Latest news with #helpline
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Southeastern joins Missing People to help vulnerable passengers
A train operator and a charity are working together to help people who have gone Railway, which serves Kent, East Sussex and South East London, has partnered with Missing People to give vulnerable passengers "a route to safety".The company has contributed £49,500 towards the will be used to train rail staff to help people who are having a personal crisis, and staff the charity's helpline. There will also be posters and digital screens, as many people choose stations as places to seek Youle, chief executive of Missing People, said: "Our Helpline receives three calls every day from people on trains or at stations, and projects like this ensure people know where to go for help."Together, we're making sure that railway stations are about more than arrivals and departures, but places where people in crisis can find much needed safety and support." David Wornham, passenger services director at Southeastern, said: "The railway is where people come together, but for some it can also be a place of crisis."That's why working with fantastic organisations like Missing People to support vulnerable passengers is so important."This project will equip our staff with the skills to help, improve visibility of life-saving services, and most importantly, provide a route to safety for those who need it most." Need help? If you have been affected by this story the BBC Action Line web page features a list of organisations which are ready to provide support and advice.
Times
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Good service was in short supply at the car hire desk
D epends who you get. That's always been my view. About the NHS, social services, the helpline, the person on the gate in the hi-viz jacket. There is no social contract, there is no gold standard. Just individuals with variations of competence, kindness or concern. Your experience depends on a random interaction. Hiring a car in New York last week, I got Riley. American Airlines delivered me three hours late, so by the time I made it to the counter it was pushing 9pm. Riley looked as happy to be there at that hour as I was. She asked if I wanted tolls included. I did. It saves time. So the charge was paid and off I went. There are no barriers in the E-ZPass lane, just a message that wishes you on your way. It took a while to realise my send-off wasn't as smiley as that of my fellow travellers. 'Call srvce center,' it read. It transpired my toll pass hadn't been activated. Paid for, not switched on. But they can turn it on at any counter, Avis assured.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Important' phone from gay helpline on display at Bristol Museum
A telephone used to provide support to thousands of LGBTQ+ people has been described as a piece of history as it goes on Lesbian and Gay Switchboard was started by the late Dale Wakefield from her family home in Totterdown, and ran from 1975 until phone is part of a new exhibition at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery called Gender Stories, 50 years after the helpline was set up."That phone connected me to all of the people reaching out who needed help and support and to feel less alone. It's history and it's important we don't forget," said former volunteer Tash Walker. Andrew Foyle, from oral history group OutStories Bristol, said: "The very first call (on 1 February 1975) was from a straight man. "He identified himself as a cross dresser - not a term we would use now - who was worried that he might be mistaken for a homosexual."For the first three years, from 1975 to 1978, Dale just fielded all of these calls night and day, at times on her own. She was hugely important, a key gay activist." In the early days, all the calls were logged, with details of the caller, why they were ringing, who dealt with it and what information was passed on to later, as the internet and then mobiles gave LGBTQ+ people the chance to connect online, the calls to the switchboard started to dwindle and it closed in Walker was a volunteer in the 2000s when she was a student in the city. The switchboard had by then moved to a new said: "I knocked on the door really nervous. I had no idea about anything, all I knew was I was gay. "On the side was the phone, the very phone here (in Bristol Museum), and I just started answering calls in this tiny room". The red hardback logbooks that recorded each call are now stored in Bristol Archives, but to maintain people's confidentiality, much of the information will not be available to be seen for more than 80 Stories runs at Bristol Museum until 12 October, before moving to Brighton and Liverpool.
