We have been getting a number of calls on the Children of Hope hotline from clients who were told by another agency to call for a warmline. Some clients have reported that Response gave them the number. Most of these calls have nothing to do with the purpose of the CoH hotline and are just regular counseling calls. You can handle these calls the same way you would if they came in on any other line, but please make sure to explain the nature of the CoH hotline and the services that CoH provides at some point during the call, and redirect them back to Response or another hotline depending on where they live. You can also encourage them to call back the agency that gave them the number to let them know that it is not a warmline.
In an effort to figure out where the confusion is coming from, please try to remember to ask callers how they got the number, especially if it is not a typical CoH call, and document it accordingly in your card.
Please let me know if you have any questions about how to handle these calls.
-Frank
