A note on coverage. Several well-known UK services are actually England-only — NHS Talking Therapies self-referral, the Jobs and Careers Service (formerly the National Careers Service), and the main Citizens Advice phone line. Each entry below states where it applies. Phone numbers and services change; if something here is out of date, the organisation's own website is the authority. Every entry here was verified in August 2026, and the crisis and mental health contacts, along with most other phone numbers, were checked again in October 2026 — existence, service, eligibility, coverage, cost and contact route — and each carries a machine-readable check date.
Crisis support
7 entries
Free, anonymous helpline and webchat, 5pm to midnight. Aimed at people who would never ring a helpline — particularly useful in the evening, when most other services have closed.
0800 58 58 58 · 5pm–midnight daily
UK, 18+
Searchable directory of free crisis lines by country. The one to use if you are outside the UK, or supporting someone who is.
International
Northern Ireland's crisis response helpline, free and open 24 hours. As well as listening, it can arrange follow-on counselling and refer into local services.
0808 808 8000
Northern Ireland
Routes you to urgent NHS mental health support and advice. The right call when you need help today and it is more than a helpline can hold, but it is not a 999 emergency.
111 · Wales: 111 press 2
England, Scotland, Wales
Free, confidential support for anyone under 19, by phone or online chat, 24 hours a day. Also the right number if you are worried about a teenager in your household. Papyrus HopeLine 24/7, which some other pages still list, closed in September 2026 — if you are 19 or over, use Samaritans, Shout or CALM instead.
0800 1111
UK — under 19
Free 24/7 phone line for anyone struggling to cope. The one to use when you want to talk to a person rather than read something — they will listen without telling you what to do, and you do not have to be suicidal to call.
116 123
UK & Ireland
Free, confidential, round-the-clock crisis support by text message. Particularly useful if you cannot face speaking out loud, or if you need support somewhere you cannot make a phone call.
Text SHOUT to 85258
UK
Mental health
6 entries
Charity specialising in anxiety specifically rather than mental health generally. Members get access to reduced-cost therapy, which some people find quicker to access than a local NHS wait and less expensive than arranging therapy privately.
03444 775 774
UK
Searchable directory of BACP-registered private counsellors and psychotherapists. Worth using if NHS waits in your area are long — many listed offer reduced or sliding-scale fees, so ask when you get in touch.
UK
Scotland's free, confidential phone line for low mood, depression and anxiety. The Scottish equivalent of the routes listed above, and open evenings and through the night at weekends.
0800 83 85 87 · Mon–Thu 6pm–2am, Fri 6pm–Mon 6am
Scotland, 16+
Digital CBT programme for worry and anxiety, from the company behind Sleepio. Useful while you are waiting for therapy, or if you would rather work through something on your own first — but it is free only in Scotland and a few areas of England, and unlike Sleepio it does not currently carry NICE guidance.
Scotland; only a few areas of England
Mental health charity with an infoline that explains your options rather than treating you. Particularly useful when you know something is wrong but have no idea what to ask for, or what you are entitled to.
0300 123 3393 (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm)
England & Wales
Free NHS courses of CBT, counselling and guided self-help for anxiety and depression. In England you can refer yourself online without seeing a GP, which removes one step if you would rather not have that conversation first. Waits vary considerably by area.
Self-referral online
England (16+/18+ depending on area)
Money and debt
5 entries
Free drinking self-assessment and a webchat service (Drinkchat, weekdays). The 0300 number is Drinkline, the separate national alcohol helpline, and Scotland has its own line. Worth a look if consumption has crept up since the job ended — a common enough pattern, and one people rarely mention to anyone.
Drinkline 0300 123 1110 · Scotland 0800 7314 314
UK
Free, impartial, government-backed money guidance. The right starting point when you want to understand your options — budgeting, mortgages, pensions, what a debt solution would mean — rather than hand your debts to someone.
0800 011 3797 (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm)
UK
Free, independent debt advice with template letters for negotiating with creditors yourself. Particularly worth considering if you would rather stay in control of the conversations yourself and mainly want to know what to say.
0808 808 4000 · Mon–Fri 9am–8pm, Sat 9.30am–1pm
England, Wales & Scotland
Free debt advice charity that will build you a full plan and can deal with creditors on your behalf. Particularly useful once payments have become genuinely unmanageable rather than merely tight, and the one to ask about Breathing Space.
0800 138 1111
UK
Network of food banks providing emergency food parcels. You usually need a voucher, which Citizens Advice and many GP surgeries can issue — and asking early frees money for the bills that carry real consequences.
UK
Benefits and entitlements
4 entries
Free advice on benefits, debt, housing and employment, in person, online or by phone. The one to use when the problem spans several of those at once, or when a decision has gone against you and you want help challenging it.
