Talk to Oxford Nightline

Yes, anonymity is one of our core values. You can contact us without sharing your name or any personal details, allowing you to speak freely about whatever’s on your mind. We do not see or track phone numbers, ensuring your complete privacy. Our volunteers also maintain complete anonymity, too.

All our volunteers are current students at either the University of Oxford or Oxford Brookes University, or graduated in the last year. As fellow students, we understand the unique pressures and challenges of university life. We believe students should have access to peer support from people who truly understand their experiences.

Yes, confidentiality is one of our core values. The content of your call is confidential to the volunteer who takes the call, any other volunteer on duty that night, and the two service coordinators. You can request that your call not be discussed with other volunteers on duty, though coordinators must be informed to ensure appropriate welfare support for our volunteers.

We would only break confidentiality in specific circumstances:

• If you explicitly ask us to share your details
• If we receive a court order
• If the call involves terrorism
• If there’s discussion about harm to a minor (under 18)
• If there are threats to our volunteers’ safety
• If you are abusing the service

We keep anonymous statistics about call volumes and broad topics to help improve our service, but these never include identifying details.

We provide supportive listening and information, but we don’t give direct advice or personal opinions. While we understand the desire for guidance, we believe you’re best placed to make decisions about your life. We can help you explore your options and direct you to advice-giving services when needed.

Not at all. While we’re here for serious issues, we welcome calls about any concern or worry – whether that’s big or small. Students contact us about many different things, from relationship problems to academic stress to practical information needs.

We’re open from 8pm every night during term time, including weekends. If you can’t reach us, our lines might be busy – please try again later or use our instant messaging service.

During the vacation, Nightline is closed. Our service operates during term time for both Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. We align our opening dates with university terms as many of our student volunteers return home during holidays.

While we provide a similar listening service to Samaritans, we’re specifically focused on supporting students in Oxford. We operate overnight when other services may be unavailable. Like Samaritans, we offer non-judgmental, non-directive listening support. We welcome calls about any topic – whether it’s academic stress, mental health concerns, or everyday worries.

Our full policies, including data protection and complaints procedures, are available here. Any complaints are handled confidentially by our coordinators in consultation with our Senior Member.