Lifeline

Our Policies

Lifeline’s policies explain how we support Callers, guide volunteer Listeners, protect confidentiality, and provide care with respect, honesty and responsibility.

01 Who This Page Is For Who this page serves and why confidentiality is central to Lifeline’s service.

Confidentiality is central to Lifeline’s service.

Lifeline treats information relating to Callers as confidential. This helps Callers feel safer when speaking about distress, despair, loneliness, suicidal thoughts or personal crisis.

There are limited exceptions to confidentiality, including situations involving informed consent, medical help, legal requirements, threats to volunteer Listeners, acts of terrorism or bomb warnings, or actions that prevent the service from being delivered to other Callers.

Who is this page for?

This page helps different members of the public understand how Lifeline’s service is guided.

  • 1 Callers who contact Lifeline for emotional support
  • 2 Volunteer Listeners and persons interested in volunteering
  • 3 Families, schools, partners and members of the public
  • 4 Persons who contact Lifeline by phone, email, letter, face-to-face contact or outreach activity
02 Policy Details The full policy areas presented in a cleaner, organised format.
01 Confidentiality Protecting Caller trust, privacy and dignity

All information relating to a Caller is considered confidential, with only the following possible exceptions:

  1. Lifeline has informed consent from a Caller to pass on information.
  2. Medical help is called because a Caller appears to be incapable of making rational decisions for him or herself.
  3. A court order is received requiring the centre to divulge information.
  4. The centre is passed information about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings.
  5. A Caller attacks or threatens volunteer Listeners.
  6. A Caller deliberately prevents the service from being delivered to other Callers.
  7. Lifeline maintains confidentiality even after the death of a Caller.
02 Availability Aiming to be available when support is needed most
  1. Lifeline aims to provide a 24-hour service and to focus on peak times of demand.
  2. Callers can contact the centre by the best means available but principally by telephone, letter, e-mail, or face-to-face.
  3. Lifeline has two Outreach programmes: one to YTC and the Schools Outreach Programme (STOP).
03 Honesty Being clear about what Lifeline can and cannot offer
  1. Lifeline publicly states how general information relating to Callers is used.
  2. Callers are informed of what volunteer Listeners can and cannot offer.
  3. Calls are not recorded.
  4. All complaints are investigated fully and sympathetically and Callers receive a response in the shortest possible time.
04 Emotionally Supportive Listening with care, patience and without prejudice
  1. Callers in need of Lifeline’s services are accepted without prejudice and encouraged to talk or write about their feelings, acknowledge their emotions and explore options.
  2. Volunteer Listeners use their listening skills, recognise the needs of Callers and respond appropriately.
  3. Volunteer Listeners will not impose their own convictions, or influence Callers, in regard to politics, philosophy or religion.
  4. If a Caller is at risk of suicide, or in despair, follow up contact is offered.
  5. With a Caller’s permission, and after consultation with the Coordinator, a group of volunteers may be assigned to a Caller, to offer support through a period of distress.
  6. If a Caller is in need of other help, information may be passed on about other agencies, if held. With a Caller’s informed consent, and after consultation with the Coordinator, a referral will be made on his or her behalf.
  7. The centre welcomes appropriate referrals from other agencies or individuals.
05 Carefully Structured Supporting safe, consistent and responsible service delivery
  1. Lifeline aims to offer a consistent service to Callers. To support this aim, the care being offered is regularly reviewed and evaluated, to ensure it encourages Callers to work towards managing their lives without dependency or attachment.
  2. Volunteer Listeners are subject to a police record check, where possible, selected and specially prepared.
  3. To ensure the safety and welfare of Callers and volunteer Listeners, services are only available while volunteers are fully supported by a colleague and the Coordinator.
  4. Volunteers have a preparatory period to enable a review for both the benefit of the volunteer and Lifeline.
  5. If a volunteer deliberately prejudices the emotional or physical safety of Callers, or the reputation of the organisation, this will be deemed as an act of serious misconduct for which they will be dismissed.
  6. Lifeline strives to make the service as accessible as possible to those most in need and support equal opportunities.
  7. Lifeline reserves the right to end a call or withdraw the service if it is being used inappropriately.
06 Self-Determination Respecting the Caller’s responsibility and right to make decisions
  1. Callers remain responsible for their lives and do not lose the right to make decisions even if that decision is to take their own life.
03 Complaints and Concerns How to share feedback or make an official complaint to Lifeline.

Procedure for Sharing Complaints

Lifeline treats complaints seriously and uses feedback to help improve the service, protect Caller confidentiality, and respond appropriately to concerns.

1

Provide the time and date that you made your call.

2

Send us an email at ttlifeline@gmail.com.

3

Lifeline will review the matter and take action as appropriate to address your complaint.

4

You will receive an email response from Lifeline or an authorised representative.

What to include

You may include a screenshot or a short description of the nature of your complaint. Please avoid sharing unnecessary personal information. Lifeline will investigate and provide a response while maintaining the confidentiality of Callers and prospective Callers.

Why is this important?

This information is essential for Lifeline to follow up on service complaints. It allows us to investigate concerns, improve our service, and identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed.

As a volunteer-based charity, Lifeline is committed to addressing concerns carefully, one Caller at a time. Feedback helps Lifeline grow and better serve those in need.