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Domestic violence support services brace for influx of calls on State of Origin night
For thousands of Australians, tonight's State of Origin decider is an occasion of exhilaration, mateship and – for one team – celebration. For women and children, it's one of the most dangerous nights of the year. First responders will be preparing. Helpline employees will be waiting for the phone to ring, with calls surging by more than 50 per cent in not just the hours, but days, that follow. Queensland-based domestic and family violence helpline, DVConnect, offers support via its Womensline and Mensline for people experiencing and/or using violence. Director of Social Impact Michelle Royes said staff were bracing for a busy night: calls to its Mensline last year spiked on the night of each Origin game by as much as 71 per cent compared to the monthly average. Calls to DVConnect's Womensline also increased. 'However, we actually see the biggest increase on the day after the game,' Ms Moyes said. 'Our call volume was 37 per cent higher than average the day after the first game last year. This trend is continuing in 2025, with our Mensline receiving a 27 per cent increase after the first game of the series compared to our monthly average … Staff are prepared for these spikes. We expect to respond to calls quickly, as we have across June – our response rate is currently high at 93 per cent.' Similarly, CEO of Men's Referral Service Phillip Ripper said that the national call centre, run by peak body No to Violence, 'is always prepared to respond to an increase in demand around any major national sporting event' from men wanting help with violent behaviour. 'Real people are behind these statistics' The correlation between certain major sporting events and gendered violence is 'well recognised', Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing CEO, Dr Alison Evans, said. In 2018, La Trobe University analysed six years of NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) data, finding that domestic assault rates increased by 40.7 per cent in the 12-hour window between 6pm and 6am on State of Origin nights. In Victoria, it's a similar situation: police in 2019 experienced a 20 per cent increase in domestic violence call-outs over the weekend of the AFL Grand Final. 'Real people are behind these statistics. We should all be concerned about the high rates of women and children living in fear in our communities and be doing all that we can to prevent it,' she said. 'Sporting clubs share this responsibility.' Sport is not the sole cause of domestic and family violence. But the culture of excessive drinking and gambling, and normalisation of on-field aggression that surrounds these major events 'can play a part in increasing the severity and frequency of violence already occurring', Dr Evans said. These major events are also 'almost always sponsored by gambling and alcohol companies, meaning they are awash in advertisements for those companies', Dr Evans added, a factor that is 'highly disturbing, given the role' both factors can play in exacerbating violence. Ms Moyes agreed. 'This promotion (during broadcasts and live events) normalises alcohol and gambling, which can undermine our efforts to make the games safer and more inclusive,' she said. 'It's not just about domestic violence – it affects so many public health concerns. There is a significant opportunity for professional and community sport organisations to lead this change. They have the platform and the responsibility to do so.' 'A powerful platform for cultural change' At the elite level, most codes are trying to educate those within their sports – the NRL's Voice Against Violence program, led by Our Watch, is the same organisation the AFL has recently partnered with. The NRL also implements the 'Change the Story' framework in partnership with ANROWS and VicHealth, which includes a zero tolerance education program for juniors transitioning into seniors. In May, the likes of Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana, Hamish Blake, Darcy Moore and Usman Khawaja lent their voices to ending family violence in a video projected to a full house of Origin fans before the first game of the series in Perth. Players from both the NSW and Queensland squads were also featured. 'Men who hold leadership positions, especially in an area that sees some of the worst of gendered violence, should feel compelled to be part of the push for change,' Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Will Alstergren, who led the initiative, said. 'For Australians, sport is the perfect arena in which to start these conversations … In doing so, we hope to raise awareness, and to also prompt much more significant investment in the wraparound services that are supporting women and children who are victim-survivors of family violence, and also for men who are using violence, to help them capitalise on the opportunity to change their harmful behaviour.' When sports organisations 'take a visible, values-based stance against domestic and family violence', Mr Ripper said, 'it helps to break down stigma, promote help-seeking, and reinforce that violence is never acceptable'. 'The sporting field can be a powerful platform for cultural change,' he said. 'Using violence is a choice' Both Mr Ripper and Ms Moyes stressed that these gestures alone won't fix what has repeatedly been referred to by leaders, experts and industry stakeholders as a national emergency. 'Australia must take a broader, systemic approach to tackling domestic and family violence, including addressing the social conditions that can contribute to it, including gender inequality, alcohol, gambling, and societal attitudes reinforced in male-dominated spaces,' Mr Ripper said. 'Achieving this outcome requires systemic and large-scale transformation, underpinned by sustained investment in prevention and early intervention strategies that actively challenge harmful gender norms. 'It also requires increased support for interventions such as behaviour change programs, which support people using violence to accept responsibility and challenge their ways of thinking and behaving. 'Using violence is a choice and men need to be held accountable for the choices they make.' Though awareness 'has been increasing year on year … what we want now is for people who use violence to recognise their patterns of behaviour around different triggers, such as State of Origin', Ms Moyes said. 'Women need to be able to access safety when and how they need, whether that is through the police or services like DVConnect,' she said. 'There are wonderful people working across this sector, but we are stretched thin. One life lost to domestic and family violence is too many.'
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Dedicated Shropshire helpline for domestic abuse victims
A charity has secured funding to launch a dedicated domestic abuse helpline to support rural communities in has shown victims of domestic abuse in rural areas will experience it up to 25% longer than those in urban areas due to lack of access to services and information, West Mercia Women's Aid people in Shropshire were served by a general helpline. The new dedicated county line is to help raise awareness of the charity's in Shropshire include a freephone number, live chat or email contact. The charity's head of client services Helen Richardson said: "We're really excited to be able to offer a dedicated Freephone number for Shropshire residents, providing free domestic abuse support to all those in the county. "The new service aims to reach those living rurally where there can be greater barriers to accessing in-person support."Shropshire Council leader Heather Kidd said the launch of the dedicated helpline was "a significant and welcome development". The service would provide "a safe and confidential point of contact for anyone affected by domestic abuse", she added."Domestic abuse can happen in any area, often to the most unexpected people and can be well hidden. "So this helpline will offer vital support, advice and guidance to help individuals find safety and access further help when they need it most." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
