Action for Children — family support and Parent Talk

Action for Children is a UK children's charity with more than 150 years' experience supporting children and families. It runs children's centres and family hubs across the UK and offers free online parenting advice and one-to-one chat through its Parent Talk service.

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-09-01

What Action for Children is

Action for Children (formerly Barnardo's-era name of the National Children's Home, rebranded in 2016) runs services across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2024/25 its family support services helped more than 484,000 children, young people and families. It delivers services on behalf of local authorities — family hubs, early help, edge-of-care interventions, disability and residential services, and mental health and wellbeing support for ages 0–19 (up to 25 with SEND or additional vulnerabilities).

What help it offers

Parent Talk — a free website with down-to-earth advice for parents of children aged 0–19, plus free one-to-one live chat with a parenting coach (a 1:1 chat service; check the site for current opening hours and UK coverage). Parent Talk now supports over 500,000 families a year.
Children's centres and family hubs — over 60–68 centres across the UK offering parenting groups, early years support, and links to health visitors, midwives and speech therapy.
Early help and family support — targeted help for families before problems escalate, often via local authority referral.
Fostering, disability and mental health services — short breaks for disabled children, fostering services, and emotional wellbeing programmes.
A benefits calculator for families worried about money.

Contact details

Website: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Parent Talk (free parenting advice and chat): https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/how-we-can-help/family-support-services/parent-talk/
Find services near you: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/how-we-can-help/our-local-services/
Early years / family hubs: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-work-and-impact/children-and-families/early-years/

How a self-representing parent can use Action for Children

1. Use Parent Talk's live chat. Free one-to-one advice from a parenting coach on behaviour, routines, separation-related behaviour changes and more — no referral needed. 2. Find your local family hub. Family hubs are a good first stop when separating: parenting groups, support for children's emotional needs, and signposting — and engaging with early help reflects well in children cases. 3. Early help referrals. If a school or health visitor suggests "early help", Action for Children often delivers it locally; accepting it is usually far better than waiting for social care thresholds to be crossed. 4. Disability support. Short breaks and support for disabled children can matter when arguing for realistic contact arrangements.

Action for Children does not give legal advice or represent families in court. For legal help use Coram Children's Legal Centre, Rights of Women or a solicitor in this directory.

Useful links

Action for Children homepage: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Parent Talk: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/how-we-can-help/family-support-services/parent-talk/
Early years services: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-work-and-impact/children-and-families/early-years/

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures and contact details change — verify anything important against the official sources linked above before relying on it. Your Family Case is an independent directory listing; we take no referral fees and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or receiving payment from any organisation listed.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.