If you are considering setting up a volunteer service to provide emotional support to the distressed and suicidal, there are some important points to consider:

Identify the need

• Who are the potential users of the service?
  
  
• What are the local needs within the area?
  
  
• What is the suicide rate in your catchment area?
  
  
• Which other agencies would have contact with callers?
  
  
• What facilities already exist for people in distress? (e.g. telephone helplines, email helplines, drop-in centres); How adequate are they?

Involving the local community

• Who could lend professional support? (e.g. social workers, community workers, psychiatrists, health workers, lawyers)
  
  
• Are there other non-governmental or voluntary organisations with which you could collaborate? (e.g. working with older people, youth, disabled people, AIDS affected)
  
  
• Is there a large enough group of people in the locality from which to recruit potential volunteers?
  
  
• Is there potential to raise money to set up and maintain a service?

What types of service?

• Telephone helpline
  
  
• Emotional support service by correspondence (letter)
  
  
• Emotional support service by email
  
  
• Emotional support service by text (SMS)
  
  
• Outreach programmes in the community
  
  
• Combination of the above

You need to do the following:-

• Form a group to explore the idea
  
  
• Identify financial resources
  
  
• Form a committee to get things started
  
  
• Legally register the service
  
  
• Identify, design and furnish premises
  
  
• Select, recruit and train volunteers
  
  
• Advertise the service to potential callers
  
  
• Recruit sufficient volunteers to sustain a sustainable service
  
  

  Download a checklist of considerations for setting up a helpline (.pdf)
  
  See also our Guiding Policies and Practice paper (.doc)