Resources for families

Applying for a school place and checking if your child is able to receive free school meals

Guidance on how to apply for a school place can be found in the following links:

You can also check if your child can get free school meals in England and find out how to apply on your local authority’s website:

Apply for free school meals

Guidance for parents on school attendance

Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department for Education to develop this short guide which helps parents understand how they can work with their school and local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support.

Download the guide for parents on school attendance

Support for parents looking after children with mental health concerns

Some children told us that they struggle to attend school due to feelings of anxiety, or other mental health worries. Find top tips for looking after a child with mental health difficulties and advice for looking after your own mental health here:

Children’s mental health – Every Mind Matters – NHS

Young minds parents helpline offers three different services to parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health, up to the age of 25. Here, you can find out more about their Parents Helpline, Webchat and Email service:

Parents Helpline – Mental Health Help for you child – Young Minds

Support for parents whose children have special educational needs or disability

Contact for families with disabled children have provided a helpful guide for parents of children with SEND to help you understand what support your child may be entitled to. Read the guide here:

Understanding the extra support that can be available through school for children with SEND

The National Autistic Society have a comprehensive guide for parents to support their children through transitions into and between schools and they also put together a range of resources and information to support parents of children with autistic children navigate the education system:

Advice for parents of children with autism when their child is starting or changing school

Advice for parents of children with autism navigate education

Help at Hand

The Children’s Commissioner’s Help at Hand service offers advice and assistance to children in care, children working with social services, children living away from home, and care leavers. Find out more about the service and how to contact the team here:

Help at Hand

Support for kinship carers

As the Family Review highlighted, family comes in many different forms and so it’s important that we hear about different experiences of family. You can learn more about kinship care directly from the children who experience these family arrangements. The Children’s Commissioner’s team made this video with Kinship Carers Liverpool that you can watch and share with your students to raise awareness.

I found it hard that in 2022 young people who are in kin families still feel like they have to explain their situation over and over, by educating professionals on kinship this will hopefully reduce the need for a kin kid to have to keep repeating their story
Child in kinship care.