For information on courses, please contact us directly on 02086927500
HELP & SUPPORT for our learners & community
Tower College appreciate that there will be times when learners, their family, friends or employers may be looking for extra help or support in their personal or professional lives. We signpost to a range of professional services that you may find beneficial to contact. For ease, we have categorised these as follows:
Mental Health Support
Addiction Support
Abuse & Victim Support
Eating Disorder Support
Self Harm & FGM Support
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Employment
Financial Support
Advice and Guidance
Housing
Emergency Housing Advice
Single Parent Familes
Stalking
Network For Surviving Stalking
Mental Health Support
Remploy can help to support Apprentices with mental health conditions who are finding it difficult to attend work or concentrate on that or their Apprenticeship. Remploy could provide personal, emotional and wellbeing support for 6 months and help the employer to understand how they can provide support or adjustments.
Contact Details:
0300 456 8210
Rethink is a charity aimed at young people dealing with mental health issues – they provide information, advice and guidance on a range of areas including money issues, employment, physical health, police, courts, prison, housing, recovery or advice on how to support a friend or relative with their mental health.
Contact Details:
0300 5000 927
MIND are also a mental health charity who can provide information and advice to help people make choices about treatment, understand their rights and reach out to sources of support.
Contact details:
0300 123 3393
Text: 86463
Samaritans offer a safe place for anyone to call for a chat, at any time about whatever’s getting you down. People don’t need to feel suicidal to call – Samaritans are there to listen.
116 123
Addiction Support
Gamblers Anonymous offers various help for compulsive gamblers including a forum, chat room, literature, meetings, advice, guidance and friendship to help solve the problems they have in common.
Drinkaware is an independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK – they provide help and information to enable people to make better choices about their drinking habits.
020 7766 9900
Drinkline – 0300 123 1110 (confidential)
Confidential, honest information and advice site for everything drugs related – the highs, the lows and everything in between, including guidance on the drug, the effects, the risks and the law as well as what to do in an emergency.
0300 123 6600
Text: 82111
Live chat also available between 2pm-6pm
Abuse & Victim Support
Childline is aimed at children and young people and provide support and guidance to those facing predominantly bullying or abuse. Advice is also given on a range of other areas such as friends, relationships, sex, sexting, home and families, school, college and work.
0800 1111
Online email form is also available
Tower College also have a safeguarding helpline at: info@towercollege.co.uk
Victim Support help people to feel safer and find the strength to move beyond crime, which includes domestic abuse and victims of crime. The support is free, confidential and tailored to the needs of the victim.
0808 1689 111
online form is also available
Eating Disorder Support
Beat are a UK eating disorder charity who give sufferers and their family or friends a place where they feel listened to, supported and empowered. They provide information, advice and guidance about different types of eating disorders, a library of information and contacts to help get the treatment needed to overcome the disorder.
Contact: www.b-eat.co.uk
Helpline for adults, over 18: 0808 801 0677 or help@b-eat.co.uk
Helpline for young people, under 18: 0808 801 0711 or fyp@b-eat.co.uk
The National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED) provide guidance and advice on everything people need to know about eating disorders, as well as treatment and recovery, help for carers, personal assessments (which can be face-to-face, by phone or skype) and an information service on areas such as body image, about eating disorders and topical issues for sufferers and carers.
Contact: www.eating-disorders.org.uk
0845 838 2040
Self Harm & FGM Support
Self-harm is when people hurt themselves as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences. After self-harming, they may feel a short-term sense of release, but the cause of distress is unlikely to have gone away - self-harming can be an addictive behaviour that people start to depend on, and can take a long time to stop. There is some excellent advice and guidance at the following organisations
Mind have a large section on their website dealing with all aspects of Self-harm, from why people self-harm, to how to help themselves both in the short and longer term plus information on treatment and support for both the self-harmer and their friends or family.
Contact: www.mind.org.uk
or their supportive online community site at www.elefriends.org.uk
0300 123 3393 or text 86463
Harmless is a user led organisation that provides a range of services about self-harm including support, information, training and consultancy to people who self-harm, their friends, families and professionals. They also provide a bank of resources, advice and guidance in coping strategies, workbooks, DVD's and an online blog to help provide advice and guidance.
Contact: www.harmless.org.ukincluding an online contact form.
Email: info@harmless.org.uk
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Female genital mutilation is the deliberate removal or cutting of the external female genitalia (i.e. the labia and clitoris) despite there being no medical reason for this to be done. The practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play central roles within the community despite it being viewed internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. The majority of procedures are carried out on young girls between infancy and adolescence who are generally of African, Middle Eastern and Asian backgrounds. This procedure is illegal in the UK and constitutes child abuse.
If someone is in immediate danger, please contact the police by dialing 999.
