Tips on calling

The first time you call Switchboard you might be nervous, anxious or scared. We understand that and let you choose what to talk about. We will listen to what you have to say and respect you for who you are.

Try to take some time before you phone us to think about what you hope to get out of the call. If you think it will help, make a list of topics you want to discuss. Have a pen and paper handy for any telephone numbers we might be able to provide you with.
We try to have a woman on the phones each night but that can be difficult to manage. Lesbian Line is open on Wednesday nights between 7.30pm and 10pm and is only staffed by female volunteers. However, all our male volunteers are comfortable discussing women's issues if you need to speak to someone now.
Our volunteers will ask you what your first name is. You do not have to give your real name.
If what you have to say is troubling or confidential, try to phone us from a location where you are less likely to be disturbed during the call. If you accidentally share something you feel you shouldn’t have, please don't worry: we never repeat anything.
We cannot call you back and our phones are barred from the 1471 service so we cannot identify the number you are calling from. Calls from mobiles will cost the same as any other call you make to a landline.
If all of our volunteers are busy, you will hear a message asking you to call back later. Wait about twenty minutes and try again. Do not use “ringback” as that may only get the answer machine, and this will cost you more.
If you have itemised telephone bills, our phone number will appear on the bill; we have no control over that. Every time a volunteer answers they will say, “Hello, this is Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.” We do not discuss anyone who has called us, and will usually advise that it may have been a wrong number if anyone asks why our number appears on a bill.
If you are afraid that someone will discover that you have called us, dial 123 after you hang up to clear our number from the Last Number Redial facility on your phone.
The volunteer who answers may keep brief notes about your call, including the first name you gave us. This will help us to remember what we talked about if you call us back another time. The notes cannot be used to identify you, and cannot be seen by any other volunteers. Not all volunteers keep notes.
Our funders have asked us to keep statistics about the calls we receive. We will record your age range, the town you live in and how you found out about us.

Above all, phone us: it may help take a bit of the pressure off yourself. Don't be embarrassed about what you want to talk about; mostly we will have heard something similar before and we may even have personal experience of the issue ourselves!