Get Support
We provide essential items for babies and children through a referral system, working with professionals who support families across Brighton & Hove.
Pelican Parcels operates on a referral-only basis and cannot support families directly. Referrals can be made by council and health professionals, schools, children’s centres, and registered local charities.
If you are one of these professionals, please complete our registration form before submitting a referral. If you are a family in need of support, please contact one of these professionals so they can make a referral for you.
I want to thank you for all the items you brought for us yesterday through Pelican Parcels. I want you to know that we truly appreciate your kindness with all of our hearts. These items will really be of so much help to our family.
Family feedback
How Can We Help?
I need support for a family
If you are a parent, carer, or know a family who needs support, we can help, but referrals must be made through a professional.
Speak to someone already working with you, such as:
A school or nursery
A health visitor or midwife
A social worker
A children's centre or local organisation
I’m a professional making a referral
If you are supporting a family, you can refer them to Pelican Parcels using our online referral system.
You’ll need to be registered with us before submitting a referral.
How to Get a Referral
If you are a family in need of support, or know someone who is, please speak to a professional already working with you.
This could be:
Your Child's School
A Health Visitor
A Midwife
A Social Worker
A Local Children's Centre
If you are not currently working with a professional, you can contact Brighton & Hove City Council’s Front Door for Families service, who can help connect you with the support you need.
How Our Referral System Works
To ensure families receive the right support, we work through a trusted referral network of professionals already involved in their care.
This includes:
Health and social care professionals
(GPs, midwives, health visitors, social workers)
Schools and early years settings
Children’s centres and community organisations
Charities, faith groups and local authority services
Once registered, professionals can submit referrals and request the items needed for each family.
Make a Referral
If you are a professional supporting a family, you can submit a referral through our online system.
To submit a referral, you will need:
Your organisation details
Your job title and contact information
A valid work email address
Details about the family you are supporting
Read first: Referral Partner Guidelines
To help us work smoothly together and ensure that we can successfully fulfil your referral requests, please follow the guidance below when making referrals.
Avoiding Duplicate Referrals
Before submitting a referral, please check whether another service is already supporting the family and may also be planning to refer. When possible, coordinate with other services to agree who will submit the request. This helps us prevent duplicates and ensures fair distribution of items.
Information Gathering
Please gather all relevant information needed to make a strong referral, including the family’s current circumstances. As we cannot supply every family in the city, we rely on your professional insight to identify those most in need. The more accurate the information, the better we can help.
Careful Item Selection
Where possible, please complete the form with the family so you can jointly identify their most essential items. We can get short of some items so, as much as we’d like to supply all newborn items to each family expecting a baby, to make sure the items go to most needy families we ask that only items selected as ‘needed’ are requested.
Order Timeframes
We always strive to prepare orders as quickly as possible. However, demand is continually increasing, and we often have a large number of pending requests. Checking, sorting, and fulfilling orders with our volunteer team takes time, so we appreciate your patience and understanding.
Collection of Items
If you or your service cannot collect items, please explore whether another professional involved with the family can collect on your behalf. This helps families receive support more quickly and frees essential space in our warehouse.
Collection details:
All collections take place to the right side of the building, where signage is clearly visible. This area is shared with the neighbouring garage.
- Drive up the right-hand side of the building.
- Look for the grey shutters on your left and ring the bell.
- A volunteer will assist you as soon as possible.
- Provide your reference number so your parcels can be retrieved.
- After collection, you may reverse out or—in coordination with the garage—turn around if space allows.
A short collection route video is also available for guidance here:
Pelican Parcels: How to collect a referral tutorial
Delivery Requests
Please consider whether the items you are requesting will fit in your vehicle or the vehicle of someone supporting the family. Deliveries are extremely limited. If a delivery is essential, please talk to us first so we can assess availability.
Thank You
Your cooperation and support make a tremendous difference.
Start Referral
Other Support Services
If you or a family you are supporting need additional help, the following services may be useful:
Local Discretionary Social Fund (LDSF)
Financial support for essential household items
Front Door for Families
Support and advice for families in Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove Family Hubs
Local support for families and children
Health Visiting Team
Support for families with young children
Emergency Food Network
Directory of local food support across the city