Our helpline is the forefront of the direct support that we provide, and since we launched it in 2008 it’s only ever been open during normal office working hours.
As part of providing information, advice and support for people with convictions, we’re always looking at ways to improve and make it more accessible.
We have decided to run a trial of extending the opening hours of the helpline.
So for November, we’re going to keep the helpline open until 7pm each Wednesday. Given the way the days fall in November, it means for 5 weeks we’ll be open on Wednesday until 7pm. The dates n November this will apply to are the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th.
As a team, we’re going to split the extra working hours between us and crucially, we’ll keep a track on the number of calls we receive and try and find out why people have called us at that time. That should give us a good sense of whether there’s any demand in the future and what benefits it brings to those that call during those times.
Help us raise awareness
It’s now important for us to raise awareness of this trial so that people know they can call us on these dates after our normal 4pm closing time. That’s why we’ve written this post, and we’ll be tweeting using the hastag #unlockhelpline – help us spread awareness as best as you can.
After the trial, we’ll reflect and post an update on here to let you know how it went and what we plan to do next.
Learn more about this topic
Most popular articles from Unlock
- New data reveals disproportionate impact of criminal records on women
- Moving on: Criminal record checks for employment
- Google settles out of court with individual who has spent conviction, in the UK’s first ‘right to be forgotten’ case involving criminal records
- Pardons for historic gay convictions: a call for evidence
- What is the rationale behind the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974?
Comments
Add Comment