24hr National Freephone Helpline 1800 341 900

The Women's Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline offers confidential information, support and understanding to women in the Republic of Ireland, who are being abused by current or former boyfriends, partners or husbands.

The service also supports family members, friends, and professionals who have concerns about a person, they know or are working with, who might be experiencing domestic violence and abuse. The Helpline provides support to callers where English is not their first language, through our Language Line facility (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and for women who are deaf or hard of hearing through it’s Text Service facility (operational daily, 8am-8pm).

The Helpline aims to empower women to identify what is happening for them within their relationship and support them to stay safe and support the safety of any children living within the relationship. The Helpline aims to at all times ensure that the responsibility for the abuse is placed firmly with the perpetrator of the abuse and not with the woman.

The Helpline also acts as a referral to the Women's Aid One to One Support Service and Court Accompaniment Service, local domestic violence refuges and support services, legal aid and other agencies, both statutory and voluntary, which are helpful to women experiencing abuse within a relationship.

The Helpline team alos run the National Helpline Instant Messaging Support Service (IMSS).  Visit here for more information.

Helpline standards

1. Women's Aid aims to respond to all calls in a non judgemental way.
2. Women's Aid aims to respond to 70% of calls received within 20 seconds during opening hours.
3. Women's Aid aims to respond to requests for interpreters within 3 minutes.
4. Women's Aid aims to respond to all emails within 3 working days.

Making the first Helpline call

• We understand how daunting it can be to pick up the phone and tell someone about what is happening to you. Many initial calls to our Helpline are silent. Women have told us later that they were too afraid and ashamed to speak to anyone, not even to family and friends.
• We will give you time to speak and will understand if you cannot speak today.
• The confidential and anonymous nature of the Women's Aid Helpline provides a safe, non-judgemental space for you to talk about your experiences.
• National Helpline calls are not recorded.

If you, or someone you know, is afraid of someone who is close to you, you can call us on 1800 341 900, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Who can call the Helpline?

• Women who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence.
• Friends and family seeking to support women and children who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence.
• Professionals supporting women and children who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence.

When is it open?

• The Helpline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Is it free?

• Yes. It is a National Freephone Helpline. You will not be charged for your call from a landline.
• You should not be charged for your call from a mobile phone.
• However, if you find that you are being charged when callling the Helpline from a mobile phone, you can notify the Women's Aid support worker who answers your call, and they will call you right back if this is safe for you.
• Then you can call your mobile service provider's customer service number to request that these charges are taken off, and that you are no longer charged for 1800 numbers.
• At times, new phones come with an automatic block on 1800 numbers. If you find you are blocked, then call your mobile provider's customer service number and ask to have the block removed, which they should be able to do straight away.

Will the Helpline number show up on my bill?

• It will not appear on your Eir phone bill. However, please check with your home or mobile service provider (O2, Vodafone, etc) to make sure. We cannot guarantee that the number will not appear. The number may also appear in the call log of your mobile phone. Read more about phone safety here.

Who will answer my call?

• The Helpline is staffed by professional and well trained staff and volunteers. The Helpline is staffed by women at all times.

What kind of support is given by the Helpline?

• Helpline workers will listen to you, believe you and support you. We will not judge you. We will not tell you what to do. Your safety is our main concern.
• Women's Aid believes that you are the best judge of your safety. Helpline workers will talk through your options with you.
• Helpline workers can refer you to a local domestic violence support service or women's refuge. We can also provide you with a range of information on finance, housing, children, court orders and social welfare.

How often can I ring?

• Sometimes one call is enough but many women receive ongoing support from our Helpline.

What happens if the phone is not answered?

• If you ring and cannot get through it is because our support workers are currently taking calls from other women. 
• If you find the Helpline is busy when you call, there is an option for you to leave a voice message with your name and contact number. Please only leave your contact details if it is safe to receive a call from us. We will call you back and the number will show up as a 'private number'.

What kind of response is given to emails?

• We are unable to respond to emails from the 22^nd to the 3rds of Jan 2023 (inc) If you need support please contact the 24hr National Freephone Helpline on on 1800 341 900.
• You can email the Women's Aid Helpline at helpline@womensaid.ie for basic information. However, Women's Aid cannot provide support via email. We will endeavour to respond to your email within three working days.
• Please note that we do not open attachments to emails. 
• Women’s Aid offers a confidential service for women seeking help and support. This means that when you call or email us you do not have to give any identifying information such as name, address or telephone number. However, if you do give us identifying information and we are concerned that a child is at risk, we will have to pass on that information to the appropriate agencies, as we operate within Children First. Click here for our service users policies on confidentiality and complaints.
• We recommend that you call the National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for support and information.

What is the Instant Messaging Support Service?

• The National Helpline Instant Messing Support Service where you can chat with our specialist Helpline support workers online and in confidence.  Click on the Need Help? icon on the bottom right hand side of our website or visit here for more information.