Need help? Call this new number

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Feeling depressed, helpless, confused or maybe financially desperate? No problem, just contact the Welfare Department's call centre for help.
By Wednesday, there will be a new five-digit phone number that anyone in Malaysia can call to reach one of 29 call agents at the centre -- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year -- to seek welfare aid.
It is designed to complement the 999 police emergency hotline, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
"This is the long arm of welfare going into Malaysian homes to help out. Our target groups are women, family, children, the disabled, the elderly, the poor, and just about anybody who needs our help.
"It's time for us to have a single point of contact so that anyone who needs help on social and welfare-related issues can get an immediate response."
With the setting up of the call centre, the ministry's two existing hotlines -- Teledera (1-800-88-3040) under the Welfare Department and Healthline (03-26938877) under the National Population and Family Development Board -- will be abolished.
Teledera was for the public to report cases of domestic violence and child abuse, while Healthline dealt with queries on reproductive health and sexuality.
On average, Teledera received between five and 10 calls a day while Healthline was getting up to 30 calls a day.
"We were operating the two lines quietly before this. Those who knew about them could reach us. Those who didn't, well... they weren't widely known."
Admitting that the ministry hadn't been too happy with these hotlines, Shahrizat said she found them especially lacking in follow-up services.
The new call centre is an integration of Teledera and Healthline. However, its aim is wider as it seeks to provide emergency help to everyone in need of welfare services.
In addition, it will compile client details for future follow-up so that welfare staff can determine whe-ther the problems have been properly resolved.
"A reference number will also be given to each case received. Of course, all information will be kept confidential," Shahrizat said.
The call centre will be managed by the ministry, with input from a private consultancy.
Call agents have also been trained in basic counselling to enable them to deal with callers' queries efficiently and effectively.
"But they are not counsellors and where necessary, they will pass the calls to the respective district welfare officers, who are on 24-hour standby, to reach out to those who need immediate help."
The centre is equipped with Voice Logger, which records every conversation between an agent and a caller.
It also has a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System, an application that is able to store relevant data on the caller as well as the nature and status of the enquiry.
"Under the CRM, such information can be retrieved periodically for analysis," said Shahrizat.
However, it is not a toll-free number -- callers are charged four sen a minute.
"We want genuine people who need help to use this, not pranksters.
"It's only four sen so anyone can afford it. If you need help, we'll definitely call back.
"If you have a sickly elderly mother who needs medical attention and you don't know who to turn to, call us.
"If you know of a child being abused, call us. If you or someone you know has been physically abused by her husband, call us."
The call centre has been on trial run since Nov 14 and will be officially launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday.