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75 Reasons to Support the THA |
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The THA has been instrumental in helping us to set up our helpline. We have
sent many of our staff and volunteers on THA courses and would struggle
to train them without the professional help of the THA. I personally
have done nearly every course that the THA provide and with this
training it has allowed me to develop in my role as a Helpline
Development Officer and now have the confidence to supervise over 25
volunteers on our helpline. There is a definite need for the THA and we
must not lose the service they provide. Helpline
Development Officer, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) The THA carried out a qualitative evaluation of our advice line service
in 2004. It was a sympathetic and professional look at the impact that
the service makes to the lives of older people. It has been invaluable,
firstly for morale and secondly in the search for ongoing funding. In a
time when more and more services are moving towards phone based delivery
we need some organisation out there promoting quality and putting
forward our case. I sincerely hope that the necessary support is
available to allow us to retain this invaluable service. Age
Concern
The
THA have helped us on the Autism Helpline to provide and deliver our
high quality service. In 2006 we worked with the THA to achieve the
Quality Mark which was has helped us immensely to review our own policy
and practice, and be confident in the service we provide. We
continue to receive excellent training from the THA and really do hope
that their service can continue, as their help is needed to support
helplines such as ours and to help us maintain the quality. As a small independent charity, Barnsley Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis
Helpline finds the At Basingstoke Rape and Sexual Abuse Crisis Centre we find the THA
Directory an invaluable resource in signposting our callers to
organisations which can provide additional support at a time of crisis
in their lives. THA were so helpful when we were setting up our helpline. We chose them
via positive recommendation. Their call analysis is excellent and
extremely useful to our service. Without this affordable service from
THA we may not be in a position to have a helpline. Beyond
the Shadows THA excellent in-house training has improved our service and
ensures that our volunteers work safely within the guidelines. It has
also helped our management with decisions in regard to our future
strategy enabling us formulate plans to work in a multi-channel
environment. Breaking Free
The courses run by the THA have been essential in helping the British Heart Foundation to improve our service to members of the public. Without the THA we would not have fully appreciated how difficult it can be for the caller to articulate their concerns over the telephone. The THA helped us to understand how we can facilitate the call ensuring that the caller’s needs are met so that our standard of service remains consistently high. British Heart Foundation
For the British Stammering Association, being associate members of the
THA is of great importance to our helpline service, especially as many
of our calls are taken by volunteers. In training our volunteers, we
take the THA principles of empowering callers and respecting the choices
that they make to be fundamental. Membership
of the THA provides us with vital back-up for these principles, which we
regard as underpinning all our Information
and Support Service Manager, The British Stammering Association At a time when there is an enormous focus on ensuring that helplines are
providing efficient, high quality service to citizens, bss feels the
third sector has a key role to play. bss provides high quality services to our public & charity clients
and the THA’s role, supporting a best practice approach to helplines
serving all those seeking information, advice and help via the telephone
and other interactive technology; is a powerful force in driving forward
a focus on excellence. bss We are a small local group with a strong commitment to providing a high
quality telephone-based support service for our members. The THA helps
us to achieve this aim by providing: Co-ordinator,
Carers Providing a rural helpline was a departure from our normal activities,
and was quite a daunting task. The THA provided us a wealth of support,
knowledge and training that enabled us to commence service delivery in a
professional and efficient manner, without having to learn from too many
mistakes. It also gave us the confidence and skills to pursue this
important project in the knowledge that we were in line with
international best practice and that we were not stumbling in the dark. CALL
Helpline Co-ordinator, While not advertising a helpline, we are receiving an increasing number
of calls and enquiries from families and carers seeking individual
support, and the Telephone Helplines Association has been invaluable in
helping us to get the relevant policies and procedures in place,
providing training for our Family Support Worker, and guiding our
thinking as we consider how best to plan to respond to the growing
number of calls. The
Challenging Behaviour Foundation The
THA Quality Standard has been an excellent tool for training staff,
setting our boundaries and, initially, helping us set up policies
and think through our roles. It has also taught us to think through possible
situations before they arise rather than working out
how to deal with a call once the situation has presented itself. It has
give staff a boost in morale and allows them to know they are working
within a recognised
