Bereavement support in the UK: helplines and services

You don’t have to cope with grief on your own. This page lists free UK bereavement helplines and services, with phone numbers checked on each organisation’s own website in September 2026. Opening hours can change, so check the website before you call if you can.

Key points

• Cruse offers free bereavement support in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Cruse Scotland is a separate charity covering Scotland.
• Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123, for anyone struggling, not only in crisis.
• Specialist charities support people after the death of a baby, a child, a partner, or a death by suicide.
• Winston’s Wish has merged into Child Bereavement UK, which now provides support for bereaved children and families.
• At a Loss has a searchable directory of local bereavement services.
• In an emergency, call 999.

If you need help right now

National bereavement helplines

Each registered charity’s details — charity number, accounts and what it spends money on — can be checked on Charity Compare.

Death of a baby or child

See also our guide to a funeral for a baby or child.

Death by suicide

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) offers peer support from trained volunteers who have themselves been bereaved by suicide. Helpline: 0300 111 5065. Check the website for opening hours and local groups.

Cruse, Samaritans and Child Bereavement UK also support people bereaved by suicide.

Death of a partner

WAY Widowed and Young is a peer-support network for anyone aged 50 or under when their partner died, whether married or not. It offers online communities, local meet-ups and events, with a small annual membership fee and help available for those who can’t afford it. There’s no phone helpline, so contact is through the website.

For practical and financial help, see bereavement leave and pay and help paying for a funeral.

Support for children and young people

• Child Bereavement UK: 0800 02 888 40, with resources for families and schools.
• Hope Again: Cruse’s website for young people, created with young people who have been bereaved.
• Childline: 0800 1111 for anyone under 19.

See our guide to children and funerals.

If there’s an inquest (England and Wales)

The Coroners’ Courts Support Service offers free emotional and practical support to families attending an inquest: 0300 111 2141. See medical examiners, coroners and post-mortems.

Faith-based support

Many people find comfort within their faith community. You can:

• speak to your priest, minister, imam, rabbi, granthi, pandit or other faith leader, many of whom offer home visits and bereavement support;
• ask a hospital or hospice chaplain. Chaplaincy teams are usually multi-faith and also support people with no religion;
• ask your place of worship whether it runs bereavement groups or visiting schemes.

The Muslim Bereavement Support Service supports bereaved Muslim women; contact is by email and through its website. For your own tradition, see our faith guides. Humanist and non-religious support is available through the general services above.

Local support

• Your GP can talk through how you’re feeling and refer you to counselling or mental health services.
• Hospices often offer bereavement support to families of people they cared for, and sometimes to the wider community.
• Your funeral director may run aftercare services, memorial events or groups, or know what’s available locally.
• Your employer may offer an employee assistance programme with free, confidential counselling.
• Local groups and cafés: At a Loss and The Good Grief Trust list many local services.

What to expect from bereavement support

• Helplines: a trained volunteer or counsellor listens and can point you to further help.
• One-to-one support: a set number of sessions in person, by phone or by video.
• Groups and peer support: meeting people who have had a similar loss.
• Waiting lists are common for free counselling, so call helplines in the meantime.
• Private counselling: choose someone registered with a recognised professional body, such as the BACP or UKCP.

Next steps

• Read about coping with grief.
• Work through practical tasks with our when someone dies checklist.
• Learn about Tell Us Once to notify government departments in one go.