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Please note that not all of the information and services provided below has been independently verified or vetted by WISH.
The content is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. We strongly recommend that you seek guidance from a qualified professional before making any decisions or taking action based on the information presented here.
National Sexual Health helpline
You can call the national sexual health helpline on: 0300 123 7123
Available: Monday to Friday from 9am — 8pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11am — 4pm.
Domestic Violence
If you are a victim of domestic abuse or know someone who is, help is available:
· Abuse Helpline: Call 0800 980 3331, available 24/7, staffed by trained workers offering support, safety planning, information, and advice.
· Male Domestic Abuse Helpline: Call 0800 014 9082, free and confidential, available 24/7.
· Emergency: Always dial 999 and ask for the police. If you can't speak, call 999 and press 55. For guidance, visit the Silent Solution webpage .
Further support and advice can be found on the Worcestershire County Council website .
Homelessness
Each council in Worcestershire offers a housing options service that provides expert advice for anyone in need, whether you're facing homelessness or concerned about losing your home.
Below are links to the local councils in Worcestershire where you can find help:
· Malvern Hills District Council
· Wyre Forest District Council
Further information on support services for homelessness is available on the Worcestershire County Council website.
Mental Health
Support with anxiety, low mood and depression
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Talking Therapies supports people aged 16 and over, who are experiencing difficulties such as stress, anxiety, low mood and depression. To access the service, you must be aged 16 or over and registered with a GP in Herefordshire or Worcestershire. To access support and more information visit the Talking Therapies website.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) , offers support and services to young people up until the age of 19 who are experiencing mental health difficulties that are impacting on activities of daily living. For more information on support and services available to young people visit our young persons mental wellbeing website.
Support in a mental health crisis
If you are experiencing something that makes you feel unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can now contact the Herefordshire and Worcestershire 24 hour urgent mental health helpline by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.
By calling NHS 111, and selecting the mental health option, we can help to get you the urgent support you need for your mental health. If you are unsure what to do, staff on this number will be able to guide you to the appropriate choice.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if:
· Yours or someone’s life is at risk – for example, they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose
· You do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe
If you just need to talk, any time of day or night:
These services offer confidential advice from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:
· Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans , or email Jo from the samaritans for a reply within 24 hours
· Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line
· If you're under 19, you can call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline . The number will not appear on your phone bill.
· Are you a young person in crisis? Visit the Young Minds website for more support.
Alternative local mental health support:
· Worcestershire Safe Haven provides telephone support and face-to-face appointments to Worcestershire residents who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Call 01905 600400 any day of the week between 6pm and midnight for support and signposting.
Sexual Assault
NHS sexual assault referral centres provide 24/7 support following sexual assault or abuse. You can turn to them for specialist help – they are here for you.
Locally, The Glade SARC provides a service for anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of gender identity, age, ethnicity, ability or sexuality.
If you, a friend or family member have been a victim of rape or sexual assault and would like advice or to self refer to The Glade please call 0808 178 2058. The self referral line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your call will be answered by a specially trained crisis worker who is there to offer advice and support. All our crisis workers are female.
Alternatively, you can email the Glade team – please note this email address is only monitored during office hours (Monday-Friday (9:00-17:00 excluding Bank Holidays).
West Mercia Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre (WMRSASC) is a free, confidential and non-judgemental support service for survivors who have experienced rape, assault, incest, sexual abuse, sexual harassment or any form of sexual attack, whether physical, verbal or emotional. Services are free, confidential and non-judgemental and currently available to survivors who have experienced any form of rape and/or sexual violence at any time in their lives.
The Branch Project: This is a programme of non-criminal justice advocacy, psychosocial education and practical support for any young person at risk of/or who has experienced Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) or is worried about it.
Support for children and young people impacted by child sexual exploitation who have reported their abuse to the police are supported by the CHISVA Service.
Branch Plus www.wmrsasc.org.uk/our-services/branch-plus is a specialist free and confidential support service for adults impacted by sexual violence. This could be in sex work, prostitution, trafficking or when sex is used to survive.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
The NHS website has lots of information on FGM and links to community support clinics.
Sexuality and identity
Vista Tilley runs a group for young people aged 11-17 once a month in central Worcester. For more information about this group, visit their Instagram or Facebook page.
