(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

End The Lies - rallies around Australia, Sunday 3 October 2004

No justice for Hicks in flawed trial: QC

Women's help hotline criticised

Politics put under the microscope - more on Bush's dismissal of inconvenient science (and scientists)

ETA: Check the comments for insights on the hotline problem from a former Lifeline staffer.

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(For puzzled forrin types: a "QC" is a lawyer.)

Comments

QC

[digby-tantrum.livejournal.com]

Tsk. I'm English -- we invented QCs.

--
MHW

CQ, CQ

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Well, after all, you did invent the Q!

[kelemvor.livejournal.com]

All hail Professor Blackburn - without her, "Vanishing Point" couldn't have been written!

Women's help hotline

[jesusandrew.livejournal.com]

My fiancee, 17catherines, used to do volunteer work for Lifeline, so I asked her opinion on that article. She gave me permission to post her message here, with the caveat that her opinions are based on year-old data. (I hope you don't think it's rude of one of your readers to info-dump in your journal unsolicited.)

"OK, first it may be run by lifeline, but the number given out is definitely not the Lifeline number. Certainly if they are now rerouting to Lifeline, that's a problem, because while we get some training on abuse/domestic violence, it is not the main thrust of our training, and we are not strongly qualified in that area. We shouldn't be the main number for it. Training is based on call statistics, though, so if people start putting down lots of domestic violence calls, there will be training offered in this area, and basic training will have a stronger focus on it. At present, it focuses strongly on mental illness and suicide, because these are our highest frequency callers.

"I think the training is pretty good, given that we are volunteers, and not qualified social workers, psychotherapists, etc. They pack in a lot of knowledge and experience in a short time, and are required to participate in ongoing workshops and training. Frankly, I don't know how they could do more given what they have to work with. A longer training course - and it is already 6 months - would discourage volunteers, and start making it difficult because it would probably have to be university accredited or nobody would do it. Some helplines only have people who are already qualified as psychologists (Suicide Helpline, for example). Lifeline doesn't - we are meant to be a first port of call, not the only source of support.

"With regard to the phone numbers, first, we are encouraged to give out 3 referrals if possible, because often one won't be available, or will have a long wait, or will have changed its number without telling us. I don't quite know what they expect us to do if someone can't write down the number - we simply don't have the capacity to transfer people on. This may be a flaw, but it is not in the counsellors or their training. In terms of being given referrals to places 400km away, well, I know from my own experience that there are often very few resources specific to the problem. I imagine that in the country or remote areas, this is even worse. It is entirely possible that there really wasn't anything closer. Of course, we don't have maps, either, so we rely on callers to say 'that's nowhere near me'. That could be improved. And the hold time doesn't surprise me one bit - our databases are big and clunky and confusing to use. That could be improved - although an 8 minute hold time to me indicates a trainee on the phone.

"As for the particularly stupid advice, that comes from stupid individuals. Who are not doing what they are told, either- a domestic violence 'in progress' call ought to have a supervisor involved, and we are not supposed to give specific advice anyway (which doesn't stop a lot of people).

"This article really annoys me, in case you can't tell. It smacks of the government wanted to do something that would look good, and basically threw the responsibility for carrying it out onto a very underfunded volunteer service - and now that people are complaining about it, it is the volunteer service that is getting the bad press."

Re: Women's help hotline

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't think it's rude of one of your readers to info-dump in your journal unsolicited.

Heck no - that's an extremely informative response! Thank you both! Government underfunding is exactly what I figured the problem was - dv and rape services in this country are chronically underresourced.