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EU-Wide Emotional Support Helpline now available in Malta
Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The EU-wide Emotional Support Helpline, 116123, is now available also in Malta, with the objective of offering emotional support to callers suffering from loneliness, those who find themselves in a state of psychological crisis, and those who require emotional support due to various life situations that they may be encountering.

The European Commission states that all EU countries should reserve the numbers beginning with 116 for services of social value across all EU member states, with 116123 particularly being assigned for emotional support helplines and meeting a common description across all EU member states. The Emotional Support Helpline in Malta will be operating on a 24-hour basis, 7 days a week, all year round. All calls originating from fixed lines will be free of charge.

Calls received on 116123 will be re-routed to the already existing structure of the Appogg service Supportline 179. The service is available for all local and foreign citizens in Malta. The objective of having one international number is so that European citizens would now be able to reach such service by using the same recognisable number in all member states.

Supportline 179 is a 24 hour free telephone service offered by Agenzija Appogg. It has been running by a team of professionally trained volunteers, under the supervision of Appogg professionals, for the past 14 years. Now, through the amalgamation with the emotional helpline, the service currently provided will be open to callers from other EU member states and will offer:

- Offer confidential emotional support to any individual, in particular those who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at risk, and victims of any form of abuse.
- Listen, guide, and respond to callers in need of emotional support.
- Support callers in a non-directive way and encourage callers to take control of their own lives and come to their own decisions.
- Refer clients to other services.
- Provide information on services and resources available.
- Provide a high quality and reliable service to all users.
- Provide continuous support, training and development for staff members and volunteers.

The Foundation for Social Welfare Services, through Agenzija Appogg, will ensure that it delivers a high quality service, reliable to callers making use of the helplines 116123 and 179, and will continue to provide the necessary support, training and development to the volunteers who run the service.

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