Families in Care
Registered Charity Number 1007596 Independent Advocacy, Counselling and Support for Birth Families involved with child protection services in the North East.Independent Advocacy and Counselling are currently available only to families involved with Newcastle Children Social Services.
Families in Care is a proud recipient of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2020
Mothers and fathers who have had their children removed are at a traumatic point in their lives. At such a desperate time, they need help and support from experienced people with professional expertise. This should be our collective responsibility. Organisations like Families in Care need our support.
Ken Loach, Film Director of I, Daniel Blake 2016 (Palme D'Or Winner) and Ladybird Ladybird 1994.
Contact Us:
Email: yoursupport@familiesincare.com
Phone: 07897903950
Working Hours: Monday to Friday 9 am - 5 pm
By appointments and referrals only.
We accept self-referrals.Please contact us for more information.
Our Patrons:
Dame Esther Rantzen DBE, founder of ChildLine Silver Line
Joan Mills, first professionally qualified social worker for FIC
Legal Consultant : David Banks, Solicitor
About Us
Welcome to Families in Care.
Our History
Families in Care started as a self help group
providing support for isolated and vulnerable
birth parents. It then, in 1992, developed into a a registered charity, which over 20 years has been providing dedicated advocacy, support and counselling service for birth families involved with child protection services.
Now our agency is higly valued by parents and professionals working in the child protection field across Tyneside.
Research confirms that FIC addresses a significant gap in provision, ‘being the only organisation in Newcastle that offers specialist advocacy for parents with learning disabilities whose children are involved in Child Protection Proceedings…
(Parents with learning disabilities in Newcastle upon Tyne,’ Barefoot Research and Evaluation 2012).
Why we do it
The simple answer is - because people tell us that they need our service.
And because we are passionate about it.
Parents and grandparents involved in complex child protection proceedings tell us that too often they find the process overwhelming, stressful, scary and difficult to understand. Families in Care works to reduce the stress and distress experienced by birth families involved with Child Protection Services; ensuring that vulnerable families are informed, included and supported.
As stressed by Family Rights Group, helping parents to understand their rights and choices they have supports the process of partnership working between them and local authorities, meaning better engagement and improved chances for children. While working with parents and other family members, we are playing our full part in safeguarding and working together to meet the needs of vulnerable children.
(Working Together to Safeguard Children Guidance, 2013)
Our team
Families in Care employs dedicated qualified social workers and a counsellor. We are grateful for receiving help from our passionate volunteers who dedicate their skills and time to enhance our work in counselling, advocacy and therapeutic activities fields.
They are all passionate people working together to support some of the most vulnerable and isolated members of our society. All members of our team have necessary knowledge and experience in the child protection field and are driven by common values of empowerment, humanity and justice.
'It is a priviledge to work with so inspiring, dedicated and passionate individuals. I believe that our strenght is that here, in Families in Care, our values are our bottom line, our starting and ending point, with the humility in a face of real personal experience and people's struggles being at the core of our ethos.'
Alicja
“I have the highest regard for Families in Care; they have been immeasurably helpful not only to clients of mine but to parents and other family members where, say my involvement was as a solicitor for the child or children.”
Family Solicitor
What we do
Families in Care provides an independent advocacy and counselling for parents and other family members involved with child protection services across Tyneside. We accept referrals from concerned professionals as well as service users themselves. Please contact us for more details.
We also offer weely drop-in group for parents, where they can meet others in similar situation, arrange one-to-one appointment with the member of our team, get advice and share their experiences.
Mothers who have very limited or no contact with their chidren can access our adoption self-support group, where in a safe and friendly environment they can talk about their experiences and receive both professional and peer support.
Our agency has been also providing successful practice learning opportunities for social work students as well as taking part in training students of family law. Students, Newly Qualified Social Workers and advocates can access our training packages prepared and delivered by our service users and qualified social workers.
Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice.
If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.
William Faulkner
Where we work
Families in Care is based in Newcastle and provides direct service on outreach basis in Tyneside area. Please contact us for more information.
Telephone support is available for birth families who live outside of our agency's practice area.
