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Becoming a parent

Find support and guidance through pregnancy and after giving birth in Leeds as a care leaver.

Support services and financial help

Your personal advisor can support you to attend doctor, initial midwife and health visitor appointments. As well as this, you can get child maternity grants and vouchers for when your baby is born.

If you want to return to education, training or an apprenticeship, your personal advisor can help you access costs for child care and apply for care to learn grants external link.

If you’re a lone parent and moving into your first home, you can get additional financial support on top of your setting up home allowance, to help you furnish the property.

There are lots of other services and financial support that you may be able to access:

Support during pregnancy or if you've recently given birth

Prepare for a baby

Get help to prepare for your new life as a parent. Find more information with Baby Steps Leeds external link.              

Help with food

Get free vouchers each week to spend on:              

  • milk
  • fruit and vegetables (tinned, frozen or fresh)
  • pulses (fresh, tinned or dried)
  • infanct formula milk
  • vitamins

Find more information on Healthy Start external link.              

Help with money

You could get a one off payment of £500 to help towards the cost of having a child. This is known as a Sure Start Maternity Grant. Find more information on GOV.UK external link.              

Family support

Family services in Leeds

Family services in Leeds includes:        

  • finding childcare
  • information on family activities
  • finding other support available

Find out more about the Leeds family information service external link.        

Family support service

Get confidential family support to help parents grow in confidence, and increase their ability to cope and build better lives for their children and themselves. Find more information with Home Start Leeds external link.              

Children's groups

Find a variety of services in a Leeds Children's centre including:              

  • stay and play groups
  • parenting courses
  • a nursery

Children over the age of two get 15 hours per week free nursery              

              

Find out more about Leeds Children's Centres external link.              

Imagination library

children of care leavers can receive a free book once a month until they reach the age of five. For more information join the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library external link.              

Know your rights

If you feel like you are not getting the right support or are not being listened to, Leeds children's rights can advocate for you and help you resolve issues. This may include things like pre-birth assessments or parent and baby assessments.              

Find out about your rights with Leeds children's rights external link.              

Support for dads

Find help and support for fathers including social interaction and support. Leeds dads host playgroups for dads and kids, organise social events for dads and families, and provide information and expert parenting support.              

Get more infomation about Leeds dads external link.              

Activites and education

Child friendly Leeds enrichment offer activities and educational opportunities for care leavers with children throughout the year, as well as things like gifts at Christmas or Eid. Email Child friendly Leeds at cflenrichment@leeds.gov.uk.              

Support to maintain and strengthen important relationships

Lifelong links and family group conferencing are both services available to you. They can help you to build better links with family or people who were important to you in the past.              

You will need to speak to your personal advisor about these services and discuss if they are the right for you. If they are, your personal advisor can make a referral. Sometimes there are waiting lists for these services but your personal advisor will make sure you are kept updated.

If you are looking for support that you can’t find here, speak to your personal advisor for advice.