Find help/advice/counselling for problems in UK/Britain/England/London


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< Up	Personal / Advice
Where to go if you need help in the UK


Sections:	Introduction
	Emergency services
	Council (local government)
	School
	UKCISA
	Embassy
	Citizens Advice Bureau
	Solicitors (lawyers)
	Samaritans
	Refugee Council
	Support for Muslims
	Medical/sexual issues
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This section lists some of the places where you can go if you need help while you are in the UK.

If you have a problem, try not to keep it to yourself. Talk about it with a friend that you trust, or ask advice from a doctor, teacher, student welfare officer, adviser, counsellor or religious officer. Ask the person to keep it confidential if you don't want anybody else to be told.

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EMERGENCY SERVICES

Police car

Fire engine

Ambulance

Police
To call the police in an emergency, dial 999 free from any telephone; ask for the Police service.

If it is not an emergency, contact your local police station.
You can find police stations using UpMyStreet: http://www.upmystreet.com. Select Local area, enter a postcode or town name, select Policing & crime and choose Nearest police station.

In London the service is provided by the Metropolitan Police: http://www.met.police.uk (except in the City, where it is provided by the City of London Police: http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk). There is an alphabetical list of the Metropolitan Police's stations at: http://www.met.police.uk/contact/phone.htm.

For crimes committed while you are travelling on a train (including London Underground), contact the British Transport Police: http://www.btp.police.uk (telephone 0800 405040).

For information about how to reduce the chance of having your things stolen, and about what to do after a theft, see: Personal/Safety.

Fire Brigade
If there is a fire, dial 999 free from any telephone; ask for the Fire service.
For information about fire safety, see: http://www.firekills.gov.uk.

Firefighters

Ambulance
To be taken to hospital in an emergency, dial 999 free from any telephone; ask for the Ambulance service. If it is not an emergency, go to the hospital by taxi.

Sea Rescue
If someone is in trouble in the sea, dial 999 free from any telephone and ask for the Coast Guard service.

Gas emergencies
If you smell gas, call Transco's 24-hour gas emergency service: 0800 111999. Don't smoke, strike matches or turn electrical switches off or on.

Water emergencies
In case of a problem with flooding, burst water pipes or contaminated (dirty/dangerous) water supplies, contact your local water company or your council.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT (COUNCIL)

If you have a local problem, you may want to contact your local council for advice about what you should do about it.
You can find police stations using UpMyStreet: http://www.upmystreet.com. Select Local area, enter a postcode or town name, and select My council & reps.

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SCHOOL

If you are a student you may find it useful to ask your teacher or head teacher for advice on a problem. If necessary the school may arrange for you to meet a specialist adviser.

If you are an international student currently studying in the UK, there may be an International Students Welfare Office in your school, college or university. They may be able to give you some advice on issues such as UK immigration, financial difficulty or your personal welfare.

There is often useful information on how to obtain help on the website of your school. You may also want to check the website of a university near to where you are studying, even if you are not studying there: it may contain useful general advice or give information about local or national help services.

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UKCISA

UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) provides advice to international students at universities or colleges in the UK. They have a telephone helpline (but note that this line is often busy, so try to contact the international student adviser or welfare officer in the first instance). UKCISA produce a range of helpful guidance notes which you can access from the page: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/information_sheets.php.
[before August 2007 UKCISA was known as UKCOSA]

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EMBASSY

If you are in the UK and need some help in an emergency, contact your country's embassy in London. To find its contact details, select Foreign Embassies in the UK from the website of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: http://www.fco.gov.uk. Alternatively, go to the Links page of this website and select your country - this should contain a link to the websites of your embassy.

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CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Your local Citizens Advice Bureau offers free, confidential, independent advice on issues such as immigration, personal problems, consumer rights, legal problems, accommodation or employment issues. The website of Citizens Advice is: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk. Online information is provided at: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk

To find your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau go to http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/getadvice.htm
Telephone to check opening times before visiting.

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SOLICITORS

Solicitors can help you if you need legal advice. You will usually be charged for their services.

You can find a solicitor's using UpMyStreet: http://www.upmystreet.com. Select Find My Nearest … , enter a postcode or town name, select Find by category and choose Financial & legal then Legal services. The nearest ones will be listed first.

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SAMARITANS

If you are feeling desperate or are thinking of killing yourself for any reason, you can telephone an organisation called the Samaritans for friendly support. In some cases, they may be able to provide someone who speaks your native language. Visit their website at: http://www.samaritans.org.uk.

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REFUGEE COUNCIL

If you are an asylum seeker or refugee in the UK, you can find useful information on the website of the Refugee Council: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk. There are free booklets on this site which are available in several languages (but note that the rules do change sometimes and that the non-English versions may not be as up-to-date as the English versions).

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SUPPORT FOR MUSLIMS

The following organisations will provide confidential support or advice for Muslims in the UK.

Muslim Youth: http://www.muslimyouth.net
Muslim Youth Helpline: http://www.myh.org.uk
Muslim Women's Helpline: http://www.mwhl.org

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SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN

If someone at school is bullying you, or if you have seen someone else being bullied, you can find advice on the Bullying Online website: http://www.bullying.co.uk.

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MEDICAL & SEXUAL ISSUES

Information about organisations which can provide information or support on medical or sexual issues is provided on the following pages:

General health issues: Personal/Health
Sexual issues (for heterosexual men): Personal/Relationships/Men
Sexual issues (for heterosexual women): Personal/Relationships/Women
Sexual issues (for gay men): Personal/Relationships/Gay
Sexual issues (for lesbian women): Personal/Relationships/Lesbian

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LINKS

Health care: Personal/Health
Religions in the UK: Personal/Religion
Advice about relationships/sex: Personal/Relationships

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2007

* Search this website (www.ukstudentlife.com) or the web: