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Emotional Support

We can support you to deal with difficult feelings or thoughts you may be experiencing during a time of crisis. This could include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Panic attacks
  • Thought of Self Harming
  • Thoughts about Suicide
  • Hearing voices
  • Bereavement

Practical Support

We can support you to find ways of getting help to deal with the causes of the crisis you are facing. This could include:

  • Accessing information and specialist advice about welfare benefits and debt
  • Accessing Housing information services including homelessness services
  • Finding help with relationship difficulties
  • Accessing information and advice about substance misuse

And we can help you to:

  • Find out about your rights and accessing Independent Advocacy and collective Advocacy in Edinburgh
  • Finding out about Carers organisations

Diversity

We are an inclusive service and offer support to all people. We have developed extensive resources with information for people who may have specific needs relating to culture, disability, gender, race and sexuality. This includes:

  • BME (Black and Minority Ethnic)
  • Disabled people
  • LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +)
  • Men
  • Women
  • Young People

The following information lists services available 24/7 locally.

Local 24 hour emergency services:

  • Emergency Services – Tel: 999 (for non emergencies – Tel: 101)
    If you need immediate help from the police, the ambulance service or the fire brigade
  • Emergency Housing – Tel: 0800 032 5968 Freephone
    If you become homeless outside of office hours, you can call the Council Housing Department’s out of hours number
  • Emergency Social Work Service (ESWS) – Tel: 0800 731 6969 Freephone
    ESWS provides emergency social work service out of hours and over the weekend until Social Care Direct offices re-open at 9am on Mondays.
  • National Domestic Violence Helpline – Tel: 0808 2000 247 Freephone
    The helpline can provide access to 24-hour emergency refuge accommodation, as well as an information service, including safety planning and translation facilities to women and children experiencing domestic violence
  • NHS 24 – Tel: 111
    If you or someone who you care for is unwell and it cannot wait until the GP Surgery re-opens, you can call NHS 24. NHS 24 also provides confidential telephone health advice and information
  • Mental Health Assessment Service- Tel: 0131 537 6000
    This is an self referral service for psychiatric emergency assessment for people.

Local 9-5 services:

  • The Access Point – Tel: 0131 529 7438
    A Council service that provides information and support about housing options if you are homeless and have mental Health issues.
  • Advice Shop – Tel: 0131 225 1255
    A Council service that provides free and confidential advice on welfare benefits, money and debt issues, consumer matters, employment issues, and housing problems.
  • Advocard – Tel: 0131 554 5307
    Provides independent advocacy to people who use or have used mental health services and who live in the community or are inpatients at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
  • Citizens Advice Bureau – Tel: 0131 557 1500
    Offers free and confidential advice on a range of issues including employment, housing, money and welfare benefits.
  • Edinburgh Carers Council – Tel: 0131 322 8480
    Provides information and advocacy to carers of people with a mental health problem and who use mental health services.
  • Legal Services Agency – Tel: 0131 228 9993
    Provides legal advice and representation to people with mental health problems.
  • Mental Welfare Commission User and Carer Advice Line (freephone) – Tel: 0800 389 6809
    Provides a telephone advice service to help service users and carers to understand more about individuals’ rights and effective use of mental health and incapacity law.
  • Patients Council – Tel: 0131 537 6462
    Is an independent collective advocacy organisation whose members are patients or former patients of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital
  • Shelter’s Free Housing Advice Line – Tel: 0808 800 4444 (8am – 12midnight)
    Provides free and confidential advice on housing problems and rights.
  • Social Care Direct – Tel: 0131 200 2324
    For Edinburgh adult social care services during office hours.
  • Criminal Justice Services- Tel: 0131 469 3408
    Email: enquiries.criminaljustice@edinburgh.gov.uk