Contact and Support
Call our dedicated helpline
You can ring our dedicated food bank helpline for specialist support. This helpline is available from 9am – 5pm on a Monday to Friday, and by calling you can speak directly to experts on several key topics by using the following options.
01722 580 171
Option 1 - Governance
By choosing this option, you’ll be able to speak directly to our partner Trust Advice. Trust Advice are our Governance partner who provide ongoing expert advice, training and general support to help charities stay safe and compliant. The type of support you’ll be able to access from Trust Advice on the helpline includes:
- Help and advice on applying the Trussell Trust governance guidance
- Help to find the right policies (financial, reserves, etc.)
- Dedicated monthly webinars on a range of governance related topics
- Help to complete documents such as risk register & GDPR checklists
- Registration and Incorporation/CIO advice
- Access to other external partners in areas such as VAT, legal and insurance.
You can also contact Trust Advice by email – governance@trusselltrust.org
Option 2 - Safeguarding
By pressing this option, you will speak to our partner thirtyone:eight who provide advise and guidance on any safeguarding concerns you might have about the people you come into contact with, including your staff and volunteers.
Option 3 - Press and Media
By pressing this option, you’ll speak to the Trussell Trust media team who can help with any press, Public Relation and media-related issues you might encounter.
Option 4 - Volunteering
By choosing this option, you’ll speak directly with a member of the Trussell Trust volunteering team. The team will be able to answer questions on a broad range of topics including:
- The implementation of the Assemble volunteer management system
- Recruitment support
- Guidance on day-to-day volunteer management
- Problem-solving
- The implementation of Peakon survey engagement tool
- Access to volunteering resources
All information and guidance provided is based on current volunteering best practice.
Option 5 - HR Inform
By choosing this option, you’ll be speaking to an external service called HR Inform, which is an online platform and 24 hour helpline to help you with everything HR related, this is provided free of charge to food banks in our network.
The platform gives you access to template policies, processes, employment case law examples and a salary benchmarking tool.
The helpline enables you to speak to an HR expert at any time of the day who can support with a huge range of questions and queries. Please email hr-inform@trusselltrust.org to get set up with a log in. To login to the website, once you’ve been set up, please go to: https://www.hr-inform.co.uk/user/login
Option 6 - Network Services
By pressing this option, you’ll speak to the Network Services team who can help by providing technical support on any of the food bank-facing systems (eg, DCS, websites, weights tracker, etc.), as well as general support enquiries and access to food bank resources.
General enquiries via email
Our Network Services team can help by providing technical support on any of the systems you regularly use, any of the content on the pages as well as general support enquiries.
foodbanknetwork@trusselltrust.org
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I've forgotten the password to the content and resources?
Please contact the Network Services Team on 01722 580 171 or email us via foodbanknetwork@trusselltrust.org and they can let you know the password.
Is there training available on how to use the Food Bank Hub?
Is a physical version of the old Operating Manual still available?
Unfortunately, no. We have moved all of the information and guidance onto this platform and will not be producing any physical versions in the future.
Where can I find support for my team's wellbeing?
We believe that the mental health and wellbeing of you and your team is crucial. We’ve partnered with Samaritans to offer wellbeing support, as well as further training and resources coming early next year. Find out more here.
Who should I contact if I have a question relating to the information or resources on the hub?
If you have a specific question about any of the content in the relevant section and/or the resources, then please email Network Services via foodbanknetwork@trusselltrust.org who can either answer your query or direct it onto the relevant team.
Will more training in other areas, such as in safeguarding, become available on the hub?
Yes, we are always looking at ways that the Food Bank Hub can be improved upon. We will be adding in new features and new materials periodically and will notify you of the changes via the Weekly Update.
What is the best way to give feedback on the content or the resources?
We want to make sure the guidance we provide you is always helpful, accurate and useful. If you would like to see more of something or further clarification, please let us know by using the feedback forms at the bottom of the page or the red feedback button, on the right-hand side, on the homepage.