HIVE Directory: Advice and Support

Specialist Relationship and Sex Education (Learning Disability and Autism)

AreYou - Training and Consultancy CIC, delivers social support programmes to those with Learning Disabilities, difficulties and/or Autism. The focus of our work is around a positive and safe understanding of social, family, professional, lust and love relationships and sexual selves, a subject that is often missed or overlooked when considering the needs of those with additional needs.

Sex education for adults with learning disabilities is crucial to promote healthy relationships, informed decision-making, and personal safety. Tailoring the approach to accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities is essential. Here are some key considerations and strategies for providing sex education to adults with learning disabilities.

Our educational programmes cover a whole host of topics, such as understanding our mental health, safe and practical boundaries, emotions, self-care, understanding relationships and making sense of sexual self.

Within our social programmes, we offer a selection of events such as Zoom quiz nights, LGBTQ+ sessions, Sunday social walks, games sessions, karaoke and much more. These are provided to allow people to practice the skills they learn within the educational programmes.

We also offer bespoke sessions. We can support complex situations such as risk-taking behaviours, inappropriate sexual behaviours, mental health/self-esteem, forced marriage and lots more.

We are run by a Learning Disability Nurse with a highly skilled team of staff and volunteers to ensure an accessible, nurturing, effective service.

Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
Cafcass represents children in family court cases in England.

Citizens Advice Portsmouth has operated in Portsmouth for more than 85 years. They offer free, impartial and confidential advice in person, on the telephone and online to the people of Portsmouth.

The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England.

A registered educational charity, we represent 14,000 members and support them to deliver care and learning to over 800,000 families every year.

- We offer information and advice.
- We produce specialist publications.
- We run acclaimed training schemes.
- We campaign to influence early years policy and practice.

Our vision is a society where every child enjoys the opportunity to learn through play. We believe families should be at the centre of policy-making and empowered to become fully involved with their child's learning and development.

To support early years providers to deliver high quality, affordable and sustainable care and learning to families, and to ensure that all children, regardless of background, are given the best possible start in life.

We work with Alliance members to:

- Champion childhood and children’s right to play
- Advocate for children, families and all childcare and early education providers
- Put the family first to enhance children’s life chances
- Encourage safeguard-led practice
- Raise standards and quality of childcare and early education
- Ensure families have choice and information to make the right decision about the care and education they need
- Provide high-quality training support and advice.

Is alcohol or another substance having a negative impact on your family life?

Are you unsure of how to improve your situation?

If the answer is yes and yes, contact our friendly support team in Portsmouth today.

A Family Worker can meet with you and your family in an agreed community location to understand what changes you would like to make.

Once we have made a family plan your Family Worker will agree with you how often it would be helpful to meet and what kinds of support would be most useful for you and your other family members.

The Forces Employment Charity provides life-long, life-changing support, jobs and training opportunities to Service leavers, veterans, reservists and their spouses, partners and children, regardless of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving.

If you’re looking for support with your CV, returning to work after a break or need advice on transferring skills and qualifications from the military, we can help!

We support spouses and partners, including divorced, separated and bereaved on their journey into employment. We understand Service life and transition can impact the whole family, so we also offer mentoring and career guidance to military children and young people aged 16-24.

Access a programme of employment pathway events through Op PROSPER - details of which can be found through the events section on the FEC website.

Portsmouth City Council needs more foster carers to provide homes for Portsmouth children and young people.

Foster carers do an amazing job in helping children and young people reach their full potential

Home-Start Portsmouth is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under five years of age.

Home-Start Portsmouth is an independent family support charity that was established in 1992 and has supported thousands of families in the city since its launch.

We exist to enable local parents to be the best they can be by offering emotional and practical help through trained volunteers, both in family homes and out in the community.

Support is available for families that are experiencing a whole range of difficulties: bereavement, isolation, multiple births, depression to name a few.

A range of stay and play groups are also run in the Family Hubs and are open to all.

Volunteers, who are often parents themselves, are trained and supported by experienced co-ordinators who are there to guide and advise them throughout.

The Forces Families Project

The Forces Families project (formerly Joining Forces for Families), an Armed Forces Covenant funded project that has been running since October 2018. It is delivered in partnership by Citizens Advice Hart, Rushmoor Citizens Advice and Portsmouth Citizens Advice. It aims to help serving personnel and their families when they encounter life's stressful events. It is free, confidential and independent and impartial. The Forces Families Project is tri-service and operated in North East Hampshire and Portsmouth and other south coast areas such as Gosport Fareham and Havant. We often attend military events such as health fairs, family fun days and of course Armed Forces day.

We offer a donation-only counselling service so that anyone can access support whatever their financial circumstances. If you are in immediate danger, please refer to our Crisis Support page.

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