Family life, work & childcare

Tips and advice on looking after you and your family’s wellbeing.

Family walking in the park

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Childcare

Help to work

Holidays

Family life

Practical support for bereaved parents

Childcare

A woman and a young girl are painting together at a table. The woman is guiding the girl, who holds a brush and wears glasses and a floral top. Art supplies are scattered around, and they seem focused and happy.

Finding childcare

Good quality childcare can benefit both parents and children. Find out more on making more formal childcare arrangements.

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Teacher with children playing with educational toys

Help with childcare costs

Help paying for childcare across the UK, including free childcare schemes and entitlements through the benefits system.

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HemiHelp event - boy wearing glasses and stripy top playing table cricket

Refused childcare in England?

If you are refused childcare, you can use the law to help you change the decision.

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Help to work

A young girl with long red hair and a bow smiles while holding a colorful painted mug in a pottery workshop. She wears a purple sweater. In the background, a boy and shelves with various pottery and decorations are visible.

Help returning to work

Advice on returning to work, including information about updating your skills and schemes to help you get back into paid employment.

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Child and mum on Brighton beach paddling in the sea

Flexible working and time off

As a working parent, you may have a legal right to take time off or request a change in your working pattern.

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Baby in a pushchair

Maternity, paternity and adoption rights

Find out about your rights when having a baby, including adoption leave, and statutory shared parental leave.

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Benefits in work

How being in work can have an effect on some of the benefits you might be able to claim.

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Holidays

Child preparing for zipline with instructor at woodland adventure day

Holidays, play and leisure

Local authorities must support children who need practical help to play or to access certain activities and leisure facilities.

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Family life

Lucy and son Flynn with dad at the seaside

Looking after your relationship

Many of the parents we speak to say their experiences bringing up a disabled child have brought them closer together.

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Couple arguing on sofa, woman looking sad

Relationship breakdown and separation

Many of the parents we speak to say their experiences bringing up a disabled child have brought them closer together.

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Stressed adult with head in hands

Coping with stress

Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure.

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Parent and sibling children

Supporting siblings

Some of the issues that may crop up for siblings of a disabled child and give tips to respond to them.

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A smiling man and a boy are sitting at a table in a bright room, engaged in painting pottery. The man wears a blue sweater, and the boy wears a striped sweater and a blue apron. Various painting supplies and ceramics are on the table in front of them.

Advice for fathers

We talked to a number of fathers about their experiences to develop this information. We hope it helps you.

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A woman and a young boy stand on playground equipment, both smiling and spreading their arms wide in a playful manner. The boy wears sunglasses and a red coat, while the woman sports a white sweater. The background includes a clear sky and additional playground structures.

Advice for grandparents

Children lucky enough to grow up knowing their grandparents mostly find it an enriching relationship.

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Adult with child playing table game

Working with professionals

Being informed helps when dealing with professionals, so we've prepared some tips to help when discussing your child's needs.

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Mum feeding child

Support for asylum seeker & refugee families

Advice for families seeking asylum and families granted leave to remain through the asylum process or government resettlement schemes.

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Practical support for bereaved parents

A candle next to a white flower in a sombre scene depicting.

What to do when a child dies

What to do when a child dies, including registering their death and getting support from a local hospice.

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Help with funeral expenses

There is financial help available to go towards funeral costs, including to help families on low incomes.

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A pencil hovering over an HM Revenue& Customs form, on which some pound coins sit.

Sorting out your finances

The practical steps you might need to take following the death of a child, including offices you need to contact.

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Taking care of yourself

The information on this page has been written by parents who have been bereaved, reproduced from The Child Death Helpline.

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