Support Resources & Contact Details

Disabled Family Support

Families provide long-term love, care and support for their disabled relatives, and speak up for them. Even when people leave home, they do not leave the family. Families continue to offer a lifetime of involvement and support, and know a great deal about their relative’s needs and wishes, likes and dislikes.

When the services and support for a relative go wrong it can be very difficult for families to deal with. They may be faced with a barrage of information and decisions to take, as well as coming to terms with what has happened. It is important that families know where they can get impartial information, and find out what support is available to them. There is a list below of organisations which you may find useful.

It is important to note that family carers must be consulted and involved in key decisions about the care and support of a relative who is unable to make these decisions (unless you have specifically asked not to be involved). There is a proper legal process that must be followed, under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. For example, your relative cannot be moved to another service without involving you, and others who know your relative well, in the decision-making process.

The Cornwall Family Information Service provides the only source of registered childcare in the County. It also provides information to families with children and young people up to the age of 19 including holiday clubs, leisure activities, children’s centres and Parenting and Family Support.
You can phone them free on 0800 587 8191.

Ann Craft Trust: Provides advice to anyone who has a query about the protection of vulnerable children and adults, including professionals, parents, carers and family members.
Tel: 0115 9515400 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 5pm , Fri 9am – 4.30pm ) or email: ann-craft-trust@nottingham.ac.uk.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation: Provides telephone and email support from a
Family Support Worker on challenging behaviour associated with severe learning disabilities and related issues.
Tel: 0845 6027885 or email: info@thecbf.org.uk.
Free information sheets and DVDs about good support for people who have a learning disability and behaviour described as challenging is available at: www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk.

Disability Law Service: Provides telephone or email advice on community care law. Free to disabled people and their family carers. Visit www.dls.org.uk.
Tel: 020 7791 9800 or email:advice@dls.org.uk.

Mencap Learning Disability Helpline: Provides advice and information on all issues relevant to people with learning disabilities and their families in England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Visit http://www.mencap.org.uk.
Tel: 0808 808 1111.

Young People’s Services

Useful Links and Contacts:

SHARE 
Free call 0800 181 033.
Share provides an independent and confidential information, advice and support service for young people aged 13 – 25 years old.

Get Connected
Free call on 080 808 4994 or text on 80849.
Free support and advice for young people under 25 who don’t know where to turn.

Sex and young people
An NHS choices web site which has a wide range of useful information and further links and advice.

The Youth Group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Trans and Questioning young people have workshops for young transgender people or people with gender identity issues and their families and carers on the first Saturday every month.  

Mental Health Support

NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Talking Therapies is a psychological therapy service for people aged 16 and above in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. If you are registered with a GP practice in Cornwall, you can access their NHS-funded therapies for mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression. Further information is available on their website.

To register for help with difficulties such as: stress, low mood, worry, anger, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you can self-refer on the website.

Anxiety UK – 03444 775 774 – https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/

MIND – 0300 123 3393 – https://www.mind.org.uk/

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) for men aged 15-35 – 0800 58 58 58 – https://www.thecalmzone.net/

No Panic – 0844 967 4848 – https://www.nopanic.org.uk/

Samaritans – 116 123 – https://www.samaritans.org/

For more Mental Health Helplines, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

Addiction Services

Adfam

  • Adfam is a national charity working with families affected by drugs and alcohol and is a leading agency in substance related family work.

Addaction

  • Addaction is a leading UK charity working solely in the field of drug and alcohol treatment.

FRANK 

  • For free confidential drugs information and advice 24 hours a day talk to FRANK.

Re Solv

  • National charity solely dedicated to the prevention of solvent and volatile substance abuse (VSA).

Gamblers Anonymous

Cancer

Breast Cancer Care

  • A UK charity offering information and support to those with breast cancer.

Cancer Back-up

  • MacMillan Cancer Support is a European cancer charity providing up-to-date cancer information, practical advice and support for cancer patients and their families.

Cancer Screening Information

  • Information on current cancer screening programs in the NHS.

Mesothelioma (Asbestos related cancer)

  • Mesothelioma Guide provides comprehensive information and resources concerning mesothelioma and asbestos exposure.
  • Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma are a growing concern for patients and their families; this page offers support information.
  • The group provides up-to-date, free, information and support, specifically focused on helping patients.

Carers

Cornwall Carers Service

  • A one-stop-shop providing support to people who care for others.
  • Helpline 01872 266 393.

Miscellaneous Services

Please click here to access the Health Information Video Library.
FPA is the UK’s leading sexual health charity. Their purpose is to enable people in the UK to make informed choices about sex and to enjoy sexual health.

Every day they work to ensure that anyone can get the high quality information and services they need.

Click here to visit their website. 
Brook is a charity which has been set up to help young people under the age of 25 enjoy their sexuality without coming to harm. The have many resources available as well as a helpline on which you can talk to counsellors in confidence.

Confidential advice for under 25s – Ask Brook 0808 802 1234.

Their website also has many useful resources and is available here.
This is a good site with loads of information and further links about your health.  

Click here to visit the website.
Visit the MeReC Rapid Review  (now absorbed into NICE) website.

Summary and appraisal of clinically relevant recent studies from a respected source of information on drugs and prescribing.
Need to talk to someone after 5.15 pm and before 8.45 am or at the weekend? 

Call the Home Treatment Team on 0845 230 3902.
Alzheimers,net is a useful support website full of resources for sufferers, carers and families of people who suffer from the disease. http://www.alzheimers.net/.

The Myrtle Ellis Fund provides support, information and advice to individuals with rare forms of dementia, and their carers. 

The four specific conditions they cover are Post Cortical Atrphy (PCA), primary progressive Aphasia (PPA), Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (FAD) and Familial Frontotemporal Fementia (fFTD).

Contact them at jill.walton@ffdsg.org or on 07592 540 555.
Visit the Department of Health and MMR website.
Visit the Diabetes UK website. All you need to know about diabetes and more.

More support can be found at Diabetes Support Information Exchange.
Cornwall Mobility
A charity based in Truro who will assess your needs and recommend and supply equipment to help you live a more mobile life.
Visit the British Heart Foundation website.

A charity involved in research and education regarding heart conditions.
Visit www.davidbracey.co.uk; a website set up by local orthopaedic surgeon, offering advice and information on a variety of orthopaedic conditions.
Visit the Department of Heath website for information on safe and healthy travel.
The British Pain Society is the largest multidisciplinary professional organisation in the field of pain within the UK. Our membership comprises doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, scientists, psychologists, occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals actively engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of pain and in pain research for the benefit of patients. We have a steady increasing number of members annually.

Today the British Pain Society has a membership of over 1,550 and is a uniquely relevant representative body on all matters relating to pain.

The British Pain Society aims to promote education, training, research and development in all fields of pain. It endeavours to increase both professional and public awareness of the prevalence of pain and the facilities that are available for its management. The Society is involved in all aspects of pain and its management through the work of the Council, various Committees, Special Interest Groups and Working Parties and via its publications, Annual Scientific Meeting and educational seminars.

Please click here for a link to the Patients’ Pages of the Society.