Children and families statutory services, a brief guide

This is a brief description of the main statutory agencies providing services for children and young people in Herefordshire. For comprehensive details of statutory services and voluntary organisations, see the Family Information Directory section

Education and learning

For all the information you may need about learning in Herefordshire, whether you are at school, a parent or a teacher, please visit the Schools and Colleges section.

Childcare Services

Early years education, childcare, out-of-school and childminding settings are included in the Childcare and Early Years section and are also listed on the National Childcare website, see details below.

Children's Centres

Herefordshire's 12 Children's Centres provide a range of different services for children who are under five years of age and to help their families and carers. Details of all the Centres in Herefordshire are in the Children's Centres section.

Connexions

Connexions is a support service for all 13 - 19 year olds providing information, guidance and practical help to prepare for adult and working life. Assistance for young people moving between stages of their education and into work is tailored to the needs of individuals and an important role of Connexions Personal Advisors is to advocate on behalf of young people where necessary.  For further details visit the Connexions Herefordshire and Worcestershire website - see the External Links box below.

Youth Service

Working in partnership with young people (mainly between 13 and 19 years old), the Youth Service aims to provide informal educational opportunities for them to develop skills and abilities, provide opportunities for them to influence decisions and to become full and active members of their communities. Details of the services provided are in the Youth Service section.

Health

Information on all health services provided in Herefordshire is available via the link to their website below. Also listed below is the national website where searches can be made by postcode for GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacies.
For more specialised services, the following local health site is available and a link to it can be found in the External Links box below:

• Mental health:  this website has a section dedicated to children and young people's mental health issues.

Social Care

Details of social care services offered to children and families can be found in the social care for children and young people section.

Young Offenders

The Youth Offending Service aims to prevent offending by children and young people, working mainly with young people between the ages of 10 and 17 years old. This is a multi-agency team covering Worcestershire and Herefordshire, the partners of which are the Children and Young People's Directorate, Health, Police and Probation. Further information can be found by clicking the link in the External Links box below.