framework. The THA Annual Conference last December was
one of the most useful events I have been to in recent years. The talk
by Samaritans on what they are doing to reach out to young people really
got me thinking about what we could do to encourage more children to use
all our services, not just our helpline. The day was also a great chance
to network and I have already worked with one contact I made on the day
to update our fact sheets and produce a special article in our latest
newsletter. Children's
Heart Federation I can’t thank the THA enough for the help it has given me over the years. The quality audit which I have now completed twice and am applying for again for a different organisation is really thorough. It is also irreplaceable. I can’t think of a commercial organisation that would be coming from the right philosophy to provide that kind of service. The THA has given me so many opportunities to network and learn from other helplines over the years. And it is by sharing ideas that voluntary sector organisations really begin to develop. Cancer Information Nurse Manager, Cancer Research ParentLine Helpline
Manager, CHILDREN 1ST, ParentLine
Scotland
The THA is a helpful and supportive organisation which provides
invaluable advice on policies and good practice to helplines large and
small across the country. Director
of External Affairs, Contact a Family
We consider the THA’s Helpline Foundation course essential training for
all our new helpline workers. We immediately see the benefits of what
they have learned and I am not aware of any alternative form of training
that we could use. Head
of Information, Deafness Research Two members of our team have participated in training courses provided by
the THA at beginners and advanced levels, and both members found the
courses invaluable for the CROSSCARE,
Drug Awareness Programme I would like to endorse the work of the THA particularly through their
workers enabling our helpline to achieve the Quality Standard and
through the variety of networking opportunities that have arisen over
the years. This has definitely helped Crossline in Crossline
Manager We have been a member of the THA since our formation back in October 1998
and we have found our membership to be very important to us. The THA
directory has enabled us to signpost a significant number of our service
users to help they otherwise would not have known existed. The THA have provided support, encouragement
and excellent training to Edinburgh Crisis Centre. They have been an
important provider of Manager,
Enquire has recently been awarded the THA quality standard. Assessment
was rigorous and considered resulting in a greatly improved service for
our users. Without the THA helplines, and in turn millions of callers
across the Enquire,
Children in The THA is a valuable resource for us a small helpline.
Being able to ask the THA for advice on specific areas outwith
our knowledge, for example, Language Line, success of textphone
services, helpline marketing and repeat callers has been hugely useful.
Epilepsy
We
at the False Allegation Support Organisation have found that the THA has
been extremely useful in making it possible for a small organisation
like ourselves to be able to take out training to ensure we have a
fundamental knowledge of how a helpline should be run and that we can
keep to the high standard set by the THA. Our organisation cannot afford
to train everyone and what training is given is a direct result of the
THA. To ensure we stay in touch with the current methods, opportunities
for jobs with other voluntary organisations, we are provided with
invaluable updates and access to further training no matter what part of
the country we reside in. Without the support, advice and training of the THA I do not know how we
would have got our helpline going to a satisfactory standard. Without
your continuing support we will find this much harder. Your services are
part of the essential infrastructure of providing social support and
services. It would be very damaging to our users, to the voluntary
sector and indeed to society if they cannot continue. Chair,
Families Need Fathers Quality, governance, competency and accreditation are all necessary
components for how we work today, this is no less important for Director
of Information, fpa In setting up gaps:line, we found the THA to be an invaluable source of gaps:line
project co-ordinator The Telephone Helplines Association has been of tremendous benefit to Get
Connected. We have recently completed the Quality Standard, so that we
now comply with good practice guidelines for the sector. Being
associated with the THA has also given us the opportunity to attend
conferences and training courses, and to learn from and make links with
other helplines. Their real value is in acting as a focal point for all
of the 1500 helplines across the UK. Get
Connected Helpline THA made a very real difference to us. As a fledgling organisation six
years ago we were navigating a path through the legalities
and moralities of data confidentiality associated with a new type of
care service (provided by telephone). THA helped develop our bespoke
policies and gave us the confidence to grow as an organisation. Good
Morning Project Accreditation by THA when the Grandparents' Association helpline achieved
its quality standard resulted in us going on to achieve Chief
Executive, Grandparents' Association The THA’s standards materials are a lifeline. How much extra resource
would be needed if every charity in the Communication Services Executive, Headway (the brain injury association)
I
am the president of Helplines Australia, an Australian Helplines association
with very similar goals and mission to THA UK www.helplines.org.au.
