Family Support Services
FAMILY RESOURCE CENTERS
Concord Heights Neighborhood Family Center: 225-0832
Dame School, 14 Canterbury Road, Concord
Offers preschool programs, parent-child activity times, family events, Grandparent’s Support Group, parenting workshop, and before school child care.
Riverbend Parent-Child Centers: 226-7505, x3215
PO Box 2023, Concord, NH
Family resource centers in Concord, Penacook, Pittsfield, Franklin, and Hillsboro offering parenting education and support groups and a literacy-based children’s program. Home-mentoring is also provided. The purpose of all programs is to strengthen families by enhancing parent-child relationships and help participants to parent with confidence. There is never a charge for groups and transportation is provided for the surrounding communities.
The Children’s Place & Parent Education Center: 224-9920
27 Burns Avenue, Concord
The Children’s Place and Parent Education Center is a family resource center. Its mission is to enhance and strengthen families by offering support services, childcare and group play, parent education, and community outreach programs. Services include:
- Short-term, drop-in style child care Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm, Friday 9am-2pm
- Family Support Program for offering financial assistance for child care fees including one-on-one support to children with developmental delays, physical disabilities and those in need of social skill development
- New Parents and Babies Group
- Parent and Toddler Play Group
- Communication Workshops
- Building Blocks for Better Families (a 10 week parent education program targeting families experiencing multiple stresses in their lives)
- Educational evening presentations
- Music & Movement Class for economically disadvantaged families, children with developmental delays, physical disabilities and/or in need of social skill development
- Family Fun Events
- Parenting Library
- Rewarding volunteer opportunities – make connections with other parents and children!
GENERAL SERVICES
Casey Family Services: 224-8909 or 1-800-417-7375
105 Loudon Road, Building 2
Provides family assessment with adoption related recommendations; individual and/or family counseling; parent support and education. Support groups for children and parents. Community education and consultation. Day respite. Recruits committed, talented foster parents and supports them with training and a range of ongoing services that help create a stable family experience. To the fullest extent possible, the program encourages and assists each child in maintaining a connection with his or her birth family. Provides counseling and support to children making the transition from foster homes to their birth homes, adoptive homes or into independent living. Operates three family resource centers in Franklin providing before- and after-school programs and such family supports as parenting classes and financial information and referral.
Child and Family Services: 224-7479
Concord Office - 103 North State St., Concord,
NH 03301
Provides services in the areas of adoption; advocacy;
counseling for children, youth, adults, couples and families;
child abuse prevention services; pregnancy counseling; teen risk
prevention and intervention and school-based services.
- Parenting Plus: A free, voluntary home visiting program for families with children under the age of 18. Offers emotional support and practical solutions in managing family life. Develops skills in areas of discipline, parenting techniques, communication, conflict resolution and resourcefulness. Designed to help families reduce stress and improve the quality of their lives. No income requirements.
- Healthy Families: A free home visiting program for low-income mothers-to-be. Offers information and support on prenatal healthcare, nutrition, smoking cessation, counseling, family planning, early childhood development, alcohol and drug prevention and counseling, access to community resources, well baby care, effective parenting, childcare, breast/bottle feeding, and more to ensure mother and baby’s success in life.
- ParentLine: Hotline where one can talk confidentially with a counselor about issues such as effective discipline techniques and ways of handling conflict or self-doubt, and can also receive information about support services in the community (1-800-640-6486).
- Camp Spaulding: Overnight camp for boys and girls ages 8-14 located in Penacook. Activities include horseback riding, swimming, hiking, arts and crafts, low and high ropes courses, canoeing, field trips and more. One and two week sessions offered. Cost of camp adjusted to each family’s income on a sliding fee scale. Camperships are available.
Email: concord@cfsnh.org, website: www.cfsnh.org
Familystrength: 228-3266
85 North State Street
Concord, NH 03301
Provides home-based, family oriented, strength focused
counseling and support to New Hampshire families, enhancing
their ability to respond to life challenges. The goal of
Familystrength’s work is to help families find solutions
to stay safely together in their homes and communities, living
self determined and fulfilling lives. To accomplish these
goals, agency staff adhere steadfastly to the philosophical
tenets of empowerment, strength focus, collaboration, and change
orientation. In addition to family counseling,
Familystrength provides programs to middle school and teenage
children and to older adults.
