This month Lifeline marks 50 years of service in Australia and their upcomming annual Black Diamond Ball is an essential part of the organisations fundraising program. Lifeline WA CEO Fiona Kalaf explained to OUTinPerth the scope of work that the organisation undertakes and why it needs ongoing community support.
“It’s a pretty amazing achievement,” says Kalaf of the organisation’s anniversary, “especially because from my perspective some of the things that make it particularly amazing are the fact it’s still powered by volunteers so it’s really still very much a grass roots community organisation.
“Over those 50 years what has changed is the volunteers are now referred to as professional volunteers, they go through three months of education, then they’re on the phones as emotional P plates, there’s a twelve month probationary period and then there’s constant supervision management as well. We’ve got a really well developed practice model now.”
Kalaf explained that while the Lifeline phone counseling line is well established the organisation is keeping up with technology branching out into the cyber world.
“There’s quite a bit of work we do outside of the phone lines, we’re known for the telephone crisis support line, late last year we launched online crisis support, its essentially the exact same service, 13 11 14, but offered through a secure online web based app and that really has made a big difference to our reach in particular accessibility to young people.”
Moving the counselling services into platforms that youth enage with has had a positive effect. Kalaf says that about 50% of the people making contact with the service through ‘Crisis Chat’ are 25 years of age and under as compared to only 10% of engagements on the phone lines.
“There’s a much higher percentage of people who disclose that they’re having suicidal ideation [in the chat rooms] and the good thing about that from our perspective is that the sooner somebody discloses they’re having suicidal ideation the sooner we can start enacting our practice model around putting in places suicide safe plans.”
Kalaf highlights that the organsiation has many costs and fundraising is essential for their ongoing success,
“Our biggest challenge is that the services are offered completely free of charge for the caller, yet they do come at a cost to us. For instance with the 13 11 14 phone line we pay for the phone call so if someone calls us from a mobile and is on the phone to us for 50 minutes, we pay for that.”
The Black Diamond Ball is many things for Lifeline, this year it’s a celebration of their anniversary, but it’s also an important mechanism for raising awareness of mental health and raising funds for the organisation.
Lifeline’s Black Diamond Ball is on Saturday August 3 at Fraser’s Reception Centre in Kings Park. Tickets available HERE.
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, or needs help now, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or crisischat.lifelinewa.org.au
