Service Family Safeguarding Mental Health Service

Service overview

We're a mental health team working across Bracknell and West Berkshire, alongside Children’s Social Care, to support parents and carers whose children have a social worker due to safeguarding concerns.

We help adults who are experiencing difficulties with their emotional wellbeing or mental health, so they can better care for their children. This support can reduce the risk of family breakdown and help keep families together.

By working together with parents and carers, our service encourages and supports parents to make positive changes for themselves and their children.

Accessing our service

Adults in Bracknell and West Berkshire can access our service if their family is being supported by Children’s Social Care due to safeguarding concerns (Child in Need and Child Protection plans).

Referrals to our service must come from the family’s allocated social worker.

Once a referral has been accepted, a member of our team will contact you to arrange an initial assessment.

Preparing for an assessment

Appointments may take place at your home, at council offices, at Family Hubs, or remotely.

You should allow approximately 60 minutes for both initial assessments and follow-up appointments.

Initial assessments are to meet your worker and agree support goals. We’ll ask you some questions about you, your mental health, your emotions, your family, and close relationships. We’ll also look at how your mental health may be affecting your parenting, and how you're coping with parenting challenges.

You’re welcome to have another person at this appointment (like a friend or family member) if this helps you to feel more comfortable. Please remember we may be talking about some sensitive issues, including the reasons for your child or children having a social worker.

Managing your health

Here are some websites with information that may be helpful in parenting, and supporting good mental health:

Gingerbread

Offers expert advice and information to support all single parents so that they have the tools to support their children and themselves.

Family Lives

Formerly Parentline, Family Lives provides early intervention and crisis support to families on all aspects of life from bonding with your new baby to communicating with teens.

Mind

Mind is a mental health charity that provides information, support and advice to people with mental health problems.

Getselfhelp

Provides free cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and self-help resources including worksheets, guides and videos.

Every Mind Matters

Offers expert advice, practical tips and personalised tools to help adults manage anxiety, low mood, stress and sleep issues.

Patient appointment

Your e-Health Passport

Your e-Health Passport lets us know what's important to you - from your preferred name and pronouns to how you'd like us to support you and communicate with you.

Learn more

Contact us and FAQs

ChatHealth

You can text the numbers below for support or advice: 

Parentline (0-5 years) 
Text: 07312 263 283

Parentline (5-19 years)
Text: 07312 263 194

Young people (11-19 years) 
Text: 07312 263 266

Care leavers (19-25 years)
Text: 07312 263 188

Crisis support

Berkshire NHS Mental Health Crisis Team
Phone: 0800 129 9999

Samaritans
Website: www.samaritans.org 
Phone: 116 123

Shout mental health text service
Text: 85258

Emergency Duty Service

Available for out-of-hours social care emergencies.

Access external support

Frequently asked questions

How do I access this service?

You can access our service if you're located in Bracknell and West Berkshire.

Referrals must be made by a social worker. Once accepted, a member of our team will be in touch to arrange an initial assessment.

How do I get in contact?

First, you’ll need to be referred to our service by a social worker in Children’s Social Care.

Once you're being seen by our service, you’ll be able to contact our team directly to discuss your care and any concerns.

We can also help you with

Is there any information for friends, family and carers?

If you’re a family member/carer or you look after someone, there’s practical, financial, and emotional support available to you from a range of local communities and national organisations.  

How do I request an interpreter?

We can provide language translation and interpretation support whenever you visit or contact us.

Tell our staff which language you prefer to use, and we will make sure the right communication support is in place for your assessment and treatment. Please let us know as early as possible so we can ensure the appropriate translation or interpreting support is available.

We offer a range of professional services to ensure everyone can understand and be understood:

  • telephone interpreting
  • video remote interpreting (VRI)
  • face‑to‑face interpreting
  • written translation
  • British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting
How can I get information in an accessible format?

Anyone with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss has the right to receive information in a format that meets their needs. Under the Accessible Information Standard (AIS)—a legal requirement for all health and adult social care providers—we must ensure that people who use our services, including carers and families, can understand the information we provide and communicate effectively with us.

We can offer information in a range of accessible formats, including:

  • British Sign Language (BSL)
  • large print
  • braille
  • audio
  • easy Read
  • email
  • text message
  • face‑to‑face support with a carer or advocate present

If you need information in any of these formats, please tell a member of our team and we will make sure your communication needs are met.

Are service dogs allowed to my appointment?

Yes. You are welcome to bring your registered service animal, such as a guide dog, hearing dog, medical alert dog, or other trained assistance dog to your appointment.

These animals are recognised as essential support and are permitted in most areas of our services.

To help us prepare, please let the team know before your appointment if you will be attending with a service animal. This allows us to make sure the environment is safe and comfortable for you, your animal, and other patients.

Please note that service animals may not be able to enter certain restricted clinical areas for safety or infection‑control reasons, but we will always work with you to find an appropriate alternative.

Treating our team with respect.

Respect is important.

We will be polite and kind and we expect that you treat our staff in the same way.

Abuse, hate and discrimination against our staff is unacceptable.

We will take strong action against anyone who is verbally, racially, physically, or sexually abusive to them.

This includes contacting the police to prosecute, and stopping future access to our healthcare services.

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External support

The Centre for Family Safeguarding Practice

A specialist centre for supporting and improving family safeguarding, helping keep more children safely within their families.

Home-Start West Berkshire

A local charity, based in West Berkshire, offering practical and emotional support to families through trained volunteers.

Home-Start Bracknell

A local charity, based in Bracknell, offering practical and emotional support to families through trained volunteers.

Family Hubs West Berkshire

Offers a range of services to support families, parents and carers of children aged 0 to 19 years old, as well as 0 to 24 for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Family Hubs Bracknell

Offers a range of services to support families, parents and carers of children aged 0 to 19 years old, as well as 0 to 24 for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

West Berkshire Council Family Safeguarding

The Family Safeguarding Service is a way of working with families to make positive, lasting changes.

Bracknell Forest Council Family Safeguarding

Brings together specialists to support parents and help keep children safe at home.