FDS 2023 Annual Report

33 FDS 24/7 Telephone Support Line… Family Drug Support established a National Telephone Support line in March 1998 using a 1300 number. It has operated 24/7 since its launch and in the past year received over 26,715 calls . The first line is manned by trained volunteers and the overflow line by trained FDS staff. At least 60% of existing volunteers are confirmed peers. In response to meeting the needs of families the following approaches are utilised: o A non-judgemental approach, a listening ear, empathy, time and understanding o Motivated, trained Volunteers who deliver the support line approaches o Referring to other services such as ADIS, Lifeline, Kids Helpline, 1800RESPECT and others o Encouraging ongoing support and use of FDS services such as Support Groups, Stepping Stones and the website We have 118 volunteers on our roster who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Many have been personally impacted by alcohol and other drug issues within their family. Others are mature students studying alcohol and other drugs and some are people who seek to volunteer in an area of interest. Callers are encouraged to take advantage of our other services – Support Groups, Guide to Coping, Stepping Forward and Stepping Stones courses. The graphs provided over the next few pages are produced from national data. Data is provided to funding bodies every quarter. The telephone service is a confidential service, we do collect statistical information in order to provide the data to funding bodies. The information collected helps us to determine where our services should be targeted, any emerging trends and anecdotal information given external influences such as bushfires and COVID. This year we noted that 19.80% of support calls involved mention of violence and 9.93% of overall calls involved mention of suicide. Feedback from callers to our Telephone Support Line… o Whoever I spoke to was helpful and professional. I found the call helpful and I have already recommended FDS to someone else. o I am grateful for the support provided to me during my call to your service. I felt I was offered the time and space I needed to work through my thoughts and concerns. Thank you. o My initial call was very beneficial. I plan to seek further support from FDS o I was able to discuss possible options for a problem o I've called multiple times for advice on my partner's alcohol use. I believe the advice received helped him acknowledge and act on the issue - he checked into rehab on Monday and is doing better for the first time in a decade! Thank you - you may have helped save a life. o I am a Social Worker who was researching on behalf of a client. Very useful experience.