Our West Midlands centre in Birmingham

Sadly, Freedom from Torture closed its centre in Birmingham at the end of January 2025. Like many charities, Freedom from Torture has been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis over the past two years which has impacted our costs and income to the extent that it has been necessary to make cost savings to ensure financial sustainability into the future.

Over the past 15 years, the wonderful team in Birmingham has supported hundreds of survivors of torture to access specialist therapy, legal and welfare support to help them recover and rebuild their lives.

All clinical letters and notes are kept for up to 7 years. If you need a copy of a document, please get in touch with the London team (telephone 0207 697 7777; email [email protected]). 

Our Medico-legal report writing service will continue and remains open to referrals from clients in the Birmingham area and beyond. This service provides specialist independent evidence of torture, including physical and psychological assessment, as part of asylum cases. Survivors do not have to be current clients of Freedom from Torture, and the report is requested by the survivor's legal representative via the website.

But because of the therapy I had – I thank God that I had a therapist that understand you, your personality, yes, and they take into consideration here your inner and external issues. So Debra is exceptional. She’s exceptional. If it wasn’t for Debra, I don’t know.

We would recommend speaking to your GP about referral to other appropriate services. 

If you need urgent support, you can call NHS 111, or in an emergency you can call 999 or attend your local A&E department.

You may also find the following services helpful to contact for legal and welfare matters. 

  • Red Cross – Offers emergency help, one-to-one support and casework, special services for children and families, and family reunions
    • Contact details vary by area
  • Refugee Council – Provides crisis advice, mental health counselling and practical support
    • Contact details vary based on area/type of support required
  • Migrant Help – Provides practical support to asylum seekers
    • Contact details vary based on area/type of support required
  • Law Society – Find a Solicitor service
    • Results can be filtered for legal aid solicitors as well as according to geographical location.
Real voices

Stories from our clients: reaching the top of the mountain

Today, Amir can feel happy, confident and able to build a life here in the UK – but it has been a challenging climb to this point, and there will be more peaks to ascent.
Read more from West Midlands former client Amir