The first thing you will hear is a welcome message and a list of options, depending on whether you’re seeking crisis support or calling for something else such as information about call costs or volunteering.
If you are seeking crisis support, you may experience a short wait before you are connected to a Lifeline Crisis Supporter. Please stay in the queue and your call will be answered as soon as a Crisis Supporter is available.
The Crisis support Lifeline offers is short term, and centres on providing people with assistance, non-judgemental support and resources in their time of need.
The main aim of crisis support is to help reduce stress and improve the person’s ability to cope with their current situation, as well as with future crises.
Calls to Lifeline made from a mobile phone are free. Calls to Lifeline made from a landline are charged at the cost of a local call.
If you are in immediate danger call 000.
You will be placed on hold until a Telephone Crisis Supporter becomes available.
Your call will be answered as soon as possible by the next available crisis supporter. If your call isn’t answered straight away it means we are experiencing a high demand for our service. Please stay on the line or call back later.
It’s unlikely that you will be connected to the same Crisis Supporter. All Lifeline’s Crisis Supporters are trained and supervised in the same way so you should get the same level of support and care no matter who you talk to.
All Lifeline staff and volunteers are required to keep caller personal information confidential.
Some details about your call will be collected by the Crisis Supporter. Notes will be taken about things like the date, time and duration of your call, the reason for ringing and the outcome of the call.
Confidentiality of information collected during a call, and the anonymity of a caller will be upheld at all times except in cases where:
- A caller is at imminent risk of injury or death by suicide.
- A caller makes specific threats to harm third parties.
- A caller is at imminent risk of injury or death by another person.
- There are reasonable grounds for believing that child abuse is occurring and/or where an intervention may be required to ensure a child’s safety.
- Situations where there is a legal imperative to provide information.
- Circumstances where it is necessary to discuss matters related to the call or caller for the purposes of providing the best possible service to the client, including through supervision processes or to ensure the safety and well-being of telephone counsellors.
Wherever possible Lifeline will advise callers of the above limits of confidentiality.
A free interpreting service for people who do not speak English is available for 13 11 14.
To access this service please:
- Call TIS on 131 450 and ask to talk to Lifeline on 13 11 14 in the language required.
- TIS will call 13 11 14 on behalf of the caller.
A call to TIS is the cost of a local call from landlines (additional charges apply for mobiles).
Find out more at: www.tisnational.gov.au