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Support Information

This guide explains what services are available, how they can help and when to access them. It also explains how you can plan for a crisis.

Safeguarding concerns

HELPFUL CONTACT INFORMATION

Police: Emergency 999 / non-emergency 101

First Contact (Derby City Children's Social Care, first response team, weekdays 9am - 5pm):       01332 641172, option 1

Starting Point (Derbyshire Children's Social Care, weekdays 9am - 5pm) 01629 533190

Careline: (Children's Social Care, out of hours team- evenings, bank holidays and weekends): 01332 956606

Young people can also ring Childline on 0800 1111- 24 hours a day

Mental health crisis helplines

  • Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
     

  • SANEline. If you're experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
     

  • National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm–3:30am every day).
     

  • Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.
     

  • Shout. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.
     

  • The Mix. If you're under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.
     

  • Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you're under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
     

  • Nightline. If you're a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
     

  • Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.
     

  • C.A.L.L. If you live in Wales, you can call the Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) on 0800 132 737 (open 24/7) or you can text 'help' followed by a question to 81066.
     

  • Helplines Partnership. For more options, visit the Helplines Partnership website for a directory of UK helplines. Mind's Infoline can also help you find services that can support you. If you're outside the UK, the Befrienders Worldwide website has a tool to search by country for emotional support helplines around
    the world.

Urgent mental health helplines (England only)

If you live in England, you can call a local NHS urgent mental health helpline for support during a mental health crisis. Anyone can call these helplines, at any time.
 

These helplines offer similar support to a crisis team. The NHS website has more information on urgent mental health helplines, including how to find your local helpline.

How could they help me?

Listening line staff will let you talk through your feelings and experiences without judging you or telling you what to do. Many listening services let you talk for as long as you need.

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Before calling a helpline, you might want to consider:
 

  • What times are they open?

  • Is it free to call or is there a cost involved?

  • Is what you say confidential? For example, many services have policies on what to do if someone says they have attempted suicide or are actively planning to.

  • What will you do if the line is busy? It's often worth trying several times, or you might plan to call back later or try a different service.

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You might be able to find this information on the organisation's website, or you could ask the advisor to explain their policies during the call.

If you can't talk on the phone

As well as phone numbers to call, some organisations routinely offer support in other ways – which could include emails, messages or web chat. Or you might need to make a specific request:

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