Website: www.familystrength.org
Lutheran Social Services of Northern New England 224-8111
261 Sheep Davis Road
Concord, NH 03301
Provides an array of services including therapeutic foster care, international adoption services, refugee resettlement services, “Language Bank” interpreter service, “Good News Garage” that helps low income families move from welfare to work by providing them with low cost automobiles, a residential program for teenage girls, and numerous supports for the elderly and adults with disabilities.
Parent Friend Program: 224-4093 or 1-800-924-8620
PO Box 1797, Concord NH
Helps struggling parents build self-confidence, self esteem, and positive parenting skills. The program is free for both single and dual-parented families with at least one child under the age of three in the household.
Penacook Community Center: 753-9700
Provides quality social, recreational, and educational services
to children, adults and seniors. Center's service area
includes Boscawen, Canterbury, Concord, Loudon, Salisbury and
Webster.
www.penacookcommunitycenter.org
INFORMATION AND REFERRAL
2-1-1 NH, an initiative of the United Ways of NH: 1-866-444-4211
Provides health and human service information and referrals for Merrimack, Belknap, and Hillsborough counties. It is anticipated that this service will be accessible by dialing 2-1-1 by the end of 2008.
Family Resource Connection: 1-800-298-4321
20 Park Street, Concord NH
Free statewide library and referral organization providing information and materials on all aspects of raising, educating and caring for children.
United Way of Merrimack County 224-2595
46 South Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
The United Way of Merrimack County is composed of citizen volunteers, human service professionals, and member agencies who work in partnership to maximize the quality of life for all people of Merrimack County. United Way builds for the future by assembling financial and human resources contributed by the community, and focusing them on the most vulnerable individuals and families by supporting the direct services of the United Way member agencies. United Way hosts a web-based tool (www.volunteersolutions.org/uwmc/volunteer/) where agencies can post and individuals can search for volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are also invited to participate in the annual Day of Caring held each September.
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension: 225-5505
315 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen NH
Provides parenting, food safety, and family finance education in community settings; newsletters provide age-specific information for families with children through 24 months; publications addressing parenting and family issues are available on the website or in hard copy through the office.
SPECIAL NEEDS / DISABILITIES
(Also see the following sections: Education/public schools, Health Education and Support Groups, Mental Health Services)
Community Bridges: 225-4153
525 Clinton Street, Bow NH
Community Bridges is a community-based not-for-profit agency that supports people with disabilities and their families. Community Bridges helps clients and their families receive assistance in securing appropriate planning, treatment and on-going support in their community. Services focused on youth and families include:
- · Early Supports and Services – Serves in the early identification, treatment and prevention of developmental delays for those infants and toddlers (newborn-3 years) who have a delay in any area of development or are at risk for disabilities. This includes support and information, home-based services, comprehensive coordination of services and programs, transition assistance to available community supports and services at age three, and consultative services.
- · Family Support – Provides information, training, support, and enhanced access to families for parent-to-parent connections, guardianship and future planning, support groups, leisure activities, housing assistance, and collaboration with other agencies, programs, and businesses.
NH Brain Injury Association: 225-8400 or 1-800-773-8400
Provides brain injury prevention, advocacy, and supports. Key activity areas include public policy and advocacy, information and support, education and awareness, and prevention. Provide bicycle helmets to those in need. The 800 number above serves as a “family helpline”. A resource directory can be found online at http://www.bianh.org/directory.asp. The directory provides information about brain injury and types of services available to those with brain injuries, and services listed by topic including a section on “child services.”
NH Family Voices: 271-4525
Provides parent support, lending library, resources, information and specialized supports for families with children with special health care needs. NHFV publishes a comprehensive resource guide called "Maneuvering through the Maze" that can be downloaded from their website or ordered by phone. www.nhfv.org (See Publications page.)
NH Institute on Disability 228-2084
Concord Center, 10 Ferry Street, Unit 14, Concord, NH
The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Conducts early childhood and inclusive education projects, offers trainings, and publishes resource documents.
Parent to Parent of NH 1-800-499-4153 ext. 241
Region IV, Community Bridges, 525 Clinton Street, Bow
Supports for parents of children with special needs include parent matching (volunteer “supporting” parents offer support to “referred” parents who have recently learned of a child’s diagnosis) and referral assistance.
Other NH disability resources can be found at following web sites:
NH Family Voices resource guide, www.nhfv.org (See Publications page.)
NH Governor’s Commission on Disability, http://www.state.nh.us/disability/organizations.html
National Dissemination Center for Children With Disabilities, http://www.nichcy.org/stateshe/nh.htm