I recently became aware of the difficulties THA is presently facing and
believe that we should inform you and your member agencies of the
far reaching support you have provided. Helplines Australia has been
established on the same philosophical grounds as THA. The support and
networks provided by THA has meant that the Helplines Industry here in
Australia could form an overarching association such as Helplines
Australia. We thank THA for all the contributions and support
received over a number of years, that has been instrumental in forming
and shaping Helplines Australia. We would like to see that every effort
made to assist THA to function effectively in the future. If there is
anything Helplines Australia committee could do in supporting such a
cause we would be happy to oblige. Launching the helpline from scratch was a daunting prospect as I had not
worked on a helpline before, but every step of the way THA have been
able to provide really sound guidance and useful Helpline
Manager, The Hepatitis C Trust The THA is valuable resource to the voluntary sector in enabling access
to a quality service that ensures low-cost, good quality training
promoting good practice. Low-cost
quality training resources are vital to the voluntary sector if they are
expected to compete in competitive tendering and also to enable them to
play a full and active part in the third sector review.
ICIS
: When KidsOut was setting up its Fund 4 Fun helpline, we relied on the THA
to give us advice and highlight best practice. Both the staff who now
run the helpline have a Chief
Executive, KidsOut Back in 2005, the volunteers of our Farmers Support Group decided that a
helpline should be launched to offer emotional support and a listening
ear to farmers, farm workers and their families in crisis. For several
months we received mixed Project
Manager, We do appreciate the value of your organisation. We think that it can
help in many ways, for example in helping organisations to achieve
quality assurance, and in helping us to know of the work of other
helplines. General
Manager, The excellent skills-based courses organised by the THA form a crucial part of our training programme and provide an insight into the work of other helplines. The THA Quality Standard is highly regarded amongst helplines and we have appreciated the invaluable support we have received from the THA when working towards the accreditation and when seeking advice on areas of our work. Helpline
Team, Lymphoma Association MACSAS (Ministers and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors) is opening a
helpline in the next few weeks. A few weeks ago my colleagues and I
attended a training course run by THA. We learnt so much we came away
wondering how we ever could have managed without it.
We are experienced people and two of us have previously worked on
helplines. Yet we came away with lots of useful MACSAS We have utilised THA training and this assisted us greatly in setting up
our own in house helpline service. All Caring
Services Manager Nursing Operations, Marie Curie Cancer Care The THA was central to the ME Association successfully
reorganising
its original ad hoc, voluntary phone help service into the well managed,
properly structured helpline service that it is today.
All aspects of the continuing development of the MEConnect
service - availability, content, effectiveness - are based on guidance
and training provided by the THA. Without the THA's resources, it is
highly unlikely that MEConnect would be the success that it is. Any loss
in funding of the THA will undoubtedly reduce the effectiveness of
charity telephone support services throughout the Company
Secretary, (on behalf the Board of Trustees of The ME Association) Mesothelioma Operational
Manager, Mesothelioma The THA made such an enormous difference to our staff team when they
provided their telephone helpline training for us. Prior to this
training, staff could feel apprehensive when dealing with clients on the
telephone, particularly angry clients. The training helped staff
recognise how best to deal with such calls and gave them greater
confidence. The THA is a fantastic organisation and I sincerely hope
their work can continue. The
THA is vital to ensure that helplines have a voice and that their
valuable services are understood by commissioners and the general
public. Mind has used the THA for training and we have achieved the
quality standard on our helpline. We were impressed with the support and
commitment of the THA team, and the emphasis on excellence. The THA
focus is always on providing the best service to callers, and they have
the team with the skills and experience to ensure that all helplines who
work with them are able to provide the best service possible.
