Support Services & Helplines
You can Get Help Now!
Parents can get support and help, with themselves and parenting, to become mentally well and better able to look after their children. If the mother, father or parent is mentally unwell, extra support is essential to help with their recovery, and we encourage anyone to seek advice immediately.
Step 1 – Is this an emergency?
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please DIAL 111 for assistance, or go straight to your local Emergency Department (click here to find your local service)
Step 2 – Not an emergency but you need to talk to someone right away?
Try one of these services:
PlunketLine (0800 933 922) is a free parent helpline and advice service available to all families, whānau and caregivers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Call 0800 933 922 for parenting help. This is a free, 24/7 service (calls are also free from cellphones). You don’t need to be a Whānau Āwhina Plunket client to use PlunketLine. When you call PlunketLine your call will be answered by a Whānau Āwhina Plunket nurse, who can give you advice and information on parenting issues and your child’s health and wellbeing.
Lifeline Call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or send a text to HELP (4357)
Free confidential support – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – a safe, effective and confidential service to support the emotional and mental well-being of our callers and communities. Calls and text messages are answered by highly trained staff and volunteers. Volunteer counsellors undergo in-depth training and supervision, providing a caring and professional service to a wide range of people in need. They deal with many kinds of issues including emotional and psychological distress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family problems, domestic violence and abuse, work and financial issues and a myriad of others in the course of a year.
1737, Need to talk? – Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor
Free call or free text 1737 any time, 24 hours a day. You’ll get to talk or text with a trained counsellor or talk to a peer support worker. This service is completely free.
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
Confidential, non‑judgemental & non‑religious support, If you are experiencing loneliness, depression, despair, distress or suicidal feelings, call 0800 72 66 66 now. Samaritans operates a 24/7 crisis help line. Their phones are operated by volunteers from the community for the community and receive no direct government funding.
Step 3 – Rather talk to someone who knows you?
People you can reach out to talk to are:
- Your GP/Local Medical Centre
- Your Midwife
- Your Whānau Āwhina Plunket or Wellchild nurse
- A person you trust
Do not diminish what you are going through, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men feel the way you do, you are not alone. These people will have listened to many others like you and are able to help.
Step 4 – Contact your local Specialist Mental Health Service
For mental health emergencies you can contact your local crisis team (opens in new tab)
The crisis assessment team operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact the team for your area.
Step 5 – Want to find connect to a community service in your local area?
If you think you, or someone you know, might be suffering with depression or anxiety during their pregnancy or early parenting, you can find people to talk to here.
Many support groups can offer services such as coffee mornings, counselling, peer support meetings, lists of local services. They are a safe place for mums or dads with perinatal anxiety or depression to connect with others, and help acknowledge their struggles. If you have previously been supported in your own perinatal mental health journey, you may wish to connect with them to see about becoming a volunteer or helping them fundraise directly. Find your local service below:
Visit the Support Services page.
Step 6 – Something else?
Maybe you have a more specialised need not suitable for the services above? If so, look through all the services listed below. There are services available for fathers, grandparents, members of the rainbow community, parents of multiples, young people and many other specialised services.
Visit the National Helplines page.
Further information from PADA
If you think that you, or someone you know, might be suffering with depression or anxiety during their pregnancy or early parenting, there is lots of information on our website, get started with one of these pages:
Antenatal Depression / Anxiety or Depression while you are pregnant – visit page Antenatal Depression
Anxiety or Depression following the birth of your child – visit page Postnatal Depression
Support for Fathers/partners during pregnancy or after the birth of your child – visit page Depression in Fathers