Need to talk to someone who understands?
Due to an increase in demand we are temporarily unable to accept any new referrals for our Listening Support Service.
If you need information or advice on issues related to caring, our Helpline is available on 0808 808 7777 from Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm or you can contact us by email at advice@carersuk.org.
If you are looking for emotional support, you may wish to contact one of the following organisations:
Samaritans is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to talk about whatever’s on your mind. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person.
Shout is a 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis, anytime, anywhere. It is free to text Shout 85258 from all major mobile networks in the UK.
If you are worried about your mental health, you may also wish to talk to your GP about how you are feeling. Visit our page on talking to your GP for more information on how your GP could help you.
Mind has an Infoline providing information and support for people concerned about their own or someone else's mental health. You can contact them on 0300 123 3393 from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays) or email info@mind.org.uk. Visit their website for more information.
If you have any questions about the service, please contact us on listeningsupport@carersuk.org If you have already submitted a referral form, you will still be contacted to receive support.
What you can expect
Just to have someone to talk to has been so helpful.”
Our volunteers will phone you once a week/fortnight, up to four times, for a chance to chat. Calls take place around the same day and time each week/fortnight, and last around 30 minutes. Our trained volunteers can provide emotional support and are able to suggest services to contact for more support, but they cannot give advice or counselling.
How do I sign up?
I've really looked forward to the calls.”
To sign up to receive these calls, we will need you to complete a short form to tell us a bit about you. Before completing this, please make sure you have read and can answer ‘yes’ to the following:
- I am/the person I am referring is an unpaid carer.*
- I am/the person I am referring is 18 or over.
- If I am referring on behalf of someone else, I have their permission to do so.
- I understand that the Listening Support Service cannot provide counselling/advice/information or support for mental health/crisis situations.
- I am available to take the calls at the same day/time frame each week/fortnight over four/eight weeks.
*The Listening Support Service is open to unpaid carers. This includes anyone who receives Carer’s Allowance or a direct payment from a local council. It doesn’t include anyone who is caring as part of paid employment.
The Listening Support Service is also available in Welsh. You can select to complete the self-referral form in Welsh. Once you have completed the form, one of our callers will aim to give you a call within two weeks.
If you have any further questions, please see our FAQs.
“The volunteer was really helpful, a good listener and also offered a little perspective. It was simply a relief to find a forum in which there was a place to talk, and it helped to have an empathetic person to discuss challenges with. If anyone was thinking about whether to access the service I would say, DO IT.”
About our funders
The Listening Support Service is supported by Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust and, in Wales, by the Welsh Government.
Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust is named after the acclaimed artist Marie-Louise von Motesiczky (1906-96), who cared for her mother in later life and produced several portraits of her.
The Listening Support Service in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government through the Sustainable Social Services Third Sector Grant.
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