 – Parents Page, an online Hub providing advice and support for parents and carers during the coronavirus outbreak. Content includes: information on keeping children safe from abuse; tips and advice to help parents working from home; and ways to talk to a child who is anxious or worried about coronavirus. Please share with your networks, family and friends.            https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/coronavirus-advice-suppport-children-families-parents

• The Under 12s Childline website (www.childline.org.uk/kids) has a new page to help primary age children make sense of the Covid-19 situation, with information and advice as well as tips for managing our feelings. There are also some lovely games and activities to help children manage their worries. https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/worries-about-the-world/coronavirus

• Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline

• National Trading Standards has warned of a surge of coronavirus related scams, face to face, online and by phone