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The Helpline

Find answers to your questions and issues, and speak to an advisor if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Before contacting us

Our helpline is run on limited charitable resources and can get extremely busy. Please search our information and advice pages before contacting the helpline – if you can’t find what you’re looking for or you need more detailed help, we’ll be happy to hear from you.

Please note that we are only able to provide support to people based in England and Wales.

In a crisis?

If you’re feeling desperate and need to speak to someone outside of our opening hours, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 for free. You can also email them at jo@samaritans.org

Frequently asked questions about our Helpline

  • Our telephone line is normally open Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 4.45pm. If there are any interruptions to our normal opening hours, a notice will be placed in the section above.

    Please note: Our helpline is closed on public holidays (e.g. Bank Holidays) and over the Christmas break.

  • Outside of our normal opening times, enquiries can be made by email, online, text, WhatsApp or letter. If your enquiry is urgent, please call theHelpline when it’s open.

    We promise to respond to every enquiry that we receive. We try to respond to queries as soon as possible, and are normally able to do so within five working days, but sometimes this might be longer if we’re busy.

    In the meantime, you may find the answer to your question on this self-help information site. In particular, check out our quick links section which has answers to some of the most common questions we get. Or you might find the answer on our online forum.

  • We’re just a phone call away and because it’s just a phone call, you’re in total control of what’s happening – you can end the call at any time, and no one needs to know who you are, or where you’re calling from, unless you want them to.

    If you’re calling us, you can dial 141 before you dial our number. This will hide your number (please check with your network providers as this doesn’t work on some mobile networks.

    Our number will appear on your itemised bill – if someone else will see your telephone bill and you don’t want them to know you’ve called us, you may prefer to use a public telephone or pay-as-you-go mobile.

  • We have a voicemail system so that you can leave us a message. If you would like us to call you back, please leave your name, number and brief message after the tone. If possible, please provide us with a landline number and the best time to get hold of you.  If you only have a mobile, we will ask you to ring us back when we return your call.

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