There are some fundamental differences in the ways in which services to support Parent Carers of children under 18 are organised in Merton.
Unlike for Carers of adult children (over 18), Carers Support Merton does not carry out Carer Needs Assessments or provide specialist information or advice. However, we can signpost you to someone else who can help, and this area of our website is designed to act as a directory of local and national services to guide you through finding the help and resources that you need.
Contact: for families with disabled children
We suggest best general independent advice for Parent Carers is the charity Contact for families with disabled children. They run a free telephone helpline for Parent Carers in any part of the UK with a disabled child from birth to 25. Your child can have any disability or special need, and you do not have to have a diagnosis.
A full list of matters their advisors can support with can be found on helpline page of their website.
Helpline: 0808 808 3555 Monday to Friday 9.30am – 5pm.
Other sources of support for Parent Carers
You may be entitled to a Parent Carer Needs Assessment.
You can also access Merton’s Local Offer which is a directory of services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Merton.
Register with Carers Support Merton
Any Parent Carer of a child or young person under 18 with a disability is welcome to register with Carers Support Merton as a Carer. You can opt-in to receiving our monthly news bulletin which contains useful information on services and activities across the Merton many of which are open to all Carers, including Parent Carers of children under 18.
We hope to continually grow our service offer to this group of parents, and by registering with us you will be the first to know of any new opportunities or services! Please email info@csmerton.org or call the office on 020 8646 7515.