Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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Our Promise to LGBTQ+ Parents

Our health visiting and school nursing teams celebrate diversity and advocate inclusion.

Our promise to you:

  • We strive to ensure you feel safe to talk about relationships so that we can support you in the best way possible
  • We will ensure that you feel comfortable during your appointments
  • We will ensure that you and your family are treated with dignity and respect
  • We will be sensitive about the way we ask for information and use inclusive language

Our health visiting and school nursing teams celebrate diversity and advocate inclusion. We are passionate about reducing health inequalities and providing every parent with the support they need to give their child the best possible start in life. We know that children who grow up in a loving and supportive home are more likely to be happy and healthy adults.

Becoming a new parent can be wonderful and exciting, but it can also be challenging, and for some a time when worry and stress might increase. For same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ parents, it may be a particularly vulnerable time. In addition to all the usual worries about parenthood, you may also be experiencing additional fears about prejudice, discrimination or have worries about being accepted as a new parent. We recognise that this can have a significant impact on mental health and increase the risk of feeling isolated or excluded.

Our service offer:

We offer every family 5 universal contacts between pregnancy and when your child reaches the age of 2. Please take a look at our health visiting page for more information.

We assess the growth and development of your child and encourage healthy lifestyles and good nutrition. We also ask you about your emotional wellbeing as well as their physical health. Some families may also need extra support at specific times including with feeding, mental health or toilet training and behaviour as your child grows.

The service we offer is personalised in response to your needs as a family. You can access support by contacting us on our telephone number or by texting us on Parentline – please scroll down to the box below to find our numbers.

Further support:

ParentLine logo

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-5 years called ParentLine. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 4.30pm in Brighton & Hove and Monday to Friday between 9am to 4.30pm in West Sussex, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a health visitor within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens.

Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.

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This page was last reviewed on 22-09-2022

This page will be next reviewed on 22-09-2025

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Providing early years settings with additional information and resources to assist with the health and well-being of children in their care.

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