We
have made extensive use of THA's expertise, attending courses and having
visits from a THA consultant who reviewed our helpline's work. Our
helpline users have a much more professional service and our fundraisers
talk about our work with the THA to potential funders, because of
its reputation for excellence.
The Telephone Helplines Association provides the only comprehensive
helpline training across the sector. The staff from Missing People,
including Message Home and the Runaway Helpline have benefited from
invaluable training in helpline skills, Support and Supervision Skills,
Mental Health Awareness, Monitoring and Evaluation and the THA Quality
Standard. Missing
People The THA is a valuable resource for helpline organisations and we have
benefited
from the expertise and cooperation of its staff. It's a difficult time
for many small voluntary organisations like helplines and it would be a
great shame if they were to lose the THA. Muslim
Women’s Helpline We were delighted to become full voting members in 2005. This has given
our helpline the only independent endorsement of its work. We have
accessed your specialist training and publications, gaining National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries National Helpline
National Debtline was one of the first members of the Telephone Helplines Association and have always greatly valued the help and support provided. We helped to pilot the Quality Standard when it first came out which led to us being awarded the Quality Standard and allowed us to map on to the Community Legal Service Quality Mark. The training programme has provided a great service over many years and particularly when we were expanding at a great rate. We also have held a freephone number since 1998 using the special freephone tariff and are regular users of Languageline. We would love to see the return of the on-line telephone helplines directory as this has been invaluable to our advisers. Information Officer, National Debtline
We have found the training provided by the THA to be of a very high
standard. Our helpline staff feel the courses have been both of benefit
and enjoyable. The chance to share ideas and discuss common problems
with other helpline workers has also been of great help. National
Eczema Society The Telephone Helpline Association is the backbone of the Helpline Community in the UK. As a charity that deals with a range of issue for families and people affected by a broad spectrum of disabilities we are a life line for people who cannot find our services elsewhere. The THA is our lifeline to the range of services we need as part of the helpline community. When we need advice or information specific to our work we can turn to the THA. If they did not exist we would not have any other port of call. The
National Organisation For Fetal Alcohol Syndrome-UK THA have been an essential source of high quality support and information
for the National Osteoporosis Society helpline. We have used them for
ongoing training for all staff; external consultative work to evaluate
the service and help us with setting and developing standards. THA
information booklets are used as a core resource for maintaining a
quality service and as manager of the helpline I contact THA regularly
for information and advice. THA provide, and are perceived as providing,
the ‘gold standard’. We would be bereft without them as I am sure
all non commercial helplines would be. Helpline
Supervisor, National Osteoporosis Society Being a member of THA has been extremely beneficial to our organisation answering queries, giving specialist guidance and helping us maintain our core service - an emergency helpline for victims of racial harassment and police misconduct. Our helpline has assisted literally thousands of families and individuals and THA's assistance has been crucial to this. We sincerely hope THA is able to continue its good and much needed work. Project Manager, Newham Monitoring Project Since its formation the Ostomy Lifestyle Careline has benefited greatly
from the THA's services. Training and information
supplied have enabled us to assist over two thousand callers
experiencing major health and lifestyle issues, to live fuller, happier
and more productive lives, and given us the basis for rapid expansion Ostomy
Lifestyle Careline The training that we have received from the THA has been invaluable in
the development of our helpline. Their support has guided us towards a
better quality of service and strengthened our ability to support the
helpline team. Penny
Brohn Cancer Care (formerly We are a very small organisation and helpline of The Pituitary Foundation is a vital service to our constituency. It is crucial that we provide a quality service, with trained staff and volunteers. We, as an organisation, based much of our helpline service on THA's excellent methods, experience and training. The Pituitary Foundation feels it would be a great loss to charitable services who offer telephone and email support if the THA were forced to close its doors. Executive
