Additional support

Here are some organisations that can offer you additional advice and support with work and your career, a place to live, your legal rights, your mental health, managing family and relationships and more. Find help with:

• Work and careers
• Training and education
• Support for young people
• Housing, legal and your rights
• Mental health
• Addiction
• Violence and abuse
• Family and relationships
• Your money

Work and careers

For help looking for jobs and supporting you in work

National Career Service can help you with your career, learning and training choices.

Working Mums is a job search site which helps parents find flexible and part-time work.

Working Families offer help for working parents and carers and their employers to find a better balance between responsibilities at home and at work. 

Yess Law gives affordable legal advice to employees who want to fix problems at work.

Acas offer free, impartial advice on workplace rights.

Working Chance are an employment charity who offer support to women with convictions.

The Fawcett Society offers an Equal Pay Advice Service targeted at women who think they are not receiving equal pay, whose gross income is £40,000 per year or less who do not have access to legal advice. The service provides advice to enable you to understand your legal position.

Training and education 

For help finding training and education opportunities

Learn Direct provide courses, qualifications, training and employment services across the UK.

Open University allows you to study for a degree qualification from home.

National Numeracy Challenge is a free tool to help you test your numeracy level.

Support for young people  

For information, advice and support specifically for young people

British Youth Council support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy so they can make a difference.

Brook offer free sexual health education and wellbeing services for under 25s.

UK Youth provides young people with life skills.

The Mix provide information and support on lots of problems from homelessness to mental health and breakups. 

Housing, legal and your rights

For help with housing advice and support

Shelter can provide you with housing advice online and on the telephone.

Rights of Women are a free and confidential legal advice service for women.

Citizens Advice offers free impartial advice on benefits, debt, immigration, crime, your rights at work and more. You can get advice online, over the phone and in person at a Citizens Advice centre near where you live.

Ask your GP about social prescribing for access to services and resources.

Mental health  

For urgent help or immediate support

Samaritans offer free telephone support for anyone who needs help. They’re available 24/7 every single day of the year. Call their helpline on 116 123.

Or, you can text SHOUT to 85258 and chat by text. The service is free on most networks and available 24/7. Trained volunteers will work with to help you take the next steps towards feeling better.

For help with your mental health and wellbeing

Mind offer advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem or encouraging someone to ask for help.

NHS has useful tips to reduce stress as well as helpful guides, tools and activities.

Rethink Mental Illness offer support services in your area and information and advice to those living with mental illness.

Anxiety UK provide information, support and understanding for those living with anxiety and anxiety-based depression.

Self Injury Support provide support services for women and girls who self-harm including useful downloads and self-help tools.

Beat run a helpline and offer expert advice for those who are experiencing an eating disorder. They also provide online community support and workshops for people supporting someone with an eating disorder.

Hub of Hope is a database where you can find mental health support and national, local, free and private services. Simply enter your postcode to get started.

SilverCloud offer free online therapy for people living in Wales without GP referral, breaking down the barriers to accessing professional help. Sign-up for a 12-week course of therapy on your phone, tablet or computer.

The Mix offer free information and support for under 25s in the UK online and over the phone on 0808 808 4994.

Addiction 

For help if you are or someone close to you is affected by addiction

We Are With You offer free, confidential support with alcohol, drugs or mental health from local services and online with helpful information and interactive tools.

Al-Anon Family Groups offer support to anyone whose life is being or has been affected by someone else’s drinking in England and Scotland. You can also get free confidential advice from their advisers through their online chat.

Alcoholics Anonymous will help you on the road to recovery if you think you are addicted to alcohol. Call them on 0800 9177650, chat to an adviser online, or search for a support meeting in your local area. Alcoholics Anonymous have a video message for young people which may help you or someone you know.

Narcotics Anonymous helps those who have experienced addiction to drugs with recovery and to stay clean. They also provide in-person or online support meetings, useful downloads and audio shares of personal experiences.

Action Addiction offer rehabilitation and community-based addiction treatment and advice. Get the help you need without judgement, discrimination or stigma.

Violence and abuse  

For help and support if you are experiencing violence and abuse

Women’s Aid run a free 24-hour national domestic violence helpline. You can call them on 0808 2000 247.  If you think you might be in an abusive relationship but aren’t sure, answer a few simple questions online as an important first step. You can search for a support group in your area by region, local authority, city or town.

