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UK Support Services & Helplines

Who to contact, for what, and how to reach them — for children, parents, carers and professionals.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you are an adult worried about a child, the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000) is free and open 24 hours. Children can call Childline free on 0800 1111.

Showing 38 of 38 services

  • Action Fraud

    The UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.

    Scams & fraud
  • Anti-Bullying Alliance

    Advice for parents and schools on bullying, including online bullying.

    Bullying
  • Beat (eating disorders)

    Eating disorder support helplines for adults and young people.

    Mental health
  • CEOP Safety Centre

    Report online child sexual abuse, grooming or sextortion to the National Crime Agency's child protection command.

    Online abuse
  • Child Law Advice (Coram)

    Free legal advice on family and education law affecting children.

    Legal
  • Childline

    Free, confidential support for anyone under 19. Phone, online chat or email, 24/7.

    Children & young people
  • Contact (for families with disabled children)

    Advice and support for families with disabled children.

    SENDParents
  • Crimestoppers

    Give information about crime 100% anonymously.

    Crime
  • Family Lives

    Free confidential support on any aspect of family life and parenting.

    Parents
  • Family Rights Group

    Advice for parents and carers whose children are involved with children's social care.

    ParentsLegal
  • Fearless (Crimestoppers youth)

    Lets young people give information about crime anonymously.

    CrimeChildren & young people
  • Galop (LGBT+ abuse)

    Support for LGBT+ people experiencing abuse, hate crime or domestic abuse.

    Domestic abuseLGBTQ+
  • GamCare / National Gambling Helpline

    Support for anyone affected by gambling harm, including young people and loot-box spending.

    Gambling
  • Gingerbread

    Advice and support for single-parent families.

    Parents
  • Internet Watch Foundation

    Report child sexual abuse imagery online. They work internationally to have it removed.

    Online abuse
  • IPSEA

    Free legal advice on special educational needs and disability (SEND) entitlements.

    SENDLegal
  • Karma Nirvana

    Support for victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage.

    Forced marriage
  • Kidscape

    Support and practical advice for children experiencing bullying, and their parents.

    Bullying
  • Men's Advice Line

    For men experiencing domestic abuse.

    Domestic abuse
  • Mencap Learning Disability Helpline

    Advice for people with a learning disability and their families.

    SEND
  • Mermaids

    Support for transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families.

    LGBTQ+
  • Missing People

    Free, confidential 24/7 support if someone is missing, or if you have run away.

    Missing children
  • NAPAC

    Support for adults who were abused as children.

    Survivors
  • National Autistic Society

    Advice and guidance for autistic people and their families.

    SEND
  • National Domestic Abuse Helpline

    Free, 24/7, run by Refuge, for women experiencing domestic abuse.

    Domestic abuse
  • NSPCC Helpline

    For any adult worried about a child. Free, 24/7. Can make a referral for you, including anonymously.

    Child protection
  • Papyrus HOPELINE247

    Suicide prevention for under-35s, and for anyone worried about a young person.

    Mental healthCrisis
  • Parents Against Child Exploitation (PACE)

    Support for parents whose children are being criminally or sexually exploited.

    Exploitation
  • Rape Crisis England & Wales

    24/7 support line for anyone affected by rape, sexual abuse or sexual assault.

    Survivors
  • Report Remove (Childline + IWF)

    Free, confidential tool for under-18s to get a nude or sexual image of themselves removed from the internet.

    Online abuseImage-based abuse
  • Revenge Porn Helpline

    Support for adults (18+) experiencing intimate image abuse.

    Image-based abuse
  • Samaritans

    Free, 24/7, for anyone in distress or struggling to cope. Any age.

    Mental healthCrisis
  • Shout

    Free 24/7 text support — text SHOUT to 85258. Good for young people who won't phone.

    Mental healthCrisis
  • Stop It Now! (Lucy Faithfull Foundation)

    Confidential help for anyone worried about their own or someone else's sexual thoughts or behaviour towards children.

    Child protectionPrevention
  • StopNCII.org

    Helps adults stop intimate images being shared online, using a hash so the image never leaves your device.

    Image-based abuse
  • The Mix

    Support for under-25s on anything — mental health, money, homelessness, relationships.

    Children & young peopleMental health
  • The Survivors Trust

    Umbrella body for specialist sexual violence and abuse support services.

    Survivors
  • YoungMinds Parents Helpline

    Free advice for any adult worried about a child or young person's mental health.

    Mental healthParents

Looking for a reporting route instead?

These are support services. If you need to report something — abuse, grooming, sextortion, a crime — see our UK reporting routes, find your local children's services, or contact your police force.

Frequently Asked Questions

21 of 38services list a phone number here. Each of those numbers was verified against the organisation's own website, or against an official source such as GOV.UK. Where a number could not be verified we link to the organisation instead rather than print a number we cannot prove.