define referral service

- helpline is a free andconfidential service. we provide information,support, and referral to people with a mentalhealth issue or disability. also friends or family members and carers. at any one time, we have 35 to 40 volunteers. - all the volunteers here on the helpline have their own experiencewith mental illness. so either through personal experience,

or as a carer, it's whatmakes this helpline special. it is peer supported, it's peer run, and i think that allows usto provide the best support for our callers. - the people that call helpline are primarily those whohave a mental health issue or a disability. that covers about 60% of our calls. then, we have quite a few people

who are family members orfriends who are the carers. that's about 30% of our calls, and then the other approximately10% are service providers and may want programme information. - i called helpline for the support. they understand what you're going through. you can talk to themabout any issues you have, and it's all private and confidential. - helpline make calls toparticipants and families

who access some of theservices and programmes we have here at wellways. - quite a few of thecallers we have on helpline are quite socially isolated. the primary supports might be all clinical, so i think having a call from us and having someone touch base with them, even once a week, just helps them to knowthat they are listened to

and are heard and are thought of. and i think that reallyhelps them feel connected to not just our service butalso to the greater community. helpline offers people a sense of hope where once they mighthave felt that they had nowhere to turn or no one to go to. having someone unbiasedjust to sit there and go you're actually doing really well helps to sort of highlightwhat they're achieving

and what they are actuallydoing for themselves. if you are requiring further information, or need a referral to another programme, or possibly just asupportive person to chat to, helpline is a really safe space. don't hesitate to give us a call.