Samaritans awarded number of extreme social value by Ofcom

Today three organisations, including Samaritans, have been awarded phone numbers, which will provide services of extreme social value, by Ofcom.

116 123 will be used for an emotional support helpline, provided by Samaritans

116 111 will be used for a child helpline, provided by NSPCC (which runs ChildLine)

116 000 will be used for a missing people helpline, provided by Missing People

This number allocation follows a decision made by the European Commission to provide a ‘same number - same service’ across all member states to access services of extreme social value. Each member states will have a different service provider for each of their three numbers. Samaritans will be the service provider for the 116 123 emotional helpline service in the UK.

Speaking about the award, Catherine Johnstone, Chief Executive of Samaritans, said:

We welcome the 116 123 phone number which gives anyone in emotional distress – anywhere in the country – a free, short and simple way to call Samaritans.

We believe that giving people the chance to talk, especially in these troubled times, can alleviate feelings of despair and suicidal thoughts, bringing us closer to achieving our vision that fewer people die by suicide.”

Media Briefing about the impact of the 116 123 helpline on Samaritans

Ofcom's Press release