If you're concerned that someone may be at risk or you are being put under pressure to have FGM performed on your daughter, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0800 028 3550 or fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk
If you've had FGM you can get help from your GP or gynaecologist at hospital
Forward (Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development) are a leading gender equality and safeguarding charity working with partnerships in the UK, Europe and Africa to transform lives, tackle discriminatory practices and provide support, guidance and safeguarding advice to African girls and women - they focus on FGM as well as child marriage.
Contact: www.forwarduk.org.uk
0208 960 4000
Email support@forwarduk.org.uk
Employment
The National Careers Service provide information, advice and guidance to help people make decisions on their learning, training and work. Online tools are available to help create a CV, undertake a Skills Health Check and action plan future careers.
0800 100 900
Text: 07766 413219
www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
Financial Support
The Money Advice Service provide free and impartial money advice, set up by the government, to provide support by phone or online. Other tools include an online savings calculator, budget planner, mortgage calculator, pension planner, benefits and letter templates.
0800 138 7777
Webchat also available online
Independent Financial Solutions (IFS) offer unbiased advice and guidance on a range of private, professional and corporate planning to both employers and employees, i.e. pensions advice, mortgages, medical cover, investments, tax planning, employee benefits and life cover – nationally.
0800 980 4136
Online email form is also available
Advice and Guidance
The Citizens Advice can provide independent free advice on a range of topics, including benefits, work, debt and money, consumer, family, housing, law and courts, immigration and health. Advice can be sought online, by phone or in person at a centre around the country.
03444 111 444
www.citizensadvice.org.uk webchat is also available
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) provide information, advice and guidance on equality legislation, human rights and discrimination in employment or when using goods or services – with particular reference to the Equality Act 2010.
Advice and support via the Equality Advisory and Support Service:
www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
0808 800 0082
The Mankind Initiative was the first charity in GB to support male victims of domestic abuse - they provide services and support for male victims and campaign to ensure that male victims receive the support they need from other organisations. Their aim is to ensure all male victims of domestic abuse (and their children) are supported to enable them to escape from the situation they're in. 1 in 6 men will be a victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime - you are not to blame, you are not weak, you are not alone.
Helpline: 01825 334244 - provides listening support as well as information and signposting.
SupportLine provides a confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support to any individual on any issue. The Helpline is primarily a preventative service and aims to support people before they reach the point of crisis. It is particularly aimed at those who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at risk groups and victims of any form of abuse. There are numerous sources of advice and guidance on this website - including for stalking, harassment, anxiety, bereavement, bullying, child abuse, debt, finance, depression, forced marriage, hate crime, gender identity, homelessness, loneliness, offenders and rehabilitation, self-harm, terminal illness, trauma - and many others. www.supportline.org.uk or 01708 765200 or info@supportline.org.uk.
Housing
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness - they provide advice, support and legal services - particularly around homelessness, private renting, tenancy deposits, repossessions, evictions, repairs, housing benefit and council housing. Support can be provided either face-to-face, online chat or through a national helpline which is open 365 days a year.
https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help
In an emergency call 0808 1644 660
Centrepoint are an organisation that provides housing and support to homeless young people, aged 16-25, around London, Manchester, Yorkshire, the North East and through partnerships all over the UK. Recent research estimates that at least 150,000 young people across England and Wales have approached local authorities for help because they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Centrepoint can be contacted via online form here: www.centrepoint.org.uk/youth-homelessness/get-help-now/
0808 800 0661
Emergency Housing Advice
The council must help if you're legally homeless, but how much depends on your eligibility, your level of need and whether it is deemed that your homelessness is your fault. For more information and definitions of homelessness and eligibility, please click here:
www.gov.uk/emergency-housing-if-homeless
Single Parent Familes
Gingerbread is a leading charity organisation seeking to support single parent families by providing support, advice and campaigning for single mums and dads to help them meet their family's needs. They can provide support to those experiencing separation or bereavement, or sorting out work or childcare. There are a number of ways to get in touch with Gingerbread, including an online form and forum, as well as:
Helpline: 0808 802 0925
Stalking
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust
This is a charity organisation established following the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh. They run a National Stalking Helpline available on 0808 802 0300 - calls are free from all landlines and many network providers (O2, Orange, TMobile, Three (3), Virgin and Vodafone). There is also a wealth of information on their website www.suzylamplugh.org to support and signpost victims of stalking.
Network For Surviving Stalking
The NSS is a registered charity offering advice and information to people affected by stalking, enabling early recognition and the opportunity to seek help. This website does not offer 1:1 help or a helpline, but does provide case studies, guidance on staying safe and a range of useful contacts for specialist organisations and helplines covering all forms of abuse including domestic violence, rape crisis, specialist mens advice organisations and surviving child abuse.