Family Rights Group (FRG)

Family Rights Group is the national charity that advises families whose children are involved with, or need the help of, children's services in England. Its free, confidential advice line combines legal and social work expertise, and it is the single best first contact for any parent facing a child protection investigation, pre-proceedings meeting or care proceedings.

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-31

What Family Rights Group is

Family Rights Group is a registered charity, founded in 1974, that works to ensure families receive the support they need and that children can remain safely within their family where possible. Its work centres on the child protection and care system in England: child protection investigations, children in need, pre-proceedings (the public law outline stage before care applications), care and supervision proceedings, special guardianship, kinship care and adoption.

FRG's three main activities are: an advice and advocacy service for parents and family members; policy and practice reform — it played a leading role in establishing the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts and in developing the law and practice around kinship care, including special guardianship; and supporting kinship carers — family and friends who step in to care for children, including through the Kinship Care Advice Service it operates.

The charity is independent of children's services and of government. Its advisers include lawyers and experienced social workers, so advice combines both the legal and the social-work perspective.

What help it offers

A free, confidential advice line: 0808 801 0366, open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3pm (excluding bank holidays). Advisers help you understand the law, child welfare processes, your rights, responsibilities and options.
Advice by email via the enquiry form on frg.org.uk if you cannot get through by phone.
Self-advocacy support — practical help for parents in England to speak up effectively in child protection processes, including preparing for meetings and understanding reports.
Interpreter and Relay UK access — the service can arrange an interpreter for phone calls (free of charge) and supports Relay UK for deaf callers.
Online advice forums — a moderated, anonymous space where parents and kinship carers can get legal and practical guidance.
Extensive written guides on child protection plans, child protection conferences, pre-proceedings letters, care proceedings, special guardianship and kinship care at frg.org.uk.
A specialist kinship care advice line for family and friends carers (check frg.org.uk/kinship for the current number and hours).

Important limits: FRG does not advise on private law disputes (child contact and living arrangements between parents) where children's services are not involved; it cannot investigate a child's home situation; and its advice, while legally informed, is not a substitute for a solicitor acting for you.

Contact details

Website: https://frg.org.uk
Advice line: 0808 801 0366 (free from landlines and mobiles; Mon–Fri 9.30am–3pm, excluding bank holidays)
Email advice: via the enquiry form at https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/
Advice service guide: https://frg.org.uk/a-guide-to-using-our-advice-and-advocacy-service

How a self-representing parent can use FRG

FRG is most relevant if children's services are involved with your family — or might be soon:

1. Call early. If you have received a letter from a local authority about a child protection conference, or a "letter before proceedings" (pre-proceedings letter), calling FRG before you respond can materially change how you handle the process. Pre-proceedings letters come with a right to free legal advice — FRG will tell you this and how to claim it. 2. Understand every document. Advisers can explain what a child protection plan, section 17 or section 47 enquiry, core group or threshold document actually means, and what the local authority must and must not do. 3. Prepare for care proceedings. In care and supervision proceedings, parents are automatically entitled to legal aid (non-means, non-merits tested). If you are nonetheless representing yourself at any stage, FRG's guides explain the PLO timetable, the roles of the guardian and local authority, and what the court expects of you. 4. Use self-advocacy support. If you are attending child protection conferences or core groups without a lawyer, FRG's advocacy support can help you present your position effectively. 5. Kinship options. If relatives might care for your child, FRG's kinship expertise covers special guardianship orders, child arrangements orders, residence and financial support — often the decisive practical question in public law cases.

For private law disputes between parents (arrangements for children after separation), FRG is not the right service — use Coram Child Law Advice or a solicitor instead.

Useful links

FRG homepage: https://frg.org.uk
Get help and advice: https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/
Kinship care advice: https://frg.org.uk/kinship
Advice service guide: https://frg.org.uk/a-guide-to-using-our-advice-and-advocacy-service

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.