Help Lines
For an extensive list of local services, visit www.divabradford.org.uk
The DIVA project is about bringing information on voluntary and community groups together in a single database - from sports and leisure clubs, through support and self-help groups, community centres and campaign groups to local non-profit bodies, advice centres and branches of national charities.
Our aim is to include organisations right across the Bradford District - including Bingley, Ilkley, Keighley and Shipley, as well as the city of Bradford.
OFSTED
02074 216800
If you have a concern about a school or about childcare, you will be able to make a complaint to Ofsted. It is advisable, though, to raise your concern directly with the person in charge, for example the headteacher or service manager.
For concerns that a childcare or social care provider regulated by us, such as a residential home or fostering / adoption agency does not meet qualifying standards, you should contact Ofsted at enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk or phone 08456 404040
For complaints about childcare providers you can also read an online leaflet from Ofsted (click here).
For concerns about your child’s school, you can find more information about when and how to complain, the type of complaints we are able to consider and the action you can expect us to take in response in our guidance for parents (click here) or you can contact us. ( enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk, 08456 404040)
If having read the above guidance you would like to make a complaint, or you are advised to do so by the Ofsted helpline advisers, you can complete and submit the simple on-line complaints about schools form (click here)
Complaints about Ofsted
If you wish to make a complaint against Ofsted, click here for a leaflet Complaints procedure: Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which gives guidance on how to complain.
If you have made a complaint about Ofsted but are still not happy at the end of the process, you may ask the independent adjudicator for Ofsted for more help. Find out more by following the link below.
The independent complaints adjudicator's website
HM Revenue & Customs
0845 300 3900
This web site is all about taxation of one kind or another, including:
- Child benefit
- Working tax credits
- child tax credits
It is for individuals and employees, employers, business and corporations.
Bradford Safeguarding Board
Second Floor
Olicana House
Chapel Street
Bradford
BD1 5RE
01274 434361
info@bradford-scb.org.uk
The Bradford Safeguarding Children Board works towards keeping children in Bradford, under the age of 18 years, safe from harm. It strives to make sure that every child in Bradford feels secure, well cared for, and able to reach their full potential. We will support all staff to help families and carers achieve this.
The Bradford Safeguarding Children Board helps all staff and professionals to work together and know the rules about keeping children safe. They will understand the importance of listening to children, especially when children are worried about themselves or others.
The Board's web site contains much useful information about keeping children and young people safe and secure, including documents, policies and procedures.
If you have concern that a child is being harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, you must not keep these concerns to yourself. Keeping children safe is everyone's responsibility.
If you have a concern, please phone:
During office hours (8.30 - 5.00 Monday to Thursday, 4.30 on Friday) call Children's Social Services Initial Contact Point - 01274 437500
At all other times, Social Services Emergency Duty Team - 01274 530434
If you have reason to believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm, contact the police on 999
The government has produced guidance for staff working with families setting out in detail what they should do if they believe that a child is being abused. A short summary of this document has also been published which may be useful for parents and carers, as well as staff.
Click to download the full document and the summary.
Dial UK - Disability Advice Network
01302 310 123
Dial UK is a national organisation for a network of approximately 130 local Disability Information and Advice Line services (DIALs) run by and for disabled people. Last year DIALs helped over a quarter of a million disabled people.
DIAL information and advice services are based throughout the UK and provide information and advice to disabled people and others on all aspects of living with a disability.
- welfare benefits
- community care
- equipment
- independent living
- mobility and transport
- discrimination
- holidays
The Bradford contact is at:
103 Dockfield Road, Shipley
01274 594 173
enquiry@disabilityadvice.org.uk
Victims Support Line
0845 30 30 900
www.victimsupport.org/vs_england_wales/index.php
Victim Support is the national charity which helps people affected by crime. They provide free and confidential support to help you deal with your experience, whether or not you report the crime.
Their services are free, independent of the police and courts, and available to everyone, whether or not the crime has been reported and regardless of when it happened.
How we can help you
If you are a victim of crime, contact the local offices of Victim Support.
Trained local volunteers offer:
- someone to talk to in confidence
- information on police and court procedures
- liaison with other organisations on your behalf
- information about compensation and insurance matters
- contact with other sources of help.
For Bradford and Calderdale, contact:
7 Park View Court
St Paul's Road
Shipley
West Yorkshire
BD18 3DZ
01274 530544
enquiries@victimsupportbradford.org.uk
For other local offices in Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees, click here .
And if you are going to court , the Witness Service can help before, during and after the trial.
This offers information and support to witnesses, victims, their families and friends in every criminal court in West Yorkshire. Our trained staff and volunteers offer:
- someone to talk to in confidence
- a visit to the court and a look round a court room (where possible)
- information about court procedures
- a quiet place to wait before and during the hearing
- someone to accompany you into the court room when giving evidence
- practical help, for example, with expense forms
- to put you in touch with people who can answer specific questions about the case (the Witness Service cannot discuss evidence or offer legal advice)
- a chance to talk over the case when it has ended and to get more help or information.
For local Witness Service offices, click here.
Or you can phone our national helpline, the Victim Supportline on 0845 30 30 900
Community Legal Advice
0845 345 4 345
Community Legal Advice is a free and confidential service paid for by legal aid. To use the service, you need to be eligible for free legal aid. CLA will advise you whether you are eligible.
They provide advice on a range of legal problems, including
- Benefits
- Housing
- Police and crime
- Immigration and nationality
- Health and social care
- Taxation
...and a host of other issues.
The website can find you their nearest advisor. (Click here)
Childline
0800 1111
ChildLine is the UK's free, 24-hour helpline for children and young people in distress or danger. Trained volunteer counsellors comfort, advise and protect children and young people who may feel they have nowhere else to turn.
