Prisoners' Families Helpline
Opening hours
The Helpline is now open from:
9.00am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday,
10.00am - 3pm Saturday
If English is not your first language, the Helpline has access to over 100 languages via language line.
Who Can Help?
The Prisoners' Families Helpline is a free and confidential* service for anyone who is affected by the imprisonment of a close family member or friend. The Helpline is a consortium of 3 organisations and co-ordinated by Action for Prisoners' Families. The service is provided by the Ormiston Children and Families Trust in Cambridge and POPS in Manchester. For further information about these Organisations see the "Consortium Members" webpage.
Why are we here?
When someone is sent to prison you may feel as if you too are serving a sentence. Perhaps you feel confused or lonely and would like someone to talk to. You might find you have questions about the prison system or visiting and keeping in touch.
What can we do?
information
We can provide you with up-to-date information and guidance about prisons in England and Wales. We can also link you with different services and local support groups in your area. If English isn't your first language we can connect you to a translation service.
printed resources
We can give out information over the phone and also have a range of printed information sheets that can be sent to you. Titles include:- APVU: Getting help with travel costs to prison?
- Benefits Entitlements
- Categorisation
- Drugs
- Healthcare
- Home Detention Curfew
- Home visits by the Probation Service
- Housing
- Keeping in Touch
- Indeterminate Sentences - previously Life Sentenced Prisoners
- Property and Money
- Remand
- Sentence Calculation
- Support and Specialist Services
- Telling the Children?
- Transfers
- Visiting someone in Prison
- Who can help?
- Worried about self-harm or sucide
- Youth Justice
support
As well as providing information, we offer non-judgemental support and a listening ear. Please call us if you would like to talk things through.
When are we open?
We are usually open:
Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Saturdays 10am - 3pm
We are not open on Sundays or bank holidays.
* We have available, on request, the Prisoners' Families Helpline complaints procedure and confidentiality policy.
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Whilst we endeavour to keep the content of our website as up to date as possible, Prisoners' Families Helpline cannot be held responsible for any changes in legislation or for developments in policy since this information was published.
Throughout the site you fill find links to external websites. Although we make every effort to ensure these links are accurate, up to date and relevant, we cannot take responsibility for pages maintained by external providers.