We totally understand. All of our staff are well-trained in talking to people in situations where they might need to hang up the call or won’t feel able to speak freely. As our helpline is always open, you can call us back at any time, or give us your contact details and a safe time for us to call you if that would be better for you.

If chatting on the phone is too hard, you can email us at [email protected] and one of our trained workers will reply to you.  

The demand for our helpline can mean we can’t always answer calls on the first attempt.

If this happens when you call, please either leave us a message with contact details and a time that’s safe for us to call you back. Or you can call us again or get in touch with us via email at [email protected]. We are here for you and want to help however we can.

We understand that not everyone we chat with will be ready or able to leave the situation they are in, even if they think it is abusive. We will not judge you or try to make you do anything you are not ready for.

If you just want to talk to us about your situation and nothing else, we are here to listen. You don’t have to share anything you’re not ready to share. We will only offer the support, advice and information you ask for and we will not call you back unless you ask us to.

Calls can stay anonymous if you would prefer, meaning you only have to share your name and details if you want to. 

We will ask you at the beginning of the call for your consent to keep your details and details of our conversation on our database. This can only be seen by our staff and will be kept confidential. We will only share what you have talked to us about with someone else if there are concerns for you or someone else’s safety. If we do need to talk to anyone else about this, it would only be to other trusted professionals and we would always let you know about this. 

If you choose to stay anonymous, we can put notes onto our database without including your details. 

We are here to help anyone over the age of 16 who thinks they may have been affected by domestic abuse and/or violence, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, ethnic or religious group, class, disability, lifestyle or background.

Even if what you are going through is not something we can support with, we will do our best to signpost you to another service that can help.

Absolutely. We are here to listen and give you the information and support that you ask for. We get lots of calls from people who aren’t sure if what they are experiencing is domestic violence or abuse. We will never judge you or try to make you do anything you are not ready for. If we don’t think we are the right service to help, we will do our best to direct you to a service that can.

We understand that it can be difficult reliving and retelling your experiences. If you call us once and then get in touch with us again for more support, the worker will be able to access the notes from your previous call so you do not have to go through everything again.

However, if you choose to stay anonymous in your first call, it will be difficult for us to access your details if you call back again.

If you just want to talk to us about your situation, we are here to listen. We can also give you information on our service or signpost you to other relevant services if needed. Options around Housing, Legal Support, Legal Orders, Child Contact, Reporting to Police and other practical needs can be discussed.

Our team has access to a database of refuge accommodation around the UK, including Leeds, and we can support you to find  accommodation if you are fleeing domestic abuse and need help to stay safe.

If you want a referral into our service, then we will do that with you over the phone and call you back for further assessment at a time that works for you. 

If you get all the information you need and would like to think things over, you can call us again at any time. Alternatively, you can give us your contact details and a safe time for us to call you if that would be better for you.

We can support you to find refuge accommodation somewhere in the UK if you are fleeing domestic abuse and live outside of Leeds. We can also help you if a criminal incident occurred in Leeds, even if you live outside of  Leeds. 

Otherwise, we can help you to find the right support services in your area. 

If you would like more support and live outside of Leeds, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit their website here.