If you are deaf or find using a regular phone difficult, try the Textphone service which provides confidential support and advice via a textphone. You can call on 0800 400 222. It's open from 9.30am to 9.30pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 8pm at weekends.
They also provide a special helpline called The Line for any young person living away from home. This is the helpline for you if you live in a foster home or a children's home, if you're at boarding school or you've been in hospital for a long time. You can call The Line on 0800 88 44 44 from 3.30pm to 9.30pm on weekdays and 2pm to 8pm at weekends.
You can write to ChildLine and one of their counsellors will reply to your letter. You can write to: ChildLine, Freepost NATN1111, London E1 6BR - and you don't have to use a stamp.
Almost 1,400 volunteers provide a counselling service, supervised by a team of professional supervisors and managers. Every day around 4,500 children call ChildLine.
What do children and young people call about?
Children call ChildLine about a wide range of problems, but the most common problems are:
- abuse (both sexual and physical)
- bullying
- serious family tensions
- worries about friends’ welfare
- teenage pregnancy
Domestic Violence
Women's Aid runs a number of helplines, aimed at women from specific communities. There are also helplines for men, children and perpetrators.
The 24 hour national helpline is 0808 2000 247 or helpline@womensaid.org.uk
For helplines and organisations in Yorkshire & Humber, go to http://www.womensaid.org.uk/azrefuges.asp?section=00010001000800060002®ion_code=01WW&x=9&y=9
To download a copy of The Survivor's Handbook (pdf), click here.
(It's available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Chinese, Turkish, Greek, Spanish and Somali.)
For information and downloadable leaflets on Bradford Council's policies, click here.
In an emergency, ring 999
The Child Death Helpline
0800 282 986
The Child Death Helpline is a helpline for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age, from prebirth to adult, under any circumstances, however recently or long ago.
The helpline is open every day throughout the year.
- Every evening 19.00 - 22.00
- Monday to Friday 10.00 - 13.00
- Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons 13.00 to 16.00
Your call will be answered by a bereaved parent.
UK National Drugs Helpline
0800 77 66 00
www.urban75.com/Drugs/helpline.html
The National Drugs Helpline is a 24-hour, seven-days a week, free and confidential telephone service that offers advice and information for those who are concerned, or have questions, about drugs. The service is available to anyone.
Callers might be drug users, recovering or past users, friends, family, colleagues or contacts of drug users.
The Helpline not only provides advice but also confidential counselling to callers who think they have a drug related problem. All staff employed on the Helpline are experienced drug workers. Each has a minimum of two years relevant experience, and many are qualified counsellors.
There are dedicated helplines in a number of community languages, including Arabic, Punjabi, Gujurati, Bengali, Cantonese, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Welsh, Urdu, Italian and Spanish.
Samaritans
0800 909090
Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.
Common reasons for people calling are:
- Relationship and family problems
- Loss, including loss of a job, a friend or a family member through bereavement
- Financial worries
- Job-related stress or overwork
- College or study related stress
- Body image issues
Shelter
0808 800 4444
http://england.shelter.org.uk/home/index.cfm
Shelter helps more than 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home.They provide advice on:
Alcoholics Anonymous
National Telephone Helpline - 0845 769 7555 - 24 hour service
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
The UK portal web site provides links to information about help and information about alcoholism
For local AA information, go to www.aa-gb.org.uk/northeast/westriding
Missing People
Freephone 0500 700 700
Missing People is the UK's only charity that works with young runaways, missing and unidentified people, their families and others who care for them.
What they do:
- Runaway Helpline - A 24 hour confidential helpline for runaways, offering help and advice to young people who have run away from home or care, or who have been forced to leave.
- Message Home - A unique confidential service offering help, advice and support to adults who are missing. Message Home is a 24 hour Freephone service that helps people contact their family or carers via a message or three-way call.
- A national 24 hour helpline for people who are missing someone.
- Support, advice and guidance, and practical help to families of missing people.
- Publicity in the media: on TV, newspapers, radio and other media including Teletext and MoMedia plasma screens on buses for missing people.
- A confidential national computerised register of missing people.
- Identification - A specialist service offered by Missing People to support police, coroners, hospitals and social services to resolve cases of unidentified people (alive or dead).
Registered Charity No. 1020419
Message Home Helpline
Freephone 0800 700 740
messagehome@missingpeople.org.uk
www.missingpeople.org.uk/areyoumissing/message-home
Run by missingpeople.org (see above)
Message Home is a confidential service. Missing people can send messages to those left behind. They cannot trace your calls or emails. However, if they think you are at risk of serious harm, they may need to let someone else know – but they would always work with you first, to get the help you want.
For more information on their confidentiality policy please email: services@missingpeople.org.uk
Clear Start - The Debt Counselling and Settlement Authority
National Debt Helpline
0800 138 5445
Clear Start is a national organisation set up to provide free support to help people with serious debt problems. In particular the service is aimed to support the following categories of individuals or households:
- Those with multiple unsecured debts such as credit cards and personal loans, but unable to afford the minimum monthly payments.
- Those threatened with or considering bankruptcy, and looking for an alternative solution.
- Those looking to set up an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) to reach a final settlement of their debts.
Clear Start provides the following debt counselling and settlement services:
Debt Counselling - National Free Support Line
- Debt counselling
- Financial budgeting and planning
- Call 0800 138 5445 or complete the on-line enquiry form
Authorised Debt Settlement Services
- Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA), Debt Management Plans
- Access to a panel of Insolvency Practitioners licensed by the UK Government
- High-volume IVA set up and supervision capability
- Panel of preferred providers for other debt settlement solutions
Clear Start services are available free of charge to the following:
- Debts of £1,000 or more
- UK Residents (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)
- Minimum contribution to debts of £100 per month
- Both homeowners and those in rented accommodation
