Diva Foundation

Open Telephone Helpline – 032/64 19 46

A receptionist answers the calls every workday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Open Telephone Helpline (OTH) was set on 15.11.1999 and it is an important part of the entire structure of the service.


THE OTL HAS TWO MAIN FUNCTIONS:

1. ADMISSION IN THE SERVICE. The OTH provides easy access to the services, to information about the programs and services. The consultation hours for an appointment with a counselor from the Service are fixed and put down through the OTH. The telephone calls with the administrator give women the opportunity to receive information about the offered services, to feel more positive and safe about the place, they are going to and about the professionals, they are going to meet. During the telephone interview the administrator investigates the client's needs, the risk for her life and health, the woman's emotional state and fixes a suitable hour for an appointment with a counselor from the Service.

2. OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CLIENTS TO RECEIVE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND INFORMATION WITHOUT REVEALING THEIR PERSONAL IDENTITY. For many women the telephone call is an important step, which they use to break the silence about the acts of violence in their family. They need to tell what is happening to them without being blamed and to know what the future opportunities for them are. A big number of the women, who have used the OTH, prefer to remain anonymous, because of their safety. A lot of the women need to be encouraged so that they could reveal their feelings and supported in looking for professional help for coping with the consequences of violence. The women should feel that she is not alone and she is accepted and understood - this is of the first importance.

A part of those, who use the OTH, are young girls or their relatives, who are searching for information about safe ways of travelling abroad. With a view to this, the organization maintains database, including actual information about:

• Services and resources of the institutions and non-governmental organizations in Plovdiv and the region;
• Services of organizations in the country, delivering services for women and children;
• Information about the legitimate firms for work abroad;
• Phone numbers and addresses of Bulgarian embassies abroad;
• Phone numbers and addresses as well as services delivered by foreign organizations that are engaged in work with victims of trafficking abroad.

Another part of those, using the OTH, are people, whose problems are not of paramount importance for the Service. They are looking for information about some other kind of services and are referred to organizations, which could answer their specific needs.

WORKING PRINCIPLES OF THE OTH:

• Active listening and emotional support;
• Evaluation of the client's needs and a plan of action in crisis;
• Giving information about the opportunities for aid;
• Observing the confidentiality of information.