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Child and adolescent mental health
Helplines for children and young people
All the helplines below are free to ring from a landline or mobile unless otherwise stated.
Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. They exist to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. We are a champion, guide and friend to anyone affected, giving individuals experiencing an eating disorder and their loved ones a place where they feel listened to, supported and empowered.
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Beat provides a helpline for young people under 18 offering support and information about eating disorders. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
You can also contact Beat by email: fyp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
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Open 9am-midnight every day
Childline is yours – a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, we’re here for you online 24/7. Please note that due to the coronavirus crisis Childline have had to make a really difficult decision to close their phone helpline between midnight and 9am. If you need to speak to someone urgently during the night you can phone the Samaritans on 116 123 or use Crisis Messenger (see below).
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For all children and young people up to the age of 18.
EACH (Education Action Challenging Homophobia) provides a free and confidential, homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying reporting service for children and young people up to 18 years of age.
0808 1000 143
9am-4.30pm weekdays
Meic is the helpline service for children and young people up to the age of 25 in Wales. From finding out what’s going on in your local area to help dealing with a tricky situation, Meic will listen even when no-one else will. They won’t judge you and will help by giving you information, useful advice and the support you need to make a change. You can also text 84001 any time.
0808 80 23456
8am-midnight every day
Mermaids support gender-diverse children and young people until their 20th birthday, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care. Mermaids helpline supports transgender youth up to and including the age of 19, their families and professionals. They can give you emotional support, a gateway to teens forums, and information about current legislation and protections under the law.
9am-9pm weekdays
0808 808 2008
4pm-10pm every day inc Eid
The Muslim Youth helpline is a UK-wide free and confidential service providing pioneering faith and culturally sensitive services to Muslim youth in the UK. The service uses male and female volunteers trained in basic counselling skills to respond to client enquiries. They respond to any issues that their clients call them about.with a non-judgmental ethos and treat all enquiries seriously.
No Panic is a registered charity which helps people , including young people, who suffer from panic attacks, phobias, OCD, and other related anxiety disorders. They also provide support for the carers of people who suffer from anxiety disorders. They have a dedicated Youth Helpline for young people between 13 and 20 and their parents and carers who are experiencing problems with anxiety, panic, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and the specific anxieties that young people of this age can experience. disorders. Their aim is to give young people all of the necessary advice, tools and support that they need to recover and carry out this journey. Calls are charged at standard rates ie the same as an 01 or 02 number on landlines and mobile phones.
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. Their vision is for a society which speaks openly about suicide and has the resources to help young people who may have suicidal thoughts. They run a helpline, HOPELINEUK for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide.
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HOPELINEUK advisers want to work with you to understand why these thoughts of suicide might be present. They also want to provide you with a safe space to talk through anything happening in your life that could be impacting on your or anyone else’s ability to stay safe.
116 123
Open all day everyday
If you are unable to get through to Childline, and other helplines for young people are closed, you can always ring the Samaritans. The Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. They won't judge your or tell you what to do, they will listen to you about whatever you are worried about.
7.30pm - 9pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Self Injury Support run a UK-wide multi-channel support service for women and girls affected by self-injury, trauma and abuse. They develop up-to-date, reliable and free information and self help tools for anyone to use.
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Their helpline offers free, confidential, non-judgemental emotional support around self-injury. You don’t have to be in crisis or distress at the time you call, and you can talk to a fully-trained female volunteer for up to half an hour each time they are open. They can also help you if you are concerned about a friend or relative.
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Alternatively, you can text them on 07537 432444 during the same opening hours. All messages will be replied to. They aim to text back within half an hour during opening times.
0808 8084994
4pm-6pm every day
The Mix is here to take on the embarrassing problems, weird questions, and please-don’t-make-me-say-it-out-loud thoughts that people under 25 have in order to give them the best support through their digital and phone services. Their Vision is that all young people should be able to make informed choices about their physical and mental wellbeing so that they can live better lives. When you speak to someone at the Mix, they will explore your situation with you and find organisations that may be able to help you further.
Webchat support for children & young people
Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. They exist to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. We are a champion, guide and friend to anyone affected, giving individuals experiencing an eating disorder and their loved ones a place where they feel listened to, supported and empowered.
