Home & Family Life

Here you will find information about everyday issues and life decisions, raising children, and family life:

Births, Marriages & Deaths

Kent Registration Services is responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths, as well as approving venues for Civil wedding ceremonies.

• Local Registrars Office - Thanet with Dover

The Superintendent Registrar, 
The Register Office,
Aberdeen House,

68 Ellington Road

Ramsgate.  CT11 9ST

Telephone: 08458 247 400 

• National website for information about births, deaths and marriages
• Thanet Crematorium and Cemeteries
• Local and Ancestry information

Caring and Carers

• see social care

Childrens Services

Kent Children and Families Information Service (CFIS) has a freephone helpline offering free, impartial information and advice about childcare, early education, parenting, family life and issues that affect young people up to the age of 20 for the whole of Kent.

Kent CFIS can provide lists of local childcare services, including childminders, nurseries, out of school care, playgroups and holiday playschemes. The Childcare lists are also available from the Kent Childcare

Directory. Contact Kent CFIS on 08000 32 32 30 email: KentCFIS@kent.gov.uk  or visit: ww.kent.gov.uk/CFIS   

• Search for childcare online

Youth Centres

• Short breaks for children of all ages, from infants to 19 year olds with disabilities of all kinds
• KCC Youth Services

Child employment

• At what age can my child/I find part-time work and for how many hours? (Kent County Council education website)

Child support

• Child Benefit and maintenance (HM Revenue & Customs website)
• Parental leave. (Department of Transport & Industry website)   
• Kent and Medway connexions - 13-19? Living in England? Want information and advice designed just for you?
• http://www.nfm.org.uk/ - Family Mediation Service - 0117 904 2825 

Churches/Places of Worship

• Places of Worship (pdf 93kb)

Information about useful support groups and organisations

• East Kent Rapeline 01227 450400 (helpline)
• Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 http://www.samaritans.org.uk/ 
  0845 790 9192 (textphone for Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Speech impaired only)
• Victim Support in Kent Scheme 0845 389 9528 -  an independent national charity endeavouring to assist victims of crime and their families, providing counselling, support and advice. www.victimsupport.org.uk/ 
• Shelter www.shelter.org.uk 0808 800 4444 Housing advice helpline (Freephone)
• Women’s Aid Helpline 08457 023 468 / 0808 2000 247 - offers help and advice for women suffering from domestic violence. http://www.womensaid.org.uk/
• National Missing Persons Helpline 0500 700700
• NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Children) 0800 800 5000 (Freephone) 0800 056 0566 textphone  http://www.nspcc.org.uk/
• Childline 0800 1111 (Freephone)
• National Drugs Helpline- Talk to Frank 0800 776600 (Freephone) Talk to Frank Helpline website http://www.talktofrank.com/
• Crimestoppers hotline 0800 555 111 (information about any crime, calls free and anonymous) Co-operation between the police and the community helps to solve crime. The Crimestoppers website http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/ offers details on the activities of the Crimestoppers Trust
• Citizen’s Advice Bureau Your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau can offer free confidential and impartial advice on a wide range of issues, e.g. debts, benefits, housing, legal and consumer enquiries Margate - Tel No: 01843 225973  Broadstairs Citizens Advice Bureau Tel No: 01843 869350
• CCCS - the Consumer Credit Counselling Service - is a national debt help charity. Providing free debt advice and offering practical help in the form of a free debt management plan http://www.cccs.co.uk/InfoCentre/EnglandandWales/Debtsolutions/Debtmanagementplan.aspx
• Legal Services Commission (LSC) http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/

Improving your home

• Building Control - ensures that building work complies with the Building Regulations. These regulations are designed to make sure that people are safe in and about buildings; to help conserve energy and to provide access and facilities for people with disabilities. Building Control Officers also deal with dangerous structures and control demolitions.
• Planning for application,  planning permission, advertisement consent, listed building consent and other development related matters.

Energy efficiency tips, information and advice on finding available grants for insulation and efficiency in the home

Moving house?

DON'T FORGET to change your address details. Tell utility companies, banks, credit agencies and Central and Local Government Services, NHS, Passport Office, Inland Revenue, DVLA, NI, Council Tax, Electoral Registration, your new address using a central facility:

• http://www.iammoving.com/  
• http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/home

Please Note: Thanet District Council does not currently subscribe to this facility, so you will need to contact us direct.

Public Services 

• Libraries
• Direct Gov Pensions advice 
• HM Revenue and Customs
• KCC Social Services
• The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency  
• The Driving Standards Agency

	TV Licensing
	Passport application & renewals

Parking in Thanet

Car parks, residential parking information, disabled parking, see parking for more info. 

Utilities in Thanet

Electricity

Details of companies supplying electricity and electrical infrastructure in Thanet can be obtained by contacting the Office of Gas & Electricity Markets, on 0845 906 0708

Gas

The infrastructure is managed by Transco and rented to gas suppliers who operate in a competitive market-place.

Details of companies supplying gas in Thanet can be obtained by contacting the Office of Gas & Electricity Markets helpline: Freephone 0800 887777.

Telecommunications

Details of companies supplying telecommunications in Thanet can be obtained by contacting the Office of Communications (OFCOM)

Water

The UK's water supply is managed by private regional companies. They are overseen nationally by the Environmental Agency which monitors water resource management and related water supply issues

• Drinking water quality is monitored by the Drinking Water Inspectorate using guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation and the European Community Directive on Drinking Water.
• Thanet's water is provided by Southern Water Services Ltd.
• OFWAT oversees pricing.

Waste Water Sewerage

Southern Water Services Ltd is responsible for removing and cleaning Thanet's waste water, both for domestic and industrial premises. Businesses adopting specific processes may need to partially cleanse their effluent before discharging it into sewers.

E-mail:

web.editor@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577000