How we can help you
Working Families is more than the voice of working parents.
We offer practical help.
We support you on employment rights, campaign for changes in the law, and try to persuade employers to adopt practices which work for them and you alike. You can find out more about the help we can offer by following the links on the right, or clicking below for a quick summary.
helpline
First Time Families
Edads
Tax credits
Information
Helpline 
0800 013 0313
When money is tight, getting the balance right between work, childcare and home is crucial. When problems occur, an informed voice and sympathetic ear can make all the difference. Our helpline for low income families gives advice on employment rights, Tax Credits and benefits. The helpline is run by solicitors Stephanie Mckeon and Vanessa Wheeler, and adviser Catherine Rogan. Call free on 0800 013 0313, text 07800 00 4722 or e-mail advice@workingfamilies.org.uk
Please be advised that we do not use encrypted email, which means that information is not secure as it passes over the internet. We cannot guarantee that your enquiry and our advice will remain confidential if they are communicated by email.
Children with disabilities
Working Families runs 'Waving not drowning' - a network and information resource for parents of disabled children and for professionals who work with them. Paid employment outside the home can be enormously important to parents of a disabled child, both for the economic well-being and future life-chances of the whole family and for the parent's own self-esteem. Use the link on the right to find out more.
To download a copy of Can Parents of Disabled Children Work? a guide for social workers click here. To download a copy of the guide for health visitors click here.
Waving not drowning 
Please join our mailing list for the 'Waving not drowning' parents' newsletter, to keep you informed about the advice we are giving to parents of disabled children, and about their concerns.
For more information in this area, we suggest you visit Contact a Family
First Time Families 
Being a first time parent is exciting but daunting. We don't have all the answers (no-one does) but we can tell you about your rights to maternity leave, paternity leave, and what you can claim once your baby is here. For free independent advice about benefits and tax credits and employment rights, please call our helpline on 0800 013 0313. You can download our leaflet First Time Families – claim your money, claim your time! here. (If you need a large print version, please set your printer to print the pages A4-size, rather than A5.)
The First Time Families project aims to provide advice and support to working people in London on low incomes about time and money choices when starting a family. The project builds on our outreach work promoting take-up of tax credits, runs till 2010 and is mainly funded by the City Parochial Foundation.
We are providing the First Time Families project to help tackle child poverty in London. The project differs from other work on child poverty because we are focusing both on benefit rights and employment rights.
Edads
We have a text advice service for fathers and mothers: Edads. Simply text your query about your working rights to 07800 00 4722 or e-mail edads@workingfamilies.org.uk
Please be advised that we do not use encrypted email, which means that information is not secure as it passes over the internet. We cannot guarantee that your enquiry and our advice will remain confidential if they are communicated by email.
Information
We publish wide-ranging and comprehensive free information for parents and advisers. You can read or download our factsheets here.
If you copy or circulate the factsheets, please ensure that Working Families is credited and that you have the most recent update: benefits, tax credits and the law change frequently.
In everything we do we help parents to balance work and home, assisting you to do the best you can in both worlds
Yet without your support we cannot function at all. Our existence is based on helping where we can and being helped when you can. If you would like to help please click here.
In everything we do we help parents to balance work and home, assisting you to do the best you can in both worlds
Yet without your support we cannot function at all. Our existence is based on helping where we can and being helped when you can. If you would like to help please click here.
