Free phone help for family problems

Talking through parenting problems always helps. ETS provides an opportunity to speak regularly to another parent who won’t judge you and who will help you find ways to sort out what’s going wrong – however difficult your problem. This service could help anyone looking after kids - mums, dads, grandparents, step parents, separated or foster parents.

Tony

Tony, a young dad who recently split up with the mother of his child, was having problems whenever he went to pick his son up from playgroup or his ex-partner’s house. The little boy would cry and not want to leave his mum, leaving Tony feeling so upset that he was considering dropping contact. He told Parentline Plus he was worried he wouldn’t ever be able to build a relationship with his son.

During his phone sessions, Tony thought about his anxiety and feelings of rejection when his son was upset. He was encouraged to look at the situation from his son’s point of view and work on feeling more relaxed at picking up time.

At the end of the sessions, his relationship with his son had vastly improved. Tony felt more confident and created a happy atmosphere when collecting, so his son was pleased to see him.

Rachel

Rachel’s children were 18,15 and 13 when she contacted Parentline Plus. She was going through a difficult divorce and was having difficulty coping with her youngest son’s abusive behaviour. A year after her six one to one phone sessions, Rachel’s relationship with her son is now good. She says: “Parentline Plus helped me take simple actions to deal with my son’s behaviour. By breaking it down into manageable steps, it really helped.”

Rachel was so impressed with the service that she wanted to share her experience to encourage others to benefit too.

Nicola

Nicola contacted Parentline Plus when she was experiencing aggressive behaviour from her 5 year old son, the oldest of her two children.

Nicola had a busy, stressful job and was finding it difficult to cope with disciplining her son. General advice on handling his behaviour hadn’t worked.

After her phone support sessions Nicola reported real changes in her son’s behaviour. She feels the service worked so well for her because of the relationship formed with her support worker and the advice she received, which was tailored to her specific situation.

John

This is an extract from a letter John wrote to Parentline Plus after completing his telephone support sessions:

“Parentline has provided me with a lifeline during an extremely difficult time for my family and children.

From first contact, Parentline assisted in a compassionate, non-judgemental and well informed way. I have been offered a range of assistance and information, delivered exactly as promised, at a time when promises count for a lot.

The individual telephone support I was offered has helped me through a period which would otherwise have been overwhelming and at times unbearable. The support worker assigned to me called me each week, exactly on time with no expectations - this meant a lot.

I do not know how to thank Dean (my support worker) enough. I will remember his support forever, which has made such a difference to my children and me during a difficult time.

Thank you so much.”

Parentline Plus telephone support can help you too. To find out if ETS would benefit you and your family, call Parentline at any time on 0808 800 2222 (in confidence and free from all landlines and most mobile networks).

Look out for more parents’ stories from ETS here soon.