Who organises the Listening Post at SOS Help?
Introducing our Director of Post…
What is your role at SOS Help?
I am Director of Post. The Post is the place our listeners are based. I initially began as a listener in 2017, then I became DP in 2018. My job is to make sure the listening post is working as it should.
What are your main responsibilities?
My role is to ensure the quality of our service, recruit and train new listeners and organise ongoing training for existing ones, ensure the safety and comfort of the listening post and review the service and its costs. This sounds a lot, but I have help from others, for example, there are people who specifically look after the recruitment and training.
Why do you think SOS Help’s services are important?
I continue to listen on a regular basis. Sometimes, during a call, I ask myself whether I am providing the help the caller is looking for. Have I missed something? Have I understood what they are telling me? But the caller will tell me I am. They will tell me that talking to me and being listened to has helped them a lot. They see the problems they are facing in a new way. Things that may have felt insurmountable have become manageable. In these moments I realise the value of what we do.
How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on the service SOS Help offers?
When the government restrictions were introduced we had to quickly review what we were doing and how we could continue to keep a service going. We felt it was important to maintain a service while also ensuring the safety of our listeners and working within government guidelines. Our solution meant we could maintain a daily service but for fewer hours*. These are difficult times for many people and we are pleased we have been able to keep providing a service.
Running the SOS Help helpline in figures:
€15 pays for the cost of running our Listening Post for one day
€300 pays our phone costs for one year
€500 euros pays for our Listening Post for one month
To help us provide our listening service, or if you are interested in becoming a Listener for SOS Help, go to the bottom of the page.
* The SOS Helpline is now back operating its normal hours, 3pm – 11pm daily.
