If you or someone you know needs our help immediately, there are a number of ways we can provide support.
If you are in immediate danger always dial 999. In the event that you require emergency accommodation and are unable to reach us, please contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
HELPLINE
A free phone line
Monday - Thursday 9.30am-9.30pm
Outside these hours you may leave us a voicemail.
WEBCHAT
Monday & Wednesday 3pm-5pm
Tuesday & Thursday 10am-12pm
This is a free, confidential advice
and emotional support service.
EMAIL US
Your message will go straight
to someone in our specialist support team.
Our confidential, anonymous helpline is a vital part of what we offer to those affected by any form of domestic abuse or sexual violence.
Helpline
The helpline is the first point of contact for many of our clients, especially those who need support but are initially worried about giving their name.
The helpline also offers advice and information to concerned family and friends of a woman who is in an abusive relationship.
Professionals can call for advice or complete the Professionals Referral Form.
The helpline is free to call from all landlines and mobiles in the UK. It’s open Monday to Thursday, 9.30am to 9.30pm (excluding Jewish holidays and bank holidays). Outside of these hours, the calls are recorded, monitored and responded to as soon as possible.
The number will not show up on your phone bill, but will be in your calls log on a mobile and some home phones, so you may wish to delete it after your call. If you are concerned about this, ask your helpliner for advice.
Remember, if you are in immediate danger always dial 999. In the event that you require urgent help and are unable to reach us, please contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
The text-based JWA Web Chat is a free, confidential advice and emotional support service for women and girls who have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence.
It is not an emergency or crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, please phone 999 or visit your local A&E department.
When is it available?
Monday and Wednesday: 3pm–5pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 10am–noon
Who can access it?
Our Web Chat is for Jewish women and girls aged 14+ in London or 16+, the rest of England, whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse or sexual violence. It doesn’t matter whether it happened recently or a long time ago, we are here for you.
How do I use the JWA Web Chat?
To start a chat, click on the speech bubble symbol at the bottom right-hand side of this website. It will only be visible during the opening hours above.
Only start chatting if it is safe to do so.
Make sure you exit the chat properly. The quickest way to close the chat is to click the ‘Exit site’ button. Or to leave the chat, click the ‘X’ on the top right corner of the chat.
If your phone is accessible to other people you can delete your browsing history ASAP. If you’re not sure how, follow the Met police guidance.
What can I expect from the session?
Firstly, you’ll see a message detailing our confidentiality and data agreement. You must read and agree to the agreement to enable the chat to start.
You’ll then have a one-to-one chat with one of our highly-trained advisors. You’ll be listened to, believed and offered support. You will not be judged or blamed and you don’t have to take any further action if you don’t feel ready to.
This is a safe and confidential space for you to talk and get advice and/or support.
You’ll be able to share at your own pace can end the conversation whenever you want. If you are finding the idea of using the Web Chat daunting, rest assured that our advisors will support you through the process.
Depending on what you say, the advisor will either just listen to you, provide advice, refer you for ongoing support or signpost you to more appropriate services.
Chats last up to 30 minutes.
Can I contact the JWA Web Chat more than once?
You can use the Web Chat as often as you need. However, as we do not retain any records of your chats, if you do visit again you may speak to a different advisor who won’t have access to what you previously discussed.
Whilst our Web Chat service can provide you with emotional support, it is not designed to provide ongoing support or counselling.
What can I do if the Web Chat is busy?
As our advisors only chat to one person at a time, you may sometimes find that you are unable to chat with an advisor straight away. Please be patient and try again, or send an email to be called back, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Is the JWA Web Chat a referral line?
Our Web Chat advisors can make referrals directly into our domestic abuse or sexual violence service if you would like them to. Otherwise, you can just have an anonymous conversation.
Prank and abusive users
Should an advisor believe they are dealing with a prank or obscene caller, they have the right to terminate the chat. They may ask a user to desist if they find the language used to be extreme and unacceptable, or choose to end the chat if the language persists.
We will report any incidents of anti-Semitic abuse towards staff to the CST and/or the police.
Experiencing a technical issue?
If you are having technical problems with the Web Chat service, please email: advice@jwa.org.uk
Your personal details
Our Web Chat can be an anonymous service. The only identifiable information that we have access to is the IP address of the device you are using.
What you discuss with the Web Chat advisor during your live chat session is intended to be a private conversation. We save transcripts of the live chat sessions only for monitoring and reporting purposes.
At the end of each session, you will be asked if you would like further support from JWA. If so, we will need some details such as your name, email and phone number. You do not have to have further support or give any personal details if you do not want to.
Sharing information with other agencies
Most of the time whatever you tell us will stay between you and the advisor. However, we may need to share information with others if we believe someone is at risk of serious or immediate harm, or if we are instructed by a court of law.
If this is the case, and you disclose information that could lead us to identify your name and location, we may have to share information with the appropriate authorities.
We would initially ask for your consent to share such information, and we can only help in these situations if we have information which identifies you.
Breaking confidentiality without consent
In extremely rare cases, the Web Chat advisor may need to share personal information without gaining consent. This will be in situations where:
Domestic Abuse Survivor