Galop run a national LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – you can call them 0800 999 5428.

Refuge have a free national helpline on 0808 2000 247 available 24/7 and provide a range of services including legal advice for people who have experienced domestic abuse. Abuse may take different forms including physical, emotional or financial abuse. Refuge also provide safe, temporary accommodation for women and children with access to emotional and practical support.

Rape Crisis is a charity working to end sexual violence and abuse, listing specialist local services for women and girls. Whether it happened recently or in the past – or you’re not sure what happened – Rape Crisis will help you think through your options and next steps.

Family and relationships

For support and advice for your family and personal relationships

Gingerbread offer expert advice and practical support to single parents and their families, whatever their shape or size. There is a handy helpline webchat, local and digital single parent groups where you can make connections and a community forum where you can share your views and ideas online.

Family Lives provides support to families who are struggling with boundaries and discipline, cyber bullying, anger and violence, stress and anxiety and the ups and downs of family life.

Home Start help families with young children through challenging times offering confidential and compassionate support.

Relate provide relationship support through their online chat or self-help tools. Find help with the challenges of relationships with partners, co-parents, work colleagues, family members or roommates.

Maternity Action offer free advice to parents or parents-to-be who are worried about their rights to employment, social security and NHS healthcare.

Childcare and Family Services Finder is a tool to find registered childcare and family services in your local area. Start by entering your postcode online if you are searching for a childminder, day nursery, playgroup, out of school care or SEND support services.

Your money

For advice on managing your money, getting out of debt and benefits you may be entitled to

Turn2Us has emergency funds if you need money urgently. Call the free helpline 0808 802 2000 Monday to Friday, 9am – 5.00pm.

Turn2Us benefits calculator will help you find out what benefits you can get and their Find an Advisor tool allows you to search for advice on benefits, housing, jobs, legal issues and other practical help.

National Debtline gives free debt advice over the phone and online. Use their cost of living hub to find out if you can pay less for your living costs and to learn about any extra help that might be available.

Money Helper government information to help you make choices about your everyday money, caring for your family, savings and your pension.

Step Change provides free online debt and budgeting advice and practical plans to get your finances back on track. Answer a few simple questions online and they will help you to find the right help.

entitledto is a free online benefit calculator that will help you to work out what you are eligible to claim. Benefits may include help with your living costs, paying your rent or providing for children.

For help finding financial support for work or study

Grants Search is a Turn2Us tool which will help you search for grant opportunities. Charitable grants are not loans so they do not need to be paid back. They can provide money for a range of products and services such as to buy white goods or furniture for your home, clothing for children or to pay for respite care for a relative you care for.  Start by entering your postcode to find grants in your area.

Care to Learn is a government scheme that will help you with childcare costs while you study. You must be under the age of 20 at the start of your course to qualify and studying a publicly-funded course in England. 

For free advice and practical support for you and your family

Trussell Trust will help you find your local food bank if you cannot afford food. To get a food parcel from a food bank, you’ll need a voucher. Vouchers are issued by a wide range of care professionals such as doctors, teachers, health visitors and social workers who identify people in crisis. Your local food bank can tell you which agencies can help you. Find your local food bank here.

Citizens Advice offers free impartial advice on managing your bills, your energy supply, housing, mortgages and eviction, grants and benefits, the law, immigration, asylum, crime and your rights at work. You can get advice online, over the phone and in person at a Citizens Advice centre near where you live.

Help for households is the UK government’s means-tested help with the cost of living including household costs such as water, energy bills, TV licence and broadband, income support and help with travel costs and childcare. You’ll also find a useful list of discounts and offers from utility companies, retailers and supermarkets.

For help with your energy bills, LEAP is a free service that is helping people keep warm and reduce their energy bills. You may be eligible for energy support or a new boiler if you are in fuel poverty or someone in your household is vulnerable. Find out if you are eligible.

If you are struggling to heat your home, you can search for warm spaces in your community, such as a library or church hall, where you can spend some time during the day to keep warm.

The Money Charity has produced a handy and easy to read Money Manual which is available to download as a PDF or order in the post.

The Money Manual offers handy tips and advice on the ins and outs of everyday money, how to recognise and tackle debt, understanding financial products, the best savings options for you and your needs as well as planning for your future.

See also

How peer research helped young women talk about mental health

I have learned to trust myself

Childcare: what women want

Health issues won’t hold me back