Braintree Partners

Helping local people in food poverty through our partnering agencies.

We’re here to help!

Our service is free, confidential and open to everyone in the community.  We can help with many issues, including:

• Benefits
• Debt problems
• Employment
• Housing
• Family and relationship issues
• Neighbourhood disputes
• Education and healthcare
• Consumer rights

We will give you the facts and possible outcomes.  That way you can make the decision that’s right for you.  If needed, we can also offer practical support such as help with form filling, writing letters or negotiating with third parties. Sometimes we might direct you to a different organisation that is better placed to help.

We're here for everyone.

Community360 (C360) is an independent charity formed in 1968.  We are committed to a vision to build “thriving local communities”. Our Mission is: “To inspire and enable local community action to improve quality of life”. We aim to do this in line with our core values and provide a range of community projects in the Braintree district such as:

• Braintree Volunteer Centre www.volunteeressex.org
• Braintree Time Bank https://www.community360.org.uk/get-involved/time-bank/
• Community Development and organisational support
• Community Weight Management Services
• Social groups

Through the Volunteer Centre and Time Bank we support a range of not-for-profit organisations with volunteers and currently advertise over two hundred roles in the Braintree District. We also recruit volunteers to support our own projects, such as providing community IT (i-Tea) sessions, monthly Finding your Feet Walks and Braintree Slipper Exchange, to name but a few. 

If you would like any more information or support with finding voluntary placements then please feel free to get in contact. 

Crossroads Braintree and Chelmsford provides the following services for family carers in Mid-Essex. 

Respite Sitting Service 

Befriending Service 

Respite Day Care for older people 

We provide emotional, practical support, advice and guidance. 

We provide clients and their carers with support at home and in the community. Encouraging clients to develop life skills, engage in social activities and build their self esteem and confidence, allowing carers time to pursue their own interests or simply time to relax.

Our support is person centered, setting achievable goals with the person we support, working in partnership with local agencies to achieve the best outcomes.

We support clients with the following needs: mental health (depression & anxiety), dementia, social isolation, neurodiversity, brain injury and stroke survivors.

Essex Respite & Care Association (ERCA) provides support covering the following activities: 

• Prompt with self-care tasks.
• Support to achieve personal goals.
• Support to have your voice heard.
• Company and conversations.
• Stimulation of memory.
• Sitting service.
• Support with housework and laundry.
• Meal planning and preparation.
• Shopping.
• Attending appointments.
• Prescription collection.
• Visits to restaurants and cafes.
• Attending plays, cinema, concerts, social activities.
• Walking, yoga, swimming and cycling.

We provide Essex residents (excluding Southend-On-Sea and Thurrock) with access to health checks; stop smoking services; weight management courses; and emotional health and wellbeing support. All of our services are free.

First Stop is a charity helping those who are in need in the Braintree area and surrounding communities.

The aim is to help those who have/or are disadvantaged by: a history of poor mental health, carers, ex-offenders, homelessness, learning needs, senior citizens, single parents, socially isolated, substance misuse, those unemployed (whether on benefits or not) or anyone in hardship needing help.

The help they can get is by accessing:

• Affordable Counselling, 1:1 appointments
• Our Community Fridge (accessing good nutritional food and helping prevent food waste)
• CV Construction
• Education classes: Confidence courses (a choice of 4), Learn my Way (IT), Digital Confidence- using tablets and other devices (including internet safety), arts & crafts and basic skills, including budgeting and maths- all in a professional but informal way
• Accessing impartial Information, Advice & Guidance- to a range of services
• Safe c/o address 

And any other help that may be needed. Our expertise is that as a long established organisation, we can refer on to a range of services to meet an individual's needs.  

Home-Start Essex aims to give families with at least one child aged under 5 the best possible start in life by supporting parents and caregivers to feel less isolated, to build their confidence in themselves and their parenting and to find ways to manage the challenges they face. We build trusting, helpful relationships with families and deliver a range of flexible support to meet their individual needs, including volunteer-led home visiting, family groups, wellbeing services, school-readiness, and behaviour support programmes.

Kooth.com is commissioned to provide an online wellbeing platform which along with text based counselling also includes helpful articles, forums, activity centre, daily journal and messaging. We provide British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited services and Kooth is available to young people aged 11-18 in Essex. 

The service provides a free and non-judgemental place for children and young people to connect with others and know they are not alone. They have instant access to self-help materials, fully moderated discussion forums and tools such as online journals and goal trackers. They can also contribute written pieces of work reflecting their own experiences, as well as accessing drop-in or booked text-based counselling sessions with professional counsellors.

These are online services that offer anonymised support via online counsellors, available 365 days a year, 12pm -10pm on weekdays and 6pm-10pm on weekends. 

A support service for vulnerable adults. Offering assistance with accessing housing needs, maximising income, managing debt/ budgeting advice, social isolation, court and eviction notices.