Referral to Services

Websites for parents and carers 

Digital Focus: Turn2us – Financial Support for Those in Need

Turn2us is a national charity dedicated to helping individuals and families struggling with financial hardship. Their website provides free, easy-to-use tools that help people find out what support they are entitled to, making it an essential resource for professionals assisting families in need.

Key Resources for Professionals & Families:

· Benefits Calculator – A simple tool to check eligibility for welfare benefits.

· Grant Search – A directory of charitable grants available to individuals based on their situation

· Crisis Support & Advice – Guidance on managing financial challenges, including help with energy costs, housing issues, and unexpected hardships.

· Support for Specific Groups – Resources tailored for carers, single parents, disabled individuals and those affected by bereavement.

Free Online Courses to Support Family Growth and Well-being in Wirral

Wirral’s Family Hubs are offering free online courses to help families thrive in the new year. The courses, based on the Solihull Approach, cover emotional health, relationship-building, and child development. Suitable for all stages of family life, they offer flexible, self-paced learning with interactive content, certificates, and resources in multiple languages. Access the courses at inourplace.co.uk/wirral using the access code MERSEY.

For more details, visit Wirral View.

BRANCH

What’s Branch?

Branch is an online mental wellbeing hub for children and young people in Wirral, from 0 all the way to 18 (and up to 25 with additional needs). It doesn’t deliver services directly – it’s more of a guide, helping people to find the best tools and local support.

It can be used for any child or young person, no matter how big or small their worries feel. It’s packed with tips to help them feel better and, when they need a bit of extra support, gives simple routes into local services.

Branch doesn’t offer crisis support but has information on where to get help in an emergency.

Branch can help you find and access services

When a child or young person needs a bit more support, they or a trusted adult can use Branch to find services that could work well for them.

To be matched to services that are part of Branch, simply answer a set of questions. Branch can then usually match to services straightaway, but when needed, our team behind the scenes will introduce themselves and help find the right services.

Who can use Branch?

Anyone can browse Branch. Young people (13+) and trusted adults (parents, carers, GPs, teachers etc) can use the Branch questionnaire to be matched with services.

Young people may need the consent of a parent or carer to access some services.

What to know more? Visit: www.branch-wirral.co.uk

Please see below leaflet:

NHS ‘Let’s Talk’

FAMILY TOOLBOX

Familytoolbox.co.uk is a free online hub to help Wirral families be the strongest they can be.  It is not a service provided by the school or the local authority, it is a charity led support service and neither the school or the local authority will know or see your engagement with the toolbox. It has been designed with families across Wirral and has loads of information about everyday family life to share, to help boost your confidence and skills and develop that vital bounce-back ability, so that you can weather life’s storms.  

• Find loads of tried and tested tips on parenting, looking after yourself and life as a family.  
• Introduce yourself to people and places who can give you a bit of support. 
• Find out what’s on in Wirral for you and your family.  
• Take space to reflect on what’s going on at home and what you’d like to change. 
• Save your family’s favourite ideas, resources and places to your own Toolbox. 

Find it all at on the link below or through the linked information leaflet: Family Tool Box Info Leaflet.

We also employ our own family advocate to support families – please see the link to the attached page for more information: Family Advocate – Pensby High School

Cost of Living Helpline

Involve Northwest in partnership with Citizens Advice Wirral

The Cost of Living/Fuel/Energy Crisis is having a negative impact on residents across Wirral. To ensure they are offering additional support to local people, Involve Northwest and Citizens Advice Wirral are pleased to announce the introduction of a free advice service to provide help and support regarding issues with the following cost of living issues:

• Helping people manage their money
• Fuel/Energy/Food Poverty
• Debt 

The helpline number is 0808 175 3660
 
If the team cannot resolve the issues raised, referrals will be made for additional support and signposting for specialist assistance.

Dove

Dove Bereavement Service has offered to provide tailored support for our school community to address bereavement and loss. They have proposed the following services to meet the needs of our students, staff, and parents.

Drop-In Sessions
Dove Bereavement Service offers flexible drop-in sessions, arranged in collaboration with our school. These require a quiet space and a mutually agreed day and time. Ideally, sessions will involve five or more participants who have experienced bereavement or loss. These are not counselling sessions but provide a supportive environment for individuals to discuss their experiences, with conversations typically lasting 15–30 minutes. Pre-scheduling participants is recommended where possible.

Workshops and Training

Dove Bereavement Service provides engaging workshops and training sessions, delivered in person or via Microsoft Teams, including:

• Grief Awareness Training for Professionals (2 hours)
• Grief Awareness Training for Parents/Carers (2 hours)
• Grief Awareness Workshop for Children (Ages 4–7) (1 hour)
• Grief Awareness Workshop for Children (Ages 7–12) (1 hour)
• Grief Awareness Workshop for Young People (Ages 12–17/18) (1 hour)

For example, the Grief Awareness Training for Professionals covers:

• Introduction to Dove Bereavement Service and its mission
• Understanding grief and loss
• Contemporary grief theories and their practical application
• Managing bereavement within our school community
• Identifying when support is needed and available resources
• The importance of self-care

Support Groups

Dove Bereavement Service can facilitate tailored support groups, offering a safe, reflective space for individuals to explore their grief and understand their loss. These can be customised to your school’s needs and delivered in person or online.

To arrange any of the above please contact:

Joeseph Mathews

joseph.matthews@thedoveservice.org.uk

 The Drop In at Pilgrim Street Youth Arts Centre:

• Open Monday to Friday, 2:00 PM–6:00 PM, for young people aged 11–18 (and up to 25 for those with SEND).
• Provides one-to-one support for issues like grief, anxiety, or family challenges. No appointment required.
• Location: Pilgrim Street Arts Centre, 1 Pilgrim Street, Birkenhead, CH41 5EH
• Contact: 0808 196 4147 or thedropin@wirral.gov.uk

Family Hubs:

• Support for families is available through Ganney’s Meadow Family Hub. Details can be found at: Family Toolbox.

Additional Resources:

• ZILLO Bereavement: Resources for young people coping with loss.
• Video Resource: A helpful video on dealing with grief and loss.
• Wirral Sandbox: Guidance for staff, parents, and professionals on supporting young people with bereavement.
• Family Toolbox: Support for parents and families.

SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide)

0300 111 5065

They offer UK peer-led support to adults impacted by suicide loss. (We spoke about this earlier in the week.)

Cruse Bereavement Support Wirral

Offers one-to-one bereavement support sessions (phone or video) using counselling skills, plus peer-to-peer support groups (e.g., walking groups) for anyone affected by grief. Available to adults 18+.

Phone: 0151 649 1859 Email: info@talkingtogetherwirral.org

Age UK Wirral Bereavement Support

Practical help, advice, and emotional support for adults 18+ who have experienced bereavement (especially during crises like COVID-19). Open to all adults in the borough.

Phone: 0151 652 2992 Website: ageuk.org.uk/wirral

Caritas Wirral Bereavement Support

Empathetic, non-intrusive one-to-one support and a weekly bereavement counselling group (Thursdays) for adults of all faiths/none. Open at any stage of grief; relaxed, client-led pace.

Phone: 0151 652 5999 Email: wirral@caritas.org.uk Website: caritascare.org.uk

Bereavement Advice Centre

Free helpline and online resource for practical advice on what to do after a death (e.g., finances, legal matters, coping with grief). Signposts to local support; callbacks if needed.

Helpline: 0800 634 9494 Website: bereavementadvice.org