Director, The Pituitary Foundation Prisoners Abroad has benefited greatly from its membership of the THA. We recruit young and talented staff who have a languages/human rights background but who need training in working with clients via the phone. THA has provided them with information and techniques that enhance their ability to give our clients the information and support they desperately need. We find the Telephone Helplines Directory invaluable in helping access other sources of support for our clients. Chief Executive , Prisoners Abroad Without the expert training provided and facilitated by the THA, many valuable services that are there to help people in need might fall short of providing the kind of quality service that is really needed, when it is needed. Callers need to be confident that the person dealing with their call is competent and fully trained and without the Telephone Helplines Association this may not happen. We might not be able to change the world, but with the help of training from the THA, we can help callers to make changes that affect their world and really make a difference. National Helpline Manager, Prisoners' Families Helpline We at the Prisoners Families Helpline have found THA courses invaluable for providing guidance for our work. The THA is a vital establishment for maintaining quality of service countrywide, and for representing helplines in national negotiations, for example, establishing free calls from mobiles to helplines. Prisoners Families Helpline The THA has been invaluable in supporting the development of our helpline. THA have on numerous occasions provided a reliable source for advising on policy and practice issues which has proved to be an important resource. Both new and existing staff have accessed the professionally run THA training courses. THA courses provide a unique opportunity for gaining insight into current issues facing the helpline world as well as learning specific skills which have benefited our callers. Prostate Cancer Charity Helpline As a Helpline Manager I've found that THA staff are always available to offer sound advice and guidance in filling in the Quality Standard Workbook which is an amazing tool I've used to improve the quality of our service and, hopefully, have it accredited. There is simply no other organisation that offers what the THA does. Phoneline Coordinator, Respect I have found the THA a real bonus in terms of the quality of the training, the support offered over any issue that arises on a day to day basis, and the real commitment to good practice within the helpline industry, plus the Directory which lets people know we exist! Respond Helpline Manager I am very sad to hear that the THA is under threat. When I first discovered the THA, I was both relieved and thrilled, as it was absolutely the only body offering relevant training to my project. I have attended five different training courses and have affiliated our project by becoming full members of the association, and was very proud to put their logo on our leaflets. The training has been vital, and is so specialised I can't imagine where I would go to replicate it. The trainers are very knowledgeable and have definitely improved my project. Social Inclusion Officer, Rural Community Council (Leicestershire and Rutland) Rural Stress Information Network would not be where it is today without the THA. It is a unique organisation, the only one dedicated to supporting and, most importantly, developing the skills, expertise and professionalism of Telephone Helplines throughout the UK. The quality of THA's training courses is outstanding. We use the THA’s Telephone Helplines Directory so often – it’s the best tool we’ve got. As Helpline Manager I have consulted the THA on a number of issues concerning our particular operation. Our Trustees will say to me 'What does the THA say on this?' They trust and respect the THA. If the THA isn't there where will we go? Helpline & Information Manager, Rural Stress Information Network SAMH is very sorry to hear that the THA is in difficulty. The THA is unique in terms of the services, training and support that it offers to helplines. SAMH staff have found the helpline training courses very beneficial, and the Mental Health Helplines Quality Standard Workbook in particular has been a really useful resource. Influence
and Change Manager, SAMH As a founder member of the Telephone Helplines Association, SANE would be
sad to see this organisation close down. We recognise the real value of
having an umbrella organisation for helplines, creating a unique ability
for helplines to network and share expertise. Additionally, the THA's
low-cost training courses and advice on areas such as policies or
telecoms issues are a vital source of information
for helplines." Director of Fundraising and Operations, SANE The increased focus on verbal abuse and its effects on people who work with the public by telephone in a diverse range of activities led us to seek expert advice and guidance with a view to providing a signposting tool highlighting good practice and raising awareness of preventative techniques to support staff. The help and advice we received from the THA in compiling this tool, ensured that the finished document accurately reflected the issues involved and brought a dimension to this piece of work that could not have been done otherwise. Their practical knowledge and commitment were second to none and we are extremely grateful to the THA for the support they gave so readily. Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives Several of our key staff have benefited from a variety of courses at THA.
