About SANEline
What is SANEline?
SANEline is a national out-of-hours telephone helpline offering emotional support and information for people affected by mental health problems.
Mental health problems are far more common than is generally thought. In fact, one in every four of us will experience a mental health problem in the course of a year.
Whether you are worried about your own mental health, or you are a concerned family member, friend, acquaintance or professional, don’t be afraid to call.
SANEline receives thousands of calls every year from people like you. Whether you are seeking information or the opportunity to share your feelings with someone, SANEline aims to give you the time and space to explore your situation, without judging or telling you what to do.
SANEline is part of the charity SANE, and is run independently of any NHS or other statutory services.
1. How can SANEline help?
2. Who will answer when I call SANEline?
3. Will my call be confidential?
4. When is SANEline open?
5. How much will my call cost?
6. What if I am hearing impaired?
7. What if I don’t speak English?
8. Does SANEline provide an international service?
9. What is SANEline not able to do?
10. What about Data Protection?
11. Why do we collect information about you?
12. What is SANEline’s history and credentials?
13. What do I do if I have a complaint?
14. Are there any other ways I can contact SANE for support or information?
How can SANEline help?
It can be difficult to understand and talk about our innermost fears and feelings, even to those close to us, particularly when it comes to our mental health. Also, it may often be hard to find useful information about mental health issues or accessing treatments, or where to go for help in the local area. This is where SANEline can help.
SANEline aims to:
- provide a confidential space for you to talk about your situation and feelings, without fear of judgement or being told what to do
- offer support and help to manage your feelings in times of crisis
- explore the options that may be available to help you to establish support networks and coping strategies
- put you in touch with services in your local area through our unique SANE Information Database (SID)
- provide information about mental health problems, symptoms and treatments
- give information about accessing the mental health system and the basics of mental health legislation
- provide a service that everyone has an equal opportunity to use, without fear of prejudice or rejection.
Who will answer when I call SANEline?
Calls to SANEline are answered by fully trained volunteers, who come to us from all walks of life. All our volunteers have been through a strict selection procedure and have successfully completed our intensive accredited training programme, endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Volunteers are supported and supervised by a professional, paid member of staff at all times.
You may be calling to talk to someone for the first time, or perhaps have been experiencing mental health problems for a while. You may be feeling suicidal or in crisis. You may be worried about someone else. Regardless, SANEline volunteers are there to offer you support and up-to-date information.
Will my call be confidential?
All calls are treated in absolute confidence within the organisation and your details will not be shared – in fact, you don’t have to tell us your name if you wish to remain anonymous. All SANE staff, volunteers and trainees sign a confidentiality agreement
However, in very rare cases we may need to break confidentiality. SANEline is not able to provide a confidential service under circumstances where SANE policy or the law dictates a breach of confidentiality. In the case of terrorism, legal compulsion, or where we judge there to be a high risk of active suicide or serious risk of harm to another and you have given your name and address in the course of the call, we may judge it important to pass your information on to another party.
Whether or not we take action is largely dependent on the personal information you give us. We do not use technology to trace calls. If you are worried about remaining anonymous, you may not want to give us identifying information such as your surname, home address and phone number.
Occasionally calls may be listened into for training or monitoring purposes. A co-ordinator may listen in to a call if it will help us to provide a better service. New volunteers, as part of their training programme, listen in to calls being taken by experienced helpline workers. This enables them to learn from the expertise and experience of their colleagues.
When is SANEline open?
SANEline is open from 6pm to 11pm every day of the year including Christmas, New Year and all other public holidays.
What if I can’t get through?
Our lines can get very busy, but we do want to hear from you, so if you get an engaged tone, please do keep trying. Sometimes, late afternoon or early evening can be a good time to call.
How much will my call cost?
No matter which part of the UK you are calling from, the cost from a landline is the same as a local call. The cost of calling from a mobile may vary and will depend on your network provider.
What if I am hearing impaired?
