Helplines NI, a network of 46 helpline services operating across Northern Ireland, will mark its ninth annual Helplines NI Awareness Day on April 30. This year’s event will focus on the growing demand for emotional supports as it’s revealed that over 300,000 relied on helpline services in 2024, highlighting the pressures today’s challenging climate is putting on people’s mental resilience.

Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland, Professor Siobhan O’Neill, will attend the event to highlight the crucial role that helpline services continue to play in Northern Ireland.

She says, “Helpline services in NI are vitally important. They ensure people, many vulnerable or in crisis, are receiving appropriate support or signposting to services at their time of need. While demand for these services continues to increase, many of these organisations are facing funding cuts which impact on their ability to provide essential mental health and wellbeing services. Mental health needs to be a priority, and the transformation set out in the Mental Health Strategy is desperately needed now. Community and Voluntary sector organisations need stability and multi-year budgets to facilitate their vital work.”

Helplines NI is funded by the Public Health Agency. It not only advocates for an improved landscape for helpline services, but it also ensures people in need can get the right support at the right time. Member organisations are thoroughly briefed on the services offered by each other so that if a person calls a helpline not suited to their needs, they are carefully directed to the most appropriate service for them, reducing the amount of time they wait for help and improving their overall experience of seeking support.

Today, it counts 46 members including Advice NI, Samaritans, Papyrus and Autism NI, Stroke Association, who provide information, advice, counselling, and befriending through various channels such as phone, text, email, and live chat. Membership is growing rapidly, demonstrating how effective a platform it has become.

Elkie Ritchie, Co-Chair of Helplines NI, added, “A person reaching out to a helpline represents a person in their most vulnerable moments. Our members provide a safe place for people to turn when they feel they have nowhere else to go. They offer emotional and practical support across a broad range of complex challenges. By bringing these services together, Helplines NI ensures greater accessibility and awareness of available support options for those in need, but with ongoing financial pressures and more and more challenges for people and families to navigate, it’s more important than ever to recognise the role helplines play in our health and social care system and ensure they are adequately invested in to ensure they can continue to deliver for the hundreds and thousands of people they provide for year on year.”

Kris Morrison, Co-Chair of Helplines NI and Family Support Manager at Autism NI, said, “Every day, dedicated teams of staff and volunteers across Northern Ireland ensure that no one has to face their challenges alone. Their work is invaluable, yet too often overlooked and we must do more to safeguard their future.

“At Autism NI, our Helpline Service is a source of guidance and reassurance for autistic individuals and their families. With over 7,500 direct contacts in 2023/24 alone, we continue to see the real and growing need for accessible, compassionate support. Whether it’s pre- or post-diagnosis advice or connecting families with vital resources and providing a listening ear, these services make a difference.

“On Helplines Awareness Day, we will be recognising the dedication of those on the other end of the line and are calling on health professionals, service users, and community leaders to join us. This event is for anyone who wants to help break the stigma, spread awareness, and make sure people know they’re never alone when they need support.”

Helplines NI Awareness Day takes place at Girdwood Community Hub on 30 April. To register for the event, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/helplines-ni-awareness-day.