I need help now

In an emergency

If you have seriously injured yourself, taken an overdose or are at immediate risk of harm:

call 999

Need help fast

If it’s not a 999 emergency but you are experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, you can:

call our free 24-hour daily mental health response line on 0800 9539599.

Please avoid visiting A&E (Accident and Emergency) departments unless you have a physical health emergency, if you are not sure you can call the non emergency line 111.

The AWP mental health response line will connect you to a CAMHS practitioner. If you are put on hold, we will always know you are waiting and will answer as soon as we can. For your safety, we will ask you for your details such as your name, date of birth and contact number. If you don’t want to give those details, you can call one of the alternative numbers at the bottom of the page.

Please see below details of what our mental health response line can and can’t help with:

We can...

Talk to you during a mental health crisis if you’re thinking of harming yourself, or if it is too urgent to wait to speak to your GP, CAMHS worker or school.
Talk to us if you are considering going to Accident & Emergency (A&E) for mental health reasons.
Talk to you if you are under 18 years or the person you care for is under 18.

We can’t...

Make a referral to CAMHS. To make a referral, please visit the child/young person referral page or professional’s referral page.
Come out and see you in person. Please speak to a trusted adult, such as a teacher, GP, social worker or your parent or carer, for support.
Prescribe medication. Please speak to your GP or usual prescriber for advice.

Other options for support:

Contact your GP

You can also ask your GP practice for an urgent appointment during opening hours.

Speak to an adult you trust

Let someone you trust know how you are feeling. A parent or carer is often the best person, but you could also speak to your school nurse, a teacher or another trusted adult.

Contact CAMHS

If you are already supported by CAMHS, contact us directly during office hours (9 a.m – 5 p.m). We will talk to you about how best to meet your needs. Find your service here.

You can find support from any of the options above. Just let them know the child or young person’s details and what is going on for them.

Each of our conditions pages has information for families and carers for support.

If you are worried that you, or a child or young person you care for, might come to harm or is already being harmed, it is important to let children’s services know. There are services available to help make you, the child or young person safe, and these services are known as safeguarding teams. More information about CAMHS safeguarding is available here.

Below are details of each local council’s safeguarding team:

Bristol	South Gloucestershire	North Somerset
Phone: 0117 903 6444 Website: Bristol local council safeguarding team website:	Phone: 01454 866000 (Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m ‐ 5 p.m and Friday 9 a.m ‐ 4.30 p.m. 01454 615165 (Out of hours and at weekends) Website: South Gloucestershire local council safeguarding team website:	Phone: 01275 888808 (Monday to Thursday, 8.45 a.m – 5 p.m and Friday 8.45 a.m to 4.30 p.m. Website: North Somerset local council safeguarding team website:

Bristol

South Gloucestershire

North Somerset

Phone: 0117 903 6444

Website:

Bristol local council safeguarding team website:

Phone:
01454 866000 (Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m ‐ 5 p.m and Friday 9 a.m ‐ 4.30 p.m.
01454 615165 (Out of hours and at weekends)

Website:

South Gloucestershire local council safeguarding team website:

Phone: 01275 888808 (Monday to Thursday, 8.45 a.m – 5 p.m and Friday 8.45 a.m to 4.30 p.m.

Website:

North Somerset local council safeguarding team website:

Here is a list of contact numbers you can call when you need urgent help. All of them are here to support you, a child or young person you care for. Further below are options for text-based support, either via mobile texts or online if you would prefer not to speak.

Phone numbers and helplines:

Phone number and cost	Opening Hours	Support available
999 Freephone	(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)	Call 999 in a medical emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
111	(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)	NHS 111 can help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do.
AWP response line 0800 9539599 Freephone	(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)	Talk to someone if you are feeling unwell, unsafe, scared. They will send you to the right service to find help. Our 24-hour daily response helpline is for young people, families, carers and healthcare professionals in need of urgent access to mental health support. Urgent advice and guidance from clinicians will support young people in crisis, who may need to attend hospital.
Samaritans 116 123 Freephone	(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)	Whatever you're going through, you can call Samaritans any time, from any phone, for free. You will be listened to and won’t be judged or told what to do.
Childline 0800 1111 Freephone	(9 a.m - 12 a.m, 7 days a week)	A counsellor will listen to you and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a one-to-one counsellor chat online.
Papyrus Hopeline 0800 068 4141 Freephone	(9 a.m - 12 a.m, 7 days a week)	HOPELINEUK advisers will 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.

Text based support:

Phone number and cost	Opening Hours	Support available
Young minds Crisis messenger service Text service	text YM to 85258 text line free from most mobile providers, available 24 hours a day.	If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis: this service provides free, 24-hour daily crisis support across the UK. Crisis will listen to you and help you think through how you’re feeling to help you take the next steps towards feeling better. texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus.
Shout Text service	Text Shout to 85258	This 24-hour text service helps anyone in crisis or struggling to cope. Visit the Shout website for more information.
Kooth online chat and discussion boards	Kooth website	This online mental wellbeing community offers free, safe and anonymous support.
Childline online one-to-one counselling and discussion boards	Childline website	Childline has an online space called a Locker. it's confidential - you don't need to give your email address or real name you'll be able to use the one-to-one counsellor chat you can join other young people on the message boards you'll get your own locker, where you can save pages, create images and change the design to make it yours.