Advice and support (secondary)

Advocacy services are designed to give you impartial support in a range of situations. This may be to help formalise a child or young persons voice in a discussion or decision making process. They are also a key aspect of mediation and legal proceedings when required.

For further details visit: Advocacy services.

You may be giving emotional support, or have to keep a close eye on the person you care for. Caring for someone can be demanding, and being identified as a carer can be important to get the support you need to continue in your caring role.

For more information visit:

Carer support 

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities, for example consumer rights or applying for benefits.

For further details visit: Citizens Advice.

The WPCC provides a specialist consultation and participation service that enables parents and carers to voice their opinions about the services and support that their families receive. They also run a service called SENDIS which helps signpost users to the right information.

For further details visit: WPCC.

The following document is a summary of WPCC in leaflet form:

WPCC: Promotional leaflet (opens new window)

Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living (CIL) provide a range of services to support disabled people who live or work in the county. They also provide disability advice, information and training to interested organisations, professionals or individuals.

They are based in centrally-placed, accessible premises in Devizes but are also happy to visit you in your home, at your convenience.

For further details visit: Wiltshire CIL Homepage (opens new window).

Wiltshire SENDIASS is the statutory information, support and advice service for Wiltshire, provided by Family Action, a national charity that hosts nine SENDIAS Services. They offer free, independent and impartial information relating to education, health and social care for children and young people (0-25) with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and their families, to empower them to make appropriate and informed choices. 

Services include:

• providing impartial and confidential advice and information for children, young people and families on SEND around education, health and care
• offering support with education, health and care plans (EHCP), including annual reviews, informal and formal mediation and tribunals
• supporting you to work with education providers to ensure your child/young person's needs are met
• offering support and advice on transport, exclusions - related to SEND, disability discrimination, elective home education and personal budgets
• support with writing letters and completing forms, and assistance with discussions and meetings with schools, the local authority SEN team and SEND professionals
• support with resolving disagreements helping you to consider and determine the best way forward
• providing information and signposting to support services in your area

For more information visit:

Family Action - SENDIASS (opens new window)

You can also call the service: 01225 255266

To email the service use wiltshire.sendiass@family-action.org.uk (opens new window)

Wiltshire Council provides a range of sessions on parenting across various ages and specialities, for example the SWAPP courses for autism and parenting.

SWAPP is a partnership programme between parents and their child's setting or school that aims to build an understanding of autism and the challenges and delights it can present.

The programme aims to empower families and staff who are closely involved in supporting a child or young person with autism.

Sessions cover all aspects of autism including communication, sensory issues and behaviour.

Visit SWAPP Parenting Courses for more information and booking details.

For further parenting programme details visit: Parenting Programmes

Connect - Turning Point

The Wiltshire Substance Use Service works with residents of all ages, offering support and education to people who want to address their substance use, offering support to the wider family network too. This support is free and confidential and can be delivered either in hub or in the community whilst maintaining high levels of confidentiality. 

For self referral and further information visit:

Connect homepage (opens new window)

You can also find more advice and support from services like The Wrap (opens new window).

The main Wiltshire Council website also provides more information on substance use, and where you can go for support. You can also complete a confidential self-assessment if you are concerned about how much you or someone else is drinking. For more information visit:

Drug and alcohol use

Another source of advice and help is the Talk to FRANK website (opens new window) which provides information on types of drugs, the impacts and where you can go for help.

Healthy Minds Wiltshire

The On Your Mind website has lots of information, practical tips and advice about supporting children and young people's emotional wellbeing.  The service is there to help young people aged 5-18 registered with a GP in Wiltshire who are experiencing a range of early mental health difficulties through group work, activities in the community and counselling sessions for those young people who need more intensive support.  We are also an all year round service and so our support does not stop in school holidays.

• for advice, information and signposting 
• for positive activities both online and in person, with a wellbeing focus 
• therapy (including online) 
• decider skills workshops - these are groups (occasionally delivered one to one if needed) that are based on CBT/DBT, the aim is to help children and young people deal with different emotions and tolerate distress, developing coping strategies etc. 

For more information about what HCRG offers and how to contact/self-refer, call 0300 247 0090 (option 4) or visit:

On your mind: Wiltshire Children and Young People Emotional Wellbeing Service (opens new window)

Wiltshire SHOUT 

Wiltshire residents can text WILTS to 85258 to access free, confidential mental health support from a trained volunteer who will aim to get them to a safe and calm place. This will include coming up with a plan around how they are going to support themselves moving forward, and signposting to local support agencies where appropriate. They can help with anxiety and stress, depression or sadness, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, panic attacks, loneliness or isolation, abuse and bullying.

 This service is available to Wiltshire residents of all ages, it is available 24/7 and won't appear on the bill.

FearFree are the domestic abuse support service in Wiltshire. They provide trauma-informed, person-centred support to victims of domestic abuse and their families. They provide this support to both adults and children who are victims of, or have been impacted by domestic abuse.

For support and further information visit:

FearFree (opens new window)

Wiltshire Together

The digital platform that connects people, groups and organisations in Wiltshire to their community. It features support, volunteering, group listings and relevant events.

Wiltshire Together (opens new window) 

Our Community Matters

Local interactive notice boards which everyone can use to highlight and discuss local news events and ideas

Our Community Matters (opens new window) 

Getting online and engaging with the digital world is an important part of modern life. It is increasingly how we access and engage with our services, where we find information, and how we communicate with each other. On this page you will find information on how to get online in Wiltshire, safely, and where to get support.

Getting online safely