Section 388-61A-0280. What are the requirements for the crisis hotline or helpline?

(1) You must provide a crisis hotline/helpline telephone number to access services of the domestic violence agency. The telephone number must be widely distributed throughout the service area covered by the domestic violence agency and be identified as the crisis hotline/helpline of the agency.

(2) The crisis hotline/helpline service must comply with the following minimum requirements:

(a) It must operate twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year.

(b) It must be a dedicated telephone line that serves as the crisis hotline or helpline.

(c) Staff that answer the hotline/helpline must be trained in, and familiar with, all referral and intake practices of the domestic violence agency.

(d) In most cases, callers to the hotline/helpline must be able to speak, within fifteen minutes, to a trained staff person from whom the caller can obtain services, including access to emergency shelter.

(e) Staff must have access to TTY or similar technology, and they must be trained on its use.

(f) Safety must be addressed in every call.

(3) You must have written procedures that address the following:

(a) How crisis hotline staff will meet the needs of non-English speaking and hearing impaired callers.

(b) Steps that must be taken when a caller requests emergency shelter.

(c) If you use an answering service, or any other similar system, how you will provide training to the staff of the answering service, and how you will monitor the services provided to your agency.

(4) If you use a call-forwarding system for your domestic violence agency's hotline/helpline, answering service, or any other similar system, you must guarantee that the caller's first contact is supportive.

(5) You may use an answering machine, voice mail, or similar recording device as a back-up means of responding to calls to your agency's crisis hotline/helpline. However, these devices cannot be used as your agency's primary method of answering crisis hotline/helpline calls. Messages left on your agency's answering machine, voice mail, or similar recording device must be returned within the time frame described in subsection (2)(d) of this section.

[Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.123 RCW and 16 C.F.R. Part 1219. WSR 13-10-028, § 388-61A-0280, filed 4/24/13, effective 5/25/13. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.123 RCW. WSR 10-22-040, § 388-61A-0280, filed 10/27/10, effective 11/27/10.]

Chapter 70.123 RCW and 16 C.F.R. Part 1219. WSR 13-10-028, § 388-61A-0280, filed 4/24/13, effective 5/25/13. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.123 RCW. WSR 10-22-040, § 388-61A-0280, filed 10/27/10, effective 11/27/10.