Urgent help

If you or someone you know needs help right now, you should, if possible, try to talk to a parent, carer or trusted adult. 

If talking to an adult is not possible, the following organisations are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Childline

Call: 0800 1111 email | online chat

Childline is there to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. Whether it’s something big or small, their trained counsellors are there to support you.

Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night.

Samaritans

Call: 116 123 email | visit | write

Samaritans a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way, about whatever’s getting to you. They won’t tell you what to do – they listen and try to understand what you’re going through.

Samaritans is free, confidential and available any time, day or night, for people of any age across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Emergency services

Call: 999

If you are concerned that your life or the life of someone else is in danger, you can call 999 for an ambulance, police, fire brigade or any other emergency service any time of the day or night.

The 999 emergency number covers the whole of the UK and anyone can call 999 for free, but it should only be used in cases where there is a risk or threat to someone’s safety (this includes if someone is at risk of suicide). The emergency services may be able to track the location of the phone used to make the call.

The below organisations offer help and support for young people on a variety of issues.

Please check the organisation's website for up-to-date opening times, details of locations helped and information about confidentiality.  Please note that the below organisations may collect identifiable or anonymised data around your use of the service and each should provide a privacy or terms of service setting out their use of your data on their website.

The Mix

Call: 0808 808 4994 / email / online chat

The Mix is there to help you take on any challenge you’re facing – from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs.

The Mix is for anyone under 25 living in any part of the UK. Their confidential helpline and webchat service are open from 11am to 11pm, 7 days a week, and are both free to contact. 

HOPElineUK

Call: 0800 068 41 41 / text 07786 209697 / email pat@papyrus-uk.org

HOPELineUK is a confidential support and advice service for young people under the age of 35 across the UK who may be having thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person may be having thoughts of suicide. 

HOPElineUK is open 10am-10pm weekdays, 2pm-10pm weekends, and 2pm-10pm Bank Holidays.  All calls and emails to HOPElineUK are free, and you will be charged at your usual rate for text messages.

SANEline

Call: 0300 304 7000 

SANEline is a national out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support, guidance and information to anyone over 16 affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers.

They are open every day of the year from 4.30pm to 10.30pm. Calls cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 numbers and are included in inclusive and free minutes on mobiles.

Nightline

Nightline is a university student listening service which is open at night and run by students for students. Every night of term, trained student volunteers answer calls, emails, instant messages, texts and talk in person to their fellow university students about anything that’s troubling them. To find out whether your institution is covered by a Nightline, go to their ‘Find your Nightline’ page.

C.A.L.L.

Call: 0800 132 737 / text 81066

The C.A.L.L. helpline offers confidential emotional support and information about mental health and related matters to people living in Wales. Anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend can access the service, though if you are under 16 they ask that you get your parent or carer’s permission before contacting them.

The C.A.L.L. helpline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Switchboard

Call: 0300 330 0630 / online chat / email chris@switchboard.lgbt

Switchboard is a confidential LGBT+ helpline there to listen and support you with anything that you want to talk about. All of their volunteers self-define as LGBT+ and they are trans-friendly and nonbinary-friendly.

Switchboard is open 10am to 10pm every day of the year. Calls cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 numbers and are included in inclusive and free minutes on mobiles.

Shelter

Call: 0808 800 4444 / online chat

Shelter helps anyone in the UK with housing issues or homelessness by offering advice, support and legal services. They have a special emergency helpline for anyone who is (or might soon be) homeless, at risk of harm or feeling very overwhelmed by their housing situation.

The helpline is open Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm only, excluding bank holidays. The helpline is for urgent cases of homelessness including when people have nowhere to sleep that night, are at imminent risk of homelessness, or are at risk of harm or abuse in their home. For housing and homelessness advice, they have online resources accessible 365 days a year.

FRANK

Call: 0808 16 89 111 / text 82111 / online chat / email

FRANK offers friendly, confidential support and advice to anyone concerned about drugs, including alcohol and legal highs.

The FRANK phone helpline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

BEAT

Call: 0808 801 0677 (helpline) or 0808 801 0711 (Youthline) or 0808 801 0811 (Studentline) / online chat / email  (18+) / email (under 18) / email (students)

Beat provides support to help young people beat their eating disorders. The BEAT phone helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am – 8pm during the week, and 4pm – 8pm on weekends and bank holidays.

Victim Support

Call: 0800 123 6600 / online chat

Victim Support is an independent charity which helps people feel safer and find the strength to move beyond crime.  The support offered is free, confidential and tailored to your needs.

Victim Support's Support Line operates 24/7.

NHS 111 / NHS 24

Call: 111

Visit the NHS 111 website (England and parts of Wales) / Visit the NHS 24 website (Scotland)

If you live in England, Scotland or parts of Wales you can call NHS 111/NHS 24 when you have a health or medical issue but it is not an immediate emergency. The service can give you self-care advice, connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist or doctor, book you a face-to-face appointment, send an ambulance directly (if necessary) or direct you to a local service that might be able to help you.

The NHS 111/NHS 24 service is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a team of fully trained advisers, and calls to the number are free.

You should always call 999 when it is an emergency, such as when a crime is happening, when there is a danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened.

Police 101

Call: 101 

101 is the number to call when you want to contact your local police in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland when it's less urgent than a 999 call. You might call 101 if your property has been damaged or stolen, you have information about a crime that has already happened, or you become aware or suspicious behaviour in your neighbourhood.

101 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls to 101 cost 15p per call, no matter what time of day you call, or how long you are on the phone, and the system will identify your location so it can direct you to your local police force.

You should always call 999 when it is an emergency, such as when a crime is happening, when there is a danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened.