Family Support Groups

Boogie Mites Portsmouth offer educational music groups and sessions for Nurseries / preschools, parent and carers, parties and events. We also offer Intergenerational music sessions partnering nurseries/ preschools with local care homes and care homes with families.

All our sessions enhance learning, language and literacy skills and are in line with the EYFS.

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

Connors Toy Library Sessions are open to all parents, carers, childminders, foster carers and grandparents. Sessions are £3 per family and include a play session, craft activity, snack, toy loan and singing to finish.

The mobile toy library was developed when other service providers asked us to visit their settings to provide a play and toy loan session for families they are supporting. We continue to work with the Hostels, Refuge and teenage project as requested across the City.

We soon recognised that confident families would attend their local Toy Library session but those suffering with post natal depression, feeling isolated, lacking in confidence or new to parenting didn't attend. It was then that out outreach project was developed. Providing 1:1 support for families for as long as they need it. Families can be referred to our service or self refer themselves.

Within the Toy Library sessions families that appeared confident would talk about concerns or issues including behavioral concerns, weaning, toileting, sleeping, attachment etc.. we are able to provide support, sign posting or referral onto the appropriate service where needed. It from here our Early Intervention project was introduced. We also support parents with domestic abuse, post natal depression, substance misuse, financial concerns and housing - signposting them to and gaining the support they need at such a difficult time.

Our child carers Toy Store is available for all all families with membership starting at just £20 per year.

Professionals working with and caring for others people including foster carers, nurseries, childminders, speech and language, playshemes, Portage etc can join ensuring all provisions have access to good quality, educational and fun toys and resources for all children to enjoy.

Families with children with additional needs can access the Child carers toy store to borrow specialist toys and resources to support their child learning and development within their own homes.

Daybreak is the country’s leading national voluntary organisation focused entirely on the delivery of family group conferences (FGCs) and related training.
Age range for work in Portsmouth is 0-25 years
Daybreak has a contact with PCC covering referrals from them.
Other agencies and individuals can make a spot purchase
Daybreak supports families (not individuals)

Daybreak delivers programmes of the highest quality and aims for continuous service improvement, through:

- systematic monitoring and collection of feedback
- rigorous selection and training of staff, independent coordinators and volunteers
- inspiring individual and collective responsibility across the workforce

Our work is widely recognised as achieving great results for children, adults and their families whilst making significant cost savings for Local Authorities and other agencies.

Early years are a crucial period of development for children. The NHS Birth to Five Guide covers a wide range of topics, providing lots of important information and tools to help parents through the different stages of child development

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.

The Early Help and Prevention Service’s LGBTQ Team support young people who are exploring their gender identity/sexuality and their families. This team:

Offer support and guidance for professionals through the ‘Team Around the Worker’ model.

Liaise with schools and other agencies to ensure support for young people is effective.

Offer short one-to-one interventions for young people.

Offer young people access to weekly specialist youth groups (4U, 4Me, and 4Us).

Will run short interventions to support families with exploring issues alongside their young person.

he 4U, 4Me and 4Us Youth Groups exist in the city to support children and young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender variant or who are questioning their gender identity or sexuality.

An experienced, skilled youth team offers a weekly youth group in a safe, secure and supportive environment. There are activities each week designed to help to improve self-esteem, give young people a social outlet in which to make new friends and to provide information to support them as they move into adulthood.

Our LGBTQIA+ inclusive Stay & Play Group for parents and children under the age of 5, every Friday afternoon at Northern Parade Family Hub.

This group will be a safe place for families and a chance to connect with families who share the experiences that come with parenting when part of the LGBTQIA+ community,

It will give children a chance to see versions of their own family reflected back at them. There are craft’s, play, messy play, stories and singing facilitated by our trained volunteers.

Services include:

Antenatal care
Postnatal care
Labour and birth care
Maternity theatres
Infant Feeding support
Parent education

Moriah Family Support Group confidentially supports all families of children and young ones (0-25) with any special educational needs, particularly those with English as an additional language.