Texting the NSPCC

You can text the NSPCC from your phone on 88858 any time, day or night, 365 days a year. We will aim to read and respond to your text within three hours. You will receive a personal reply, by text, from one of our counsellors. The service is free.

However, if you think a child is in immediate danger, call the emergency services on 999. Alternatively, call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. Please do not text us as we may not be able to respond to your text immediately.

If you are texting from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, 88858 will not be available to you. However, you can text the NSPCC on 0778 620 0001. This service is not free and you will be charged at your standard network rate.

Your text message to us

Please make your text message to us as concise as possible. Provide as much information as you can about the child and the concerns you have. If you have seen any warning signs, let us know. If you have any details that can help to identify the child, such as their name or address, please share them too.

Remember, texts to 88858 are free, so please send more than one text about your concerns if you need to.

Text us for a call back

You can also text us to ask for a call back. We will aim to call you back within 24 hours. Please provide us with your name and phone number (your number is hidden from us unless you include it in your text). This is important so that we know we are speaking to the person who texted us when we call back. You can use a false name if you prefer.

Staying anonymous

We will not keep a record of your phone number if you text us, so you can ask for advice or share your concerns about a child anonymously. However, if we believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm, we may access your phone number through our text service provider to take direct action to protect that child.

We keep records for 15 years.

Text service terms and conditions.

Getting your feedback

After texting us, you may receive a text requesting that you complete a short survey. To help us improve our text service, please complete the survey if you have time.