SANEline subscribes to Typetalk for those who are hearing impaired, which enables those with a textphone to contact us through a third party. Additionally, you may like to try emailing us through sanemail@sane.org.uk
What if I don’t speak English?
If your first language is not English, we can provide interpreters via the Language Line translation service.
Does SANEline provide an international service?
No, SANEline is not funded to respond to calls from outside the UK. If you are outside of the UK, you may want to visit www.befrienders.org or search on the Internet to find your nearest email support service or helpline.
What is SANEline not able to do?
SANEline is not able to provide you with advice or tell you what to do. We will however, give you the space to discuss your situation and aim to provide you with options to enable you to make your own decisions.
SANEline is not able to make a diagnosis or provide medical advice. However, we will aim to give you information about accessing support and care through the mental health system.
SANEline is not able to provide advocacy or legal advice, but may be able to talk the situation through and signpost you to another organisation, which may be able to help.
SANEline is not a counselling service, but is there to provide you with the time and space to talk things through.
SANEline will not call you back if you write in, ring our admin line or email us with your telephone number. Access to the SANEline service is by you calling us. Occasionally, at the end of the call, we may offer a call back within the next week or so, especially if you are very vulnerable or in crisis. However, this is a limited service and you, as the caller, are not able to request this. The volunteer will offer if this is appropriate and you need to agree to it and give us your telephone number.
SANEline is a telephone helpline and does not provide a face-to-face service. However, SANEline is able to refer callers on to appropriate agencies that do offer face-to-face support.
SANEline will only speak to and send information to the person who contacted us. We are not able to respond to requests to contact a third party.
What about Data Protection?
SANEline is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998. All personal information is stored on a secure server for a maximum period of three years, after which time it is destroyed in accordance with the Act. Any information we receive is not passed on to any other organisation, except in cases where we need to break confidentiality (see above).
Why do we collect information about you?
Anonymised data is kept for statistical and research purposes and to help us to develop the service or campaign to improve the situation for those with mental health issues. Individuals cannot be identified from these records.
Also, any information you give helps us to provide you with the most relevant information from our database and other resources, as well as the most appropriate support.
If you are interested in telling your story for campaigning purposes, please click here. Please note, SANE is not able to campaign on your behalf with regard to your individual case.
What is SANEline’s history and credentials?
SANEline was established in 1992 as the first national out-of-hours telephone helpline.
SANEline belongs to the Telephone Helplines Association and was a founder member of this organisation. SANEline was also one of the first helplines to gain accreditation via the Mental Health Helplines Partnership Quality Standard.
SANEline’s training course is accredited by the academic body, the Open College Network, and volunteers can gain credits to the equivalent of an ‘A’ Level. The course is also endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. SANEline was a finalist at the National Training Awards in 2002.
Over the years, volunteers at SANEline have been recognised for their contributions. A volunteer won the coveted Volunteer of the Year at the UK Charity Awards 2002. Another volunteer received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Volunteering from the Islington Volunteer Association in 2005.
What do I do if I have a complaint?
SANEline makes every effort to ensure that the support and information we provide is accurate and appropriate. SANEline cannot accept liability for any action taken on receipt of information and cannot vouch for other organisations’ activities. SANEline reserves the right to take appropriate action if a caller is deemed to be inappropriately using the service.
SANEline operates a complaints procedure. To make a complaint, please contact us on our main admin number 020 7375 1002 or email us at info@sane.org.uk and ask for a complaints pack to be sent out to you. Please note the person who deals with this query will not be able to discuss your complaint with you. Details of how to make the complaint are in the pack. All complaints are taken seriously and fully investigated.
Are there any other ways I can contact SANE for support or information?
SANEmail is our UK-wide email support service. However, please note, SANEmail is not able to offer a crisis service. Emails will be responded to within five working days. If you are in crisis, please contact SANEline
The SANE Discussion Board is also available. This is a user-run board for people to share their thoughts and offer mutual support to each other.
Our website also has a mental health information section.
6pm to 11pm
every day
