This guidance sets out the key principles to help departments when making decisions on prefix number selection for customer service telephone helplines. It aims to achieve greater consistency in the number prefixes used and to advise departments on how to select a number prefix that is appropriate.
The guidance is aimed at central government departments, public bodies that fall within their organisational hierarchy and also services provided by external private partners on behalf of the parent department. It may also be helpful for other bodies across the public sector landscape.