Families HIV TeamWe can help you support your family if you or your family are living with or affected by HIV or AIDS. We will work closely with you in agreeing what help and services your family needs. We will be clear with you about what we can and cannot provide and will treat you and your family with respect and sensitivity at all times.
We understand the importance of confidentiality to families affected by HIV and will discuss this with you before arranging a service.
How we can help
A range of services can be provided to parents or carers who need help in order to continue caring for children at home.
The support of a social worker
Social workers are trained to listen to families who need support and can offer helpful advice and support.
Carers to help the family at home
Social workers may be able to arrange for a trained HIV aware carer to help out during difficult times at home.
Transport
If you are too ill to travel we may be able to help by arranging for a child carer to take children to and from their childminder, nursery or school. Or by taking them to visit a family member who is in hospital.
Childminders, nursery places and playschemes
We may be able to get your child cared for by a childminder or a nursery if they are under five years of age, for either part of the day or all of the day. If your child is between five and eight years old we may be able to arrange for them to go to a childminder for a few hours after school to give you a break. In addition we can help facilitate playschemes after school and during the school holidays.
Supporting family members to care for the children
Sometimes friends and family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles help out for short or long periods of time because parents or children are ill. We may be able to help support these arrangements with advice, practical help or financial support.
Planning ahead
Nobody likes to think about getting seriously ill, but if you are a parent with HIV, try not to put off making plans for who will look after the children if you are ill. It is better to have a plan ready just in case, rather than having to cope with trying to sort things out and feeling ill at the same time. Talk to a social worker, they can help you with this.
Foster care
Sometimes parents get ill and are not able to care for their children. This could be for a few days or a week or longer. If there is no one else in the family who can look after your children, we may be able to make arrangements for them to stay with a foster family. You may also like to visit our adoption and fostering pages for further details.
Other services
We may be able to directly arrange other services that you need or put you in touch with an organisation that provides those services, these may include, advocacy, peer support, benefits, legal advice, immigration issues as well as more difficult issues, such as planning for the future and issues of disclosure.
Other support groups
Positive Partners, Positively Children
 Positive Parenting and Children is a scheme commissioned through the South London HIV Partnership (which includes funding from Southwark Council and Southwark Primary Care Trust) to provide family support and other services to families living with HIV in Southwark.
Barnardo's Positive Options
The planning scheme set up by the Barnardo's charity offers parents who are HIV positive, or living with other life-threatening illnesses, the opportunity to plan for their children's future care. They help explore options such as fostering, care by friends and relatives or adoption. High priority is always given to the wishes of the child.
Children with AIDS Charity
The Children with AIDS charity assists children and their families to lead a life that's as near normal as possible.
Contact
Children with disabilities - HIV team
csc@southwark.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7525 4674
47B East Dulwich Road
London
SE22 9BZ |