We provide dedicated specialist support services for male survivors of sexual abuse (adults,teenagers and children) and those who support them living in England and Wales.
National Male Survivor Helpline
0808 800 5005
Please call our helpline during opening hours as we do not offer a call back service.
National Male Survivor Online Support Service
- Male Survivor SMS Text Service – text 07860 065187 (texts are charged at your standard rate).
- Male Survivor Live Chat Service:
- Male Survivor Email Service – email support@safeline.org.uk. You are welcome to email us anytime and we aim to reply within 7 working days.
Our usual opening times:
Open Mon-Fri: 9am-8pm and
Saturday and Sunday: 10am-2pm
Feedback
We really appreciate your feedback about our helpline and online service and you can give us feedback at any time to enable us to give you the best possible experience. You can speak to our helpline advisors during your call, text, live chat or email conversation, or you can call the office on 01926 402498 or or e-mail us on office@safeline.org.uk. Alternatively, please click the link below to leave anonymous feedback.
We wish to acknowledge gender identity can be fluid for some individuals and when we use the term ‘male’ this includes cisgender (cis), transgender (trans) and non-binary identities.
We understand how difficult it can be sometimes to talk about your experiences or to know how to find the words and to seek support. Our team of friendly professional staff have all undertaken accredited training to work with male survivors of sexual abuse and will give you the space you need to go at your pace when you feel ready to talk. Our support services for male survivors of sexual abuse provide emotional support, guidance and information. We can also help you find services local to you.
If English is not your preferred language we can support you via Language Line which allows people to communicate across different languages in a matter of seconds through a three way phone call with an interpreter.
Our helpline services are delivered by male and female individuals. If you reach a call handler and you would prefer to speak to a call handler of the alternate gender, if there is one available we can transfer you. If in the event an alternative call handler is not available we welcome you to call back at another time, or, if you feel comfortable to continue the call with the current call handler, you are welcome to do so.
We provide different ways of getting in touch so you can choose what works best for you. We offer one contact per week for up to 45 minutes via either a helpline call, a text session or a live chat session or you can choose to contact us via email and we aim to respond within seven working days.
Safeline is not a crisis service. If you feel you are in a crisis and need immediate help, please call the emergency services on 999, or speak to your GP. You can also contact the Samaritans on 116 123, text SHOUT to 85258 (24/7 crisis text support), or if you are a young person, please call ChildLine on 0800 1111 or visit their website here.
Using our service
If you are interested in accessing one of our support services for male survivors of sexual abuse, then it is important to us that you know what services are on offer, your rights and responsibilities, and that you have the chance to ask us any questions about the services before you decide to use them.
Please take notice of our opening times to enable you to make full use of the services you require and the time available. It might be useful to consider if you have a strong telephone reception or internet connection, with enough battery on your device to prevent any disruptions to your contact with us. If connection is lost, and you aren’t able to re-establish the communication with us straight away, we cannot offer another call or text based contact until the beginning of the following week.
We can sometimes experience a high volume of calls where it may be difficult for you to get in contact with us. Know that we are trying to facilitate your call but in the event you are unable to reach us, please call back at an alternative time that is suitable for you.
We kindly ask to be mindful to address call handlers by their given name only.
Our staff
All of our staff have undertaken accredited training in working with survivors of sexual abuse with specialist training on working with male survivors. If you would like further information on staff training please get in touch by emailing office@safeline.org.uk or calling 01926 402498.
Privacy and Confidentiality
If you contact our helpline and prefer to remain anonymous, you can hide your phone number by dialing 141 before the helpline number. Please check with your network provider that this service is available with your mobile network. We do not audio record live calls.
We recommend that when you contact us you do so in a private place and at a time where you will not be overheard or interrupted.
All the personally identifying information you give us will be kept confidential within our organisation unless:
- You give us permission to share information,
- The information is requested by a court of law,
- There is serious risk of harm to another person, for example, a serious crime being committed such as terrorism, fraud, or a child protection concern.
- There is serious risk of harm to yourself, for example, a plan to take your own life.
- To read more about our confidentiality policy please click here.
Record Keeping
During your contact with the service we may ask you if you would be willing to share some personal information (such as age, gender, geographical area) for the purpose of monitoring our service and for accessing funding. Please note it is always your choice whether you choose to answer these questions or not and if you prefer not to disclose personal information it will not affect your use of the service.
Helpline calls are not recorded but for training and monitoring purposes staff may listen into calls. Text and live chat conversations are stored securely for three years and email conversations stored securely for 30 days (after the last contact with the service) and then deleted unless we have a cause for concern for your safety or that of another person as outlined above or you have made a first disclosure of a potential or alleged crime that may later be used as evidence if you choose to report to the Police. If you make a first disclosure we will talk with you at the time what that means and the data we may collect.
Further information can be found on our Policies Page.
Service Use Policy
Please be respectful to the members of our team during your contact with Safeline.
Our teams work hard to support people affected by sexual violence and those assisting them. We have a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate and abusive callers and those who contact us via text, live chat or email, who may demonstrate any of the behaviours below:
- Rude / aggressive /confrontational behaviour and language directed at the call handler
- Not using the services appropriately or respecting the boundaries of the service
- Any inappropriate and graphic sexual content, behaviour and language during the call
- Facilitating or supporting in any way perpetrators of any form of abuse
(Please note this list is not exhaustive and serves as examples only.)
Any abuse towards staff or refusal to co-operate with any reasonable request from Safeline staff will not be tolerated and you will be politely asked to end your contact. Safeline services will be withheld from individuals who are deemed to be misusing the services in any way or who are abusive to staff. Concerns will be raised, monitored and escalated appropriately.
