Parents & Carers Support Directory
Find support, guidance, and practical pathways for parents, carers, whānau, and families supporting children, teens, adults, and loved ones with a wide range of needs.
Caring for someone else can be meaningful, but it can also feel heavy, lonely, or exhausting at times. This page is here to help you find support for both the person you care for and for yourself.
Need urgent help right now?
If you or the person you are supporting may be in immediate danger, please go straight to urgent help first. You do not need to sort through everything alone in a crisis.
Support pathways for parents & carers
Choose the section that feels most relevant right now. You do not have to do this perfectly — this page is here to help you find a starting point.
Family support services
Find organisations offering practical help, family guidance, navigation support, and everyday assistance for families managing complex needs.
Browse family supportMental health support for carers
Support for carers experiencing stress, burnout, overwhelm, anxiety, grief, or emotional exhaustion while supporting someone else.
Find supportDisability & neurodivergent support
Services for parents and carers supporting autistic, ADHD, disabled, or otherwise neurodivergent children, teens, and adults.
Explore servicesParenting guidance & education
Resources, strategies, and educational supports to help parents and carers understand needs, improve communication, and build confidence over time.
View resourcesCommunity & peer support
Connect with other parents, carers, and whānau through community groups, peer spaces, local networks, and family support communities.
Join communityCrisis & emergency support
Go here first if you or the person you support is in immediate distress, unsafe, at risk, or needs urgent emotional support.
Get help nowExplore more support
You can also continue into other support areas across the wider directory system depending on who you are supporting and what kind of help you need.
Take a moment for yourself too
If you have been carrying a lot, it is okay to pause before looking through more information. Supporters need care too.
- Take 3 slow breaths
- Unclench your shoulders or jaw
- Put both feet on the floor
- Have a sip of water if you can
- Come back to this page when you feel ready