Welcome to the West Dorset Early Help team! We're here to help advise and support you and your family to help ensure the best futures for children, parents and carers.

Whether it's a helping hand with parenting techniques, issues around SEN, mental health support or information on local activities and events - we're here to help and able to point you in the right direction of other organisations and how to access them.

We also run regular information drop-in sessions within schools, so please feel free to come along and have a friendly chat with us if you have any worries or concerns, and we'll be happy to help.

We are based at Bridport Children's Centre, so please feel free to pop in if you need to.

Our opening times are:

Monday - Thursday 9am-5pm

Friday - 9am-4pm

(Please note we are closed at weekends and bank holidays)

Alternatively you can contact us on 01308 421714 or email westfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

If you'd like to have a more detailed chat with a family worker about your child's behaviour, then please come along to one of our Parenting Skills & Strategies sessions. Here we will listen to your situation and give you some good techniques, as well as give you information on other organisations that can support you.

Family Support and Advice Line

Education colleagues who are worried about a child or young person under 18 (or under 25 if they have a special educational need or disability) can call Dorset Council’s Family Support and Advice Line on

01305 228558

This number is available at any time of the day or night, every day but for emergencies, people should continue to call 999.
 
Families can also call this number if they are worried about their own child, or if they are worried about a child who is related to them or lives near them.
 
During the day (from 8am till 10pm) callers will be directed to experienced practitioners who can often give support and guidance there and then.
 
Out of these hours, it is answered by Dorset Direct who will decide whether it needs to be referred to the out-of-hours team.
 
This is the number that was used to bring the Dorset Education Advice Line (DEAL), the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (ChAD), the Early Help Hub (EHH) now Family Help, and Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) together as part of our work under the Families First for Children Pathfinder.
 
You can find out more about it on our website https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/worried-about-a-child

ParentLine confidential text messaging service

ParentLine is a confidential text messaging service providing parents and carers of 0-5 year olds in Dorset to seek advice from our health visiting team about their child’s health and development via text message.  

Parents and carers can seek advice about a range of issues such as breastfeeding, bottle feeding, weaning, sleep, toileting, minor illness, behaviour, parenting and more.

ParentLine runs 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and bank holidays) with a ParentLine practitioner responding to messages within one working day. If a text is sent outside these hours the parent/carer will receive an automated message with advice on where to get help if they require it urgently. This new messaging service is being provided in addition to the current health visiting service offer.

Text 07312 277162 for confidential advice and support from a member of the health visiting team

ParentLine is not an emergency service, for urgent medical attention contact your GP, 111 or 999.

ParentLine is also available for parents and carers of children 5 - 19 year olds in Dorset.

Our school nursing team can provide advice about a range of issues such as toileting, sleep, development, behaviour, healthy eating, mental health, bullying, school refusal and exam stress. Visit our school nursing team web page for more details and the number to text.

Take a look at our community page too- there are places you can go for support and help.