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With the festive period behind us for another year, January often brings into sharper focus some of the difficulties our families are facing. Debts, relationship issues or health concerns can happen to anyone at any time.
has information on hundreds of local and national support services who can help.
Need some help to understand your teenager’s behaviour? Got a toddler who is a fussy eater? Parenting is a rewarding but sometimes challenging experience but support is close at hand at your local Children’s Centre.
They have a full programme of free parent training courses planned for the spring term which you can find here.
They also hold lots of free activities and are available to offer a sympathetic ear.
If your family needs any kind of help and you do not know where to turn please call the Family Information Service on 01724 296629 and we will signpost you to the right support.
If your finances are feeling the pinch after Christmas then we have some tips to save money this January.
Cut your childcare costs
Many people believe that there is only help available towards childcare costs if families are on a low income.
However, Tax Free Childcare is available to anyone using OfSTED registered childcare for a child aged under 12 (17 if they have a disability) who earns less than £100,000 per year and is not receiving help towards their childcare costs through Childcare Vouchers or Universal Credit.
 There is a simple online application process to set up A Tax Free Childcare account. For every £8 you pay in the Government will top up an extra £2 up to a maximum of £2000 per year for one child, or £4000 for a child with a disability. That is a 20 per cent saving on your childcare bill!
Check out what other help is available with childcare costs on our website.
National Insurance Credits for Grandparents providing childcare
Are you a grandparent of working age who provides childcare for their grandchildren? You could get extra National Insurance credits to increase your state pension. Find out more here.
Citizens Advice North Lincs
Citizens Advice North Lincs can help if you are struggling to pay your bills. However, that is not all they can advise you on.
Check out their website to find out what your rights are if you want to return a faulty Christmas present, need advice on switching your energy supplier or planning to book tickets for a sporting or music event and you want to make sure the ticket site is genuine.
Visit them at Scunthorpe Central (drop in Tuesdays and Fridays 9.30am to 11am), call them on 03444 111 444 (Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm) or visit their website.
 The Family Information Service is looking to recruit a number of volunteer parent champions within the Scunthorpe area.
Parent Champions is a national network administered by Coram Family and Childcare and endorsed by the Department for Education and we are excited to be setting up our very own North Lincolnshire scheme next year.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for parents or carers who have benefited from being able to access a funded childcare place for a two, three or four year old or have benefited from the introduction of the 30 hours.
Has having the funded childcare in place allowed you to do some training or get into work? Maybe this has improved your employment prospects by getting a promotion or changing jobs – something you would not have been able to do without having funded childcare?
What does a parent champion do?
A parent champion simply speaks to other parents in their own community about the benefits of funded childcare for them and encourages them to take up their own funded childcare entitlement if they are not doing so already.
This can be as informally as a chat at the school gate or telling a friend over coffee and need only take up a small amount of time each week.
What is in it for you?
A parent champion will receive the following from us:
- Free training on what is involved in being a volunteer parent champion
- Support from a volunteer coordinator
- An opportunity to learn new skills and perhaps improve your self confidence
- Any expenses incurred whilst performing your parent champion duties covered
- The opportunity, if you wish, to gain a Level 1 qualification (not mandatory)
If you think you might be interested in volunteering as a parent champion please call 01724 296629 or email caroline.harris@northlincs.gov.uk.
 34 per cent of children in England are overweight by the time they leave primary school and this is why your child may have come home from school recently talking about the amount of sugar in their diet.
Children in England are eating on average eight cubes of sugar too much every day and this can lead to tooth decay and long term effects on their health.
Most of the sugar they consume comes from sugary drinks, cereal, yoghurts, biscuits and sweets and so
are encouraging parents to ‘make a swap when they next shop’ and pick up some lower sugar options for their children from the supermarket?
Parents can visit the Change4Life website for tips and ideas on how to swap to lower sugar foods and also get the free Sugar Swap food scanner app.
Follow RuFIS on our Facebook or Twitter @NorthLincsFIS
As he too learns to look for the low sugar option in Sugar Smart World!
Caring for someone can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be lonely, boring, frustrating, frightening and stressful.
The Carers’ Support Service is here to support you through difficult times and a Carer Peer Support Group can offer the empathetic support that only another Carer can give.
Groups meet regularly throughout North Lincolnshire. They are a great way to meet other Carers, socialise, develop friendships and share information.
There are some groups that focus on a particular group of Carers such as parent Carers and some who focus on a particular condition such as the Dementia Peer Support Group. Other groups are there for any Carer in a particular area of North Lincolnshire.
You will be made very welcome at any of the support groups.
Talk to us if you feel that you cannot attend a group because of your caring role.
For more information visit the Carers’ Support Service website or contact them on 01652 650585 or
email info@carerssupportcentre.com.
Do you shop at Tesco in Ashby, Scunthorpe or Crowle? If you do, please could you support the North Lincs Children’s Literacy Trust next time you are in store?
The North Lincolnshire Children's Literacy Trust is in the customer vote for a Bags of Help grant from Tesco. It’s a scheme which gives community projects like us grants of up to £4,000 – all raised from the sale of carrier bags in Tesco stores. The public will now vote in store during January and February 2019 on who should receive the awards.
Please support us in your local Tesco Scunthorpe Extra, Tesco Ashby and Tesco Crowle stores! The grant will help us bring Free Little Libraries to communities across North Lincolnshire during 2019. This project will be in partnership with our community partners North Lincolnshire Council Words Count and the Landscape Partnership.
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