0800 144 8848 (England) · debt 0800 240 4420 (England & Wales)
England — Wales, Scotland & NI have own services
Benefits calculator plus a searchable database of charitable grants — including hardship funds tied to former occupations, trades and professions, which are easy to be eligible for without ever knowing they exist. Turn2us no longer runs a one-to-one advice line, so this is a self-serve tool; for a person to talk to, use Citizens Advice.
Online tools — no phone advice line
UK
The official route to check eligibility and claim. Entitlement runs from the day you apply and cannot be backdated in most cases, so this is the one to do first and research afterwards.
UK
Independent benefits calculator covering more than Universal Credit alone, including Council Tax Reduction and help with health costs. Useful as a second opinion if Turn2us returns something that looks wrong.
UK
Housing
2 entries
Free housing advice and an emergency helpline. The specialist to call for arrears, eviction notices, or anything involving a landlord — general advice services will often refer you here anyway.
0808 800 4444
England & Scotland — Shelter Cymru in Wales, Housing Rights in NI
A government loan covering mortgage interest for people on qualifying benefits. Worth checking if you are already claiming and worried about the mortgage — but it is a loan secured on the property, repayable when you sell or transfer.
UK
Relationships and family
2 entries
Free confidential helpline for parents in England and Wales on any aspect of family life — Scotland has the Children First Support line. Particularly useful for the specific question of how much to tell children, and how, which is a common sticking point.
0808 800 2222
England & Wales — Scotland: Children First Support line 08000 28 22 33
Relationship, couples and family counselling, in person, by phone and online, now run by the charity Family Action. Worth considering well before things feel critical — and check locally, as some former Relate centres now operate under other names — several have joined the charity TLC: Talk, Listen, Change.
UK
Age and later life
3 entries
Free advice line covering benefits, money, health and housing for older people, plus local befriending and activities. Particularly worth considering when you want advisers who deal with the over-50s picture as a whole rather than one part of it.
0800 678 1602 (8am–7pm, every day)
UK
Research and campaigning body publishing the evidence on age discrimination in hiring. Not a support service — useful when you need to establish, to yourself or to someone else, that the pattern you are experiencing is documented and real.
UK — research largely England-based
Jobs board, retraining listings, volunteering and community content aimed at the over-50s. A commercial site — free to use, funded by advertising and affiliate commission — rather than a charity or public service. Worth a look for roles advertised with older applicants in mind, though it also carries listings drawn from elsewhere.
UK — commercial site
Carers and disability
2 entries
Advice on carer's benefits, employment rights and returning to work after caring, plus an online community. The one to use if caring is the reason for the gap, or is happening alongside the search.
0808 808 7777 · Mon–Fri 9am–6pm
UK
Disability equality charity with free employment support and advice on rights, workplace adjustments and Access to Work. Particularly useful for the question of when and whether to disclose a condition during recruitment.
0808 800 3333
England & Wales
Bereavement
1 entry
Free bereavement counselling and a UK-wide helpline (local face-to-face services cover England, Wales and NI; Cruse Scotland is separate). Worth knowing about because job loss and grief compound each other badly, and because the losses in a redundancy are often not recognised as grief at all.
0808 808 1677
Helpline UK-wide; local services England, Wales & NI
Employment rights and redundancy
6 entries
Free, impartial advice on redundancy, discrimination, notice, references and settlement agreements. The first call if you think the process was handled wrongly — and they advise workers, not just employers.
0300 123 1100
England, Scotland & Wales — NI: Labour Relations Agency
Government-funded helpline for anyone who believes they have experienced discrimination, including in recruitment. Particularly worth considering when the issue is specifically discrimination and you want to understand your legal position. Acas covers discrimination too; EASS goes further into the legal framework.
0808 800 0082 · Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 10am–2pm
England, Scotland & Wales — NI: Equality Commission
How to request flexible hours, compressed weeks or a phased return. Useful at offer stage rather than after — in Great Britain employees can request this from day one, and it is far easier to agree before you accept.
Great Britain
Membership body for freelancers and the self-employed, with guidance on contracts, rates and chasing late payment. Useful once freelancing is real rather than exploratory.
UK
The official explanation of redundancy pay, notice, consultation and what to do if the process was not followed. Worth reading before you take advice, so you know which questions are worth asking.
Great Britain — NI: see nidirect
How to register as self-employed, what records to keep and how tax works. The one to read in the first week of taking freelance work, before the paperwork becomes a problem rather than a task.
UK
Careers, training and returning
9 entries
Specialist support and a live listing of returnship programmes, now operating as Career Returners. Worth going to directly if you have had an extended career break — these employers have chosen to recruit people returning from a break, so the gap is less likely to need explaining before anything else can be discussed.