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You can talk one-to-one with a counsellor using their secure instant messaging service. Beat’s advisors are highly trained, and available to talk to anyone affected by an eating disorder.
12pm-8pm weekdays
4pm-8pm weekends & bank holidays. Open 365 days/year
Open all day, every day
Childline is a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, they are there for you online, on the phone, anytime. For all children and young people up to the age of 18.
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If you would prefer or need an alternative to talking to someone on the phone, you can talk to a counsellor live through webchat. Just click on the childline logo on the left to be taken to their webchat page. Counsellors are available 24/7 every day of the year.
Noon - 10pm every day
8am-midnight every day
Kooth is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop. It is free, safe and anonymous. Here you can chat to their friendly counsellors online between noon and 10pm. You will need to register with them first through a simple online form, but it is anonymous which means you do not have to tell them your real name, just your age and the borough you live in.
Meic is the helpline service for children and young people up to the age of 25 in Wales. From finding out what’s going on in your local area to help dealing with a tricky situation, Meic will listen even when no-one else will. They won’t judge you and will help by giving you information, useful advice and the support you need to make a change.
Mermaids support gender-diverse children and young people, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care. They can help you cope better with mental and emotional distress, as well as providing any information you may need. They provide a webchat for transgender youth up to and including the age of 19.
9am-9pm weekdays
4pm-10pm every day, incl Eid
The Muslim Youth helpline is a UK-wide free and confidential service providing pioneering faith and culturally sensitive services to Muslim youth in the UK. You can talk to them via webchat every day of the year, including Eid.
4pm-11pm every day
The Mix is here to take on the embarrassing problems, weird questions, and please-don’t-make-me-say-it-out-loud thoughts that people under 25 have in order to give them the best support through their digital and phone services. Their Vision is that all young people should be able to make informed choices about their physical and mental wellbeing so that they can live better lives. One to one chat allows you to live message our trained helpline supporters about any issue that is troubling you. Our team is trained to help you explore your situation and find organisations which might be able to help you further. We offer a non-judgemental service so you can speak to us about any issue. We’re open 7 days a week from 4pm to 11pm, however chats may not be connected after 10:15pm.
Crisis Messenger - text 85258
Crisis Messenger is a free. confidential 24/7 mental health service for those in crisis. In crisis does not necessarily mean you are feeling suicidal. It’s any painful emotion for which you need support. To use the service send a text to 85258 with the name of the service as given below as your first message. A trained volunteer (who provides support, but not medical advice) will then reply to you within 5 minutes and introduce themselves. You’ll then text back and forth with them. You never have to share anything you don’t want to, but they will help you sort through your feelings by asking questions, empathising, and actively listening. The conversation will continue until you are in a calm, safe place.
Mermaids support gender-diverse children and young people, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care. They can help you cope better with mental and emotional distress.
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Mermaids
TheMix
The Mix aim to connect every texter to a trained volunteer in less than five minutes to provide crisis help. They will listen to you and help you think more clearly, enabling you to know that you can take the next step to feeling better. The trained volunteer will introduce themselves, reflect on what you’ve said, and invite you to share at your own pace. You’ll text back and forth, only sharing what you feel comfortable with. By asking questions, listening to you and responding with support, they will help you sort through your feelings until you both feel you are now in a calm, safe place.
YM
If you are a young person experiencing a mental health crisis, you can text the YoungMinds Crisis Messenger for free, 24/7 support. They aim to connect every texter to a trained volunteer promptly to provide crisis help. They will listen to you and help you think more clearly, enabling you to know that you can take the next step to feeling better.share how you’re feeling. You’ll text each other, only sharing what you feel comfortable with. By asking questions, listening to you and responding with support, they will help you think through your feelings until you both feel you are now in a calm, safe place. You might be signposted to other services, so that you can continue to get support.
Covid-19
Boloh, Barnardo’s helpline for Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic children (11+), young people, parents or carers affected by Covid-19.
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Boloh are here to help you if you have experienced bereavement, ill health, feeling down or anxious about the lockdown, feeling isolated, worried about friends or family, experienced bullying or racism, issues with homelessness, worried about returning to school/university or any other issue. Their team of specialist psychotherapists can provide you with ongoing support during this difficult time.
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Alternatively, you can contact them via webchat.