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  1. Home
  2. Health and wellbeing
  3. Living well
  4. Pregnancy and trying for a baby
  5. Care during pregnancy

Help for young mothers

If you are a young mother, there are a wide range of services available to support you during your pregnancy and after your baby is born. Your midwife or health visitor will be able to give you details of local services.

Guidance for pregnant women and information on what is happening in their regional unit during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak can be found on NI Maternity

If you are pregnant and on your own

If you are pregnant and on your own, it is important there are people with whom you can share your feelings and who can offer you support.

Sorting out problems, whether personal or medical, is often difficult when you are by yourself and it is better to find someone to talk to.

Carrying on with your education

Becoming a mother doesn't have to mean the end of your education. If you are still of school age, your school shouldn't be excluded you on grounds of pregnancy or health and safety issues to do with your pregnancy. They may talk to you about making alternative arrangements for your education.

You will be allowed up to 18 weeks off school before and after the birth.

After your return to education, you can get help with childcare costs through the Care to Learn scheme. Care to Learn also provides support with childcare costs for teenage parents above schooling age who want to study.

  • Care to Learn

Family Nurse Partnership programme

If you are under 20 and expecting your first baby, a family nurse can visit you to help you have a healthy pregnancy and enjoy being the best mum you can be. Your specially trained family nurse will help you understand all about your pregnancy and how to care for yourself and your baby.

Your nurse will visit you regularly during your pregnancy and then after the birth until your baby is two years old. You and your family nurse will decide together what you will cover in each visit.

Your nurse will share lots of information about your pregnancy, giving birth and looking after babies and toddlers. They will help you to decide what is right for you and your family and help you prepare.

You will get to know your family nurse very well and you will be able to rely on her to help if things get difficult.

Your nurse will help you plan for the future. You can talk about childcare, education and training, as well as housing and finances.

For more information on the Family Nurse Partnership, contact your local Health and Social Care Trust;

  • Northern HSC Trust
  • South Eastern HSC Trust
  • Belfast HSC Trust
  • Western HSC Trust
  • Southern HSC Trust

Somewhere to live

Many young mothers want to carry on living with their own family until they are ready to move on. If you are unable to live with your family, your local authority might be able to help you with housing.

Some local authorities provide specialised accommodation where young mothers can live independently while getting support and advice from trained workers. For more information about housing, contact the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

  • Northern Ireland Housing Executive

More useful links

  • Common Youth
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Care during pregnancy

  • Access to your maternity records
  • Antenatal appointments schedule
  • Antenatal care
  • Antenatal classes
  • Antenatal infectious disease screening
  • Help for young mothers
  • Scans, screening tests and check-ups
  • Tests to find abnormalities or chromosomal conditions
  • Twins and multiple pregnancies
  • Whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women
  • Your booking appointment

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Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

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