Supportline

Supportline is our free national telephone helpline.

You can talk to our fully trained Supportline staff in confidence (and anonymously if you prefer). They can explain more about the range of services Victim Support provides, together with our confidentiality policy.

It’s not designed to be an ongoing support option, but we can listen to you, explain your rights and options, and talk to you about further support.

If you’ve been affected by crime and you need confidential support or information, call us free on 08 08 16 89 111.

You can dial 141 to hide your number, but please check with your network provider as this does not work on some mobile networks.

Our Supportline operates 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas.

We’re independent of the police and anyone can contact us for support, regardless of whether the crime has been reported or how long ago it took place.

How we can help

Our Supportline teams can put you in touch with our local services near to where you live, so you can get ongoing support. They can also give you helpful information about other organisations that may be able to offer you specialist support.

You’re in total control. 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.

Please note, we can only offer support to people in England and Wales.

Not ready to call?

You can talk to us now via our free and 24/7 live chat.

You can also create an account on My Support Space – a free online resource with interactive guides and information to help you manage the impact crime has had on you.

Our Supportline service is available for people affected by crime across England and Wales. It gives you the chance to talk to our trained supporters in confidence. We want you to have the best possible experience, so we’ve come up with a few ‘house rules’ to let you know what you can expect, and how we can help.

What you can expect from us:

  • You’ll have the opportunity to talk to someone safely and in confidence, and to choose what you tell us.
  • You’ll speak to one of our trained supporters, who will listen to you respectfully and sensitively.
  • You’ll be able to get support regardless of the type of crime you have experienced, when it happened or whether or not it has been reported to the police.
  • Anything you say to us will be kept in confidence, and all your information will be safe and secure. Read our confidentiality and consent policy [PDF] to find out more about this.
  • We’ll ask you if you have received our help before, or are just receiving help now, so that we can ensure that you get the appropriate support.
  • We’ll help you find the right information and support. This might be through Victim Support, or with your consent, we can put you in touch with one of our partners to provide specialist support.
  • Please be aware that at busy times you may be waiting for up to 30 minutes to talk with someone. After this time, your call will disconnect if all our advisers are busy. We’re sorry if this happens, please do try again at a different time.

Some things we can’t do:

  • We’re not a counselling service. However, we will always listen to you, and if you do want counselling, we will help you find a service near you.
  • All of our supporters have received special training to support people affected by crime. However, if we cannot provide the specialist help you need, with your consent we can refer you to a specialist partner agency to get the support you need.
  • Our Supportline team will help you find the information you need. We can’t provide legal advice but will help you access legal support if you need it.
  • If you need to speak to your support worker, please contact your local Victim Support office. Our Supportline teams are here to help you, but if you need to get a message to your local Victim Support office or support worker, the quickest way to reach them is by calling their direct line.
  • It’s crucial that Supportline calls are a safe experience for both our users and our trained supporters. We will not tolerate abusive behaviour towards our supporters and will block users that are misusing the service or being abusive.
  • When you call Supportline, you’ll be allocated to the next available supporter. This could be a man or woman, and we cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to speak to someone of your preferred gender.

Supportline has an interpretation service for people who do not speak English as a first language. When you call us, request an interpreter and you can speak to us in the language you’re most comfortable in.

Relay UK is a free service to help deaf people and those who have hearing loss or are speech impaired to communicate over the phone. You can contact any number through Relay UK, including any Victim Support service.

What Relay UK is

If you are deaf, have hearing loss or are speech impaired, Relay UK can connect you to a relay assistant to make a phone call. The relay assistant can:

  • type what the caller is saying, so you can read their responses if you can’t hear
  • read your written responses to the caller, if you can’t speak.

It’s free to use the Relay UK service. You will only pay your normal charges for any calls you make. Check with your phone provider for more details.

Using the Relay UK app

Relay UK works through an app on your smartphone or tablet. Once you have downloaded it, you will need to link your number to it and tell the app how you would like to use the service.

Find out more about Relay UK and download the app.

We’ve partnered with interpreting service Convo, so deaf and hearing-impaired people can contact us using British Sign Language (BSL).

This service will connect you to a professional BSL interpreter and you can tell them you want to contact one of Victim Support’s services. Find out more about this free service.

You can complete our secure online form to request support.

Alternatively, if you’re having problems getting through to us at busy times and you need to talk to someone urgently to get support, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123 (open 24 hours) or email jo@samaritans.org.

Find your local victim service

Contact your local service.

Live chat

Chat online to one of our trained supporters.

Request support

Complete our online form to request support.