Other local LQBTQ+ community groups and services include:
LGB&T Support Services Redditch — Local support group to help chat with members, friends & family of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community. You can contact LGB&T Redditch by calling: 07891 549 333 or via the following email address: LGBT Redditch email address
Bromsgrove Youth & Community Hub — Young people can speak to professionals on a range of topics including relationship advice, mental health support, self esteem & sexual health. You can contact Bromsgrove Youth & Community Hub by calling: 07717 438 427
Birmingham South Asians LGBT — Finding a Voice — Birmingham South Asians LGBT - Finding A Voice is a social group with support for South Asians aged 18+ of any faith, culture, religion or disability. You can contact Birmingham South Asians LGBT Finding a Voice by calling: 07896 717678
RANG —RANG is a social support group open to South Asian & Middle Eastern men (and trans masculine men) who may identify as gay or bisexual. In some South Asian countries RANG means “Colour.”
Birmingham LGBT — Raising awareness of the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans (LGBT) people in Birmingham & beyond, to advocate for their needs & to enable them to fully participate in the lives of their community. You can contact Birmingham LGBT by calling: 0121 643 0821 or via the following email address: Birmingham LGBT email address
Birmingham LGBT Community Directory — Comprehensive listings for everything LGBT in the city, including social groups, services, sports clubs, arts groups, bars, clubs, shops, cafés, & much more.
West Midlands Police LGBT Network — Supporting LGBT employees & improving the relationships between the Police & LGBT communities. You can contact the West Midlands Police LGBT Network via the following email address
Stonewall — Resources & information for LGBT People. You can contact Stonewall by calling: 0207 593 1850
Stonewall Housing — Works to ensure Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans people live in safer homes, free from fear, & where we can celebrate our identity & support each other. You can contact Stonewall Housing by calling: 0800 6404 404
Quest — Quest exists to provide pastoral support to LGBT+ Catholics. You can contact Quest by calling: 0300 123 1989
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) —Our network of charities offers confidential advice online, over the phone, & in person, for free. You can contact Citizens Advice by calling: 0344 411 1303
Beaumont Trust BM Charity London —We provide information to adults affected by the issues concerning the trans spectrum.
Redditch Mental Health Action Group — Services to promote & support positive mental health in the Redditch community. You can contact Redditch Mental Health Action Group using the following email address
Terrence Higgins Trust — HIV/AIDS Support. Terrence Higgins Trust can be contacted by calling: 0808 802 1221
Moseley Shoals — Birmingham’s Social Gay Swim & Water Polo Group.
Pink Sou’westers Activity Group — We offer a range of affordable, accessible, inclusive, non-scene social events & activities open to all LGBTs regardless of age or area of residence. You can contact the Pink Sou'westers Activity Group via the following email address or by calling: 07976 274 271
Rainbow Voices LGBT Choir — The only West Midlands choir for Gay men, Lesbians, Bisexuals & Trans people & their friends, with members across all ages. Based in Edgbaston.
Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra — The Midlands LGBT orchestra. Promotes musical talent directly from within the LGBT community, illuminating the diversity that exists within it to the wider community & beyond.
Galop — For LGBTQ people experiencing any kind of abuse or violence. To contact Galop call: 0800 999 5428
Gendered Intelligence — Support for trans, non binary and gender questioning people and their families. You can contact Gendered Intelligence by calling: 020 7155 1302
Gires, Gender Identity Research and Education Society — Contains Tranzwiki which is a comprehensive directory of non commercial groups and organisations supporting trans and gender diverse individuals, family and friends.
Young People
The Starting Well Partnership website includes a wealth of information for young people, including advice and resources to support healthy relationships, support for homelessness and substance abuse, and information on local services that can support physical and mental health.
Women’s groups
JOY is a female and female identifying wellbeing group which provides support to enable women to gain a variety of skills, enhance their confidence and empower them to make their own informed decisions.
JOY is a safe, inclusive service, open to all women at any stage of their journey. It supports women across a broad spectrum, with wide ranging abilities, support needs, backgrounds and goals.
JOY seeks to support women to assess their own current skills, build their confidence, raise their aspirations, and support them in creating a future plan. Each woman will access a journey tailored to their own specific abilities, needs and g oals.
Situated in Smallwood in Redditch, the Sandycroft Centre (Formally the All Women’s House) offers a wide range of services to support the Redditch community. The Sandycroft Centre works with other agencies to provide local services to meet the needs of a diverse community through a ‘One-stop-shop’ approach. www.sandycroft.org