Advicelink Cymru advice only applies to residents who live in Wales

Welcome to

Advicelink Cymru

Welcome to

Advicelink Cymru

Free, Independent, Impartial Advice

Funded by Welsh Government, Advicelink Cymru provides advice and support on social welfare rights to people in Wales, including welfare benefits, debt, employment, housing, education and discrimination.

We provide advice in the heart of our communities, as well as offering the free to call Advicelink Cymru helpline which is available 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday and Saturdays 9am-1pm.

Call the Advicelink Cymru helpline on 0800 702 2020 or follow the links below to access our self-help content.

The Advicelink Cymru service aims to:

  • reach out to clients proactively, often through partners, to get advice service interventions to those most in need of them before they are in crisis
  • work seamlessly so the client’s journey is as simple as possible
  • provide regionally based services with national consistency
  • deliver quality-assured advice with wraparound support for clients from partners. Partner support could be practical, emotional, clinical or social

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Breathing Space – Mental Health Access Mechanism (Wales)

Lle i Anadlu – Mecanwaith Mynediad Iechyd Meddwl (Cymru)

Breathing Space – Mental Health Access Mechanism (Wales)/ Lle i Anadlu – Mecanwaith Mynediad Iechyd Meddwl (Cymru) is a debt respite scheme which can provide protection for people living in Wales who are in debt and receiving mental health crisis treatment.

To qualify for Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space a person must be receiving mental health crisis treatment, which means they:

  • have been detained under most assessment and treatment sections of the Mental Health Act (also known as being sectioned)
  • have been removed to a place of safety under the Mental Health Act
  • are receiving crisis, emergency or acute care from a specialist service for a mental disorder of a serious nature. This might be from a crisis home treatment team, liaison mental health team, community mental health team or any other specialist mental health crisis service.

An Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) will need to use their professional judgement to decide whether treatment constitutes mental health crisis treatment. The evidence form that must be submitted with the application can be found here.

Mental Health Breathing Space gives temporary protection from creditors including freezing of most interest, fees and charges on the debt and pausing most enforcement action and contact from creditors.

The protections it gives customers will provide the time and space to stabilise their financial situation, engage with advice and find a solution.

Breathing Space – Mental Health Access Mechanism

In 2024, Advicelink Cymru helped over 140,000 people with over 521,000 problems. We helped clients secure over £66.7 million in additional income and write-off £19.6 million of problem debts.

Advicelink
Cymru
Advicelink Cymru helped over 140,000