In particular the Core Helpline Skills course increased the confidence
of the participants and gave our staff some useful strategies which they
use on a regular basis. The closure of the
THA would reduce the opportunity for further and appropriate training. SNAP (Special Needs And Parents) We have found most useful the guidelines which the THA have set out on all aspects of telephone helpline work, email and internet support. This has ensured that we are providing the best possible service we can to our callers. I also believe that membership of such a respected body as the THA gives callers a greater degree of confidence in ringing helplines. I feel it is essential that the THA secures funding for the continuation of the vital role they play in assisting helplines throughout the country. Co-ordinator,
SupportLine Telephone Helpline Much of our training is based on The Telephone Helpline Association guidelines and with regards to operating this valuable service, we rely heavily on the guidelines and codes of practice laid out by THA to ensure our service meets the highest standards and our service users are offered a professional and safe service. I feel it is essential for a service to have a governing body that one can turn to for support, help and information if needed. Survivors
Network We are very distressed to hear about the situation. Though we have not
been active members, being so far away in India,
we have benefited a lot from our association with the THA over the
years. The THA has inspired us to better ourselves and to consider a
similar network here in India. The THA publications have helped us
critically look at our helpline service and improve our work. The
Helpline Guidelines were particularly useful and inspired us to bring
out our Guidelines for Good Helpline Practice. The value of the services
provided by the THA cannot be stressed enough. TARSHI
team As virtual founder members of THA, The Line to What Now? has found the
training courses inspiring and the regional road shows are particular
comfort in providing a forum to meet with others who come from the same
viewpoint, as it is lonely being a helpline all on one’s own in a
large organisation with other core business. THA has advised on
developing technologies and has certainly saved us a great deal of money
in pointing us in the right direction when considering alternative
service providers. THA has championed the cause of helplines with the
mobile phone companies and done great work in getting our numbers
accepted as free throughputs. Interactive Services Coordinator, The Line to What Now? We are aspirant full members of the THA. Our reasons for putting
ourselves through this demanding process are that we cannot think of a
better, quicker or more appropriate way to ensure that our helpline is
of the best quality. I am not sure what we would do if the THA did not
exist. We would certainly be the worse for it. To paraphrase Voltaire,
if the THA did not exist it would have to be invented. I really hope we
don't lose it. Tourette's
Syndrome Association It would be a tragedy if the THA should become a casualty of short term
difficulties after having built up such a very strong and unique range
of skills and expertise. It is very appropriate that an organisation set
up to promote and monitor the quality of helpline services should become
involved in developing appropriate methodologies for researching their
effectiveness. We very much value the insight and perspective you
contribute to the research team, and look forward to a long and
productive collaboration into the future. Senior Research Fellow, School of Nursing University of Nottingham We are currently working on a major helpline evaluation project with the
THA. The THA has been essential in the setting up, development and
implementation of this project in the current early stages. We will be
working closely with the THA over the next two years on this project and
again the expertise, knowledge and skills of our colleagues in the THA
is fundamental to this forthcoming work. Should the THA close, this
would have a huge impact on the completion and delivery of this project,
as the team would lose the crucial and unique expertise being offered by
this important organisation. Senior Lecturer in Mental Health/Regional Fellow in Suicide Prevention, Care Services Improvement Partnership/NIMHE (EM) School of Nursing University
of Although we are a small charity and attend few training sessions those we
have attended have been thoroughly professional and Vitiligo
Society WAND was the first helpline to have learners successfully complete the
Mental Health Helpline Worker Qualification which couldn’t have been
achieved without THA staff. This has greatly improved the quality of
service that WAND provides, added value to our helpline for potential
funders and aided volunteer recruitment and retention.
Project
Coordinator, WAND Working with the THA has given us invaluable market insight. The THA have
waded with us through a sea of rules and regulations and we sincerely
thank them for their input. Previous to THA’s input, accountants had
calculated, and grossly misinterpreted, our staffing needs. THA’s work
ensured that, as a company, we are now operating with efficiency and
credibility. We look forward to a continued working partnership. 7
Basic Needs We have received support, guidance, training and direction in the form of
good practice guidelines. THA were also commissioned by our funders to
carry out an evaluation on the helpline. This piece of work was
instrumental in providing information to our funders. Like most helplines, we
are caught up in the operational issues and it’s really useful to have
the THA to support us with more strategic issues. It would be a great
loss to us if the services of the THA were not available. The THA leads
the way in relation to good practice for helplines! 24hr Domestic Violence Helpline in Northern Ireland |
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