UK
Free, bilingual careers advice and job-search support for adults in Wales, in person, by phone and online. The Welsh equivalent, including help with applications and interviews.
0800 028 4844
Wales
University and industry short courses. The free tier gives limited access and full access needs a subscription, so OpenLearn is the better option if cost matters. Particularly worth considering if you want something recent and field-specific to point to.
Global — free tier is limited
Online certificates in data, IT support, project management, UX and digital marketing, designed for people with no prior experience. Now a paid monthly subscription after a short free trial, so check the cost before starting. Useful as evidence of a deliberate change rather than as a qualification in itself.
Global — paid subscription
Free basic digital skills courses — email, online forms, video calls, online safety. Aimed at people for whom the online application process is itself the barrier, which is more common than the process assumes.
UK
Free careers advice by phone, including CV review and interview practice. England only, open to people in work as well as out of it, and a straightforward way to get a professional second opinion on your materials at no cost. Since 1 October 2026 the National Careers Service has been part of the new Jobs and Careers Service, run by the Department for Work and Pensions; webchat and email have ended, and the old website continues as “Get careers information and advice”.
0800 072 0288 · Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
England
Nearly 1,000 genuinely free Open University courses, most of them short, most carrying a free statement of participation or digital badge. Genuinely free, unlike most of the alternatives — and worth considering for testing whether a subject holds your interest before spending money on anything.
UK
Detailed job profiles showing what roles actually involve, what they pay and what routes lead into them. Most useful when you are considering a change and need to know what a job is really like day to day.
UK
Scotland's free careers guidance service, with in-person advisers and funded training routes. The Scottish equivalent of England’s Jobs and Careers Service, and the right one if you live in Scotland.
0800 917 8000
Scotland
Physical health and sleep
7 entries
Free NHS activity, weight, drinking and quit-smoking programmes and apps, including the Active 10 walking tracker. Useful if you want structure and something to measure rather than general advice.
England
The NHS guidance on self-help for sleep problems and when to see a GP. The right first stop before considering anything you have to pay for.
UK
The NHS overview of symptoms, treatments including HRT, and how to raise it with a GP. The neutral starting point if you are not sure whether what you are experiencing counts.
UK
NICE-recommended digital CBT programme for insomnia. Worth pursuing if sleep problems have lasted more than a few weeks and sleep hygiene has not shifted them — the evidence for CBT for insomnia is stronger than for sleeping tablets, which is why NHS and NICE guidance put it first. Free in Scotland, but only a few areas of England still have it commissioned — check before assuming.
Scotland; only a few areas of England
Free, clinically reviewed menopause information and a symptom checker, written for the public rather than for doctors. Often the more approachable of the two — the British Menopause Society covers the same ground in clinical detail.
UK
National sleep helpline staffed by trained sleep advisers. Particularly worth considering when the problem is long-standing and you would rather talk it through with someone who specialises in it than read more guidance.
03303 530 541 · Mon–Thu 9–11am; Mon, Tue, Thu 7–9pm
UK
Evidence-based menopause guidance and a specialist finder. The British Menopause Society itself writes for clinicians; Women's Health Concern is its public-facing arm and the better starting point. Most useful as something to take into a GP appointment when you want the conversation taken seriously.
UK
Community, connection and purpose
7 entries
Free one-to-one mentoring sessions with experienced professionals. Heavily weighted to tech, design, product and marketing — and worth considering as a mentor as well as a mentee, which supplies structure and purpose.
Global
Searchable directory of befriending services run by the sector's own membership body — the practical way to find something in your own area rather than a national helpline. Coverage is patchy outside Scotland, so also try your council's community directory. (Replaces the Campaign to End Loneliness, which closed in 2024.)
UK, strongest in Scotland
Local interest and professional groups that meet in person. One of the simplest routes back to incidental contact with other people, which is the specific thing losing a job removes.
Global
Practical guidance on starting to move again when motivation is low. Written for people who already know exercise would help and cannot make themselves begin, which is a different problem from not knowing.
UK
Guidance on finding volunteer roles and what to expect, with links to local volunteer centres. Useful when you want the structure and the current CV line, not only the good deed.
England
Led group walks, including short and slower-paced ones. You can try a few group walks free before joining. Wellbeing Walks need no membership and no booking at all — but they run in England only. Particularly worth considering if the idea of anything timed puts you off.
UK — Wellbeing Walks are England only
Free timed 5k every Saturday morning at around 870 UK locations. Unusual in doing three things at once — physical activity, social contact and a weekly fixed point — and you can walk it, or volunteer instead of running. Start times vary, so check your nearest event.
UK