Australia’s national domestic, family, and sexual violence support service, 1800 RESPECT, has launched on-demand video call counselling.
The initiative will give users face-to-face access to a qualified counsellor without needing to travel to an in-person session.
The Federal Government said it was aimed at empowering victim-survivors “to seek support via the best medium that suits their needs”.
This comes after 1800 RESPECT added a text line in December.
Background
The Federal Government launched the national domestic violence support helpline in 2010.
1800 RESPECT pairs callers with trained counsellors. So, these counsellors can provide information on domestic, family and sexual violence, and connects callers with other services.
Further, during the 2022/23 financial year, 1800 RESPECT answered almost 270,000 calls or web messages.
Overall, users now have the option to seek support on the phone, online, via text or via video call.
How will it work?
Users can now access video call counselling from Monday to Friday on the 1800 RESPECT website.
There is a video call button on the homepage. It allows users to select the video option on a range of devices like smartphones or laptops.
Then, they will be taken to an automated ‘safety check’ page. It will ask users to indicate if they’re in any immediate danger, before being connected to a counsellor.
1800 RESPECT phone, text, and online chat services are available 24/7.
However, video counselling is being rolled out during business hours only. But, 1800 RESPECT said it plans to make the service available 24/7.
Additionally, the service said it will provide interpreters for callers who speak a language other than English.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said: “Talking about domestic, family and sexual violence can be hard, and our hope is that the video call service channel will allow people who would feel more comfortable having that conversation face-to-face to have that option on-demand”.
1800 RESPECT
Call: 1800 737 732
Text: 0458 737 732
Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au
