Suicide Prevention UK (SP-UK) is an award-winning charity that helps people who find themselves battling their psychological well being or experiencing suicidal ideas. Based by Michael Everett in 2018, SP-UK is made up of volunteers who supply their abilities and compassion to assist individuals of their time of want – from distributing patrol groups in and round Bristol, to a offering a helpline to anybody who wants a serving to hand.
The problem: Signposting to sources over the cellphone
The SP-UK helpline offers a secure house for individuals to speak and be heard with out judgement. Every individual’s circumstances differ from name to name: from somebody who feels lonely, to somebody who has began having suicidal ideas.
The helpline is run by a highly-trained workforce of name handlers, who not solely lend an ear however information individuals in the direction of the assist they want past the decision. Earlier than coming to FireText, they have been discovering it troublesome to ‘signpost’ to assist over the cellphone. Signposting means to provide an individual the small print of different organisations that may assist with their particular wants.
When somebody is in disaster, panic or despair, taking on this data is troublesome. It depends on them making notes or remembering numbers and web sites. And so the decision handlers wanted a option to ship signposting sources to individuals by way of a channel that matched their empathetic strategy.
Resolution: Supporting individuals past the decision with SMS
Founder, Michael, prompt bringing in SMS to assist name handlers in signposting individuals to the particular safeguarding sources they want after ringing the helpline.
This was not solely vital for individuals in disaster or despair – because it’s troublesome to recollect or collate the entire sources over the cellphone – however it additionally supplied reassurance for the decision handlers. They may ship this data for the individual to digest once they’re prepared.
Now, the decision handlers can collect the entire data and safeguarding sources and ship this to them from FireText. The textual content is sort of a ‘bookmark’ for that individual to have at hand once they really feel the time is correct to maneuver into their subsequent steps.
The outcomes: Assets at hand for individuals in disaster
The decision handlers discover FireText straightforward to make use of and could be comforted within the data that folks depart the decision with the sources they want. SMS merely helps them obtain their mission; to be there for individuals of their darkish occasions and to information them to essentially the most related assist obtainable to them at the moment, to get them the assistance they deserve.
Their set-up permits every name handler to enter their very own account on a person stage, and the credit are managed by a ‘grasp’ account. This makes it straightforward and environment friendly to handle, so the workforce can give attention to the individuals they’re serving to.
The long run: Speaking with donors
The workforce at SP-UK are speaking with donors for the charity to indicate their appreciation for the continued assist of the workforce’s unbelievable work. This will likely embody updates and thank yous – maintaining donors within the loop and the momentum happening the donations that enable SP-UK to assist individuals once they want it most.