Service Access Unit

The Front Line at FST

This is not your average call centre. The Service Access Unit at FST answers about 26,000 calls every year. It is the first point of contact for people calling FST for help. Four staff people run this busy office which directs callers to our programs or to other social or health services. FST’s Service Access Unit is more of a care centre than a call centre. This type of centralized intake has many advantages: wait lists are monitored and pro-actively managed; service is consistent; resources are shared; and FST can capture trends and adjust programs toward these emerging needs. But the work of the SAU can be challenging.

Listening to the concerns of the callers, knowing how to get to the heart of the matter, and providing sensitive supports is tough work, considering the diversity of people and needs in Toronto. SAU staff are able to do assessments in English and in three other languages; calls received in a language they cannot accommodate are directed through a seamless transfer to FST counselling staff who can speak the requested language. SAU staff can also make referrals to other organizations for almost any language represented in our city.

Often callers are not sure what service they need as they may have multiple issues they want to deal with. In many cases it is not a linear process to help people share their problems over the phone. In the course of an assessment, SAU staff ask a series of questions, some open-ended and some demographic, which serve multiple purposes: to develop a profile on the client; to find out what prompted the call; and to direct them to the right service. FST also wants to be better positioned to understand and anticipate the needs of those who come to us for service. In each assessment, we ask the question: “Is there abuse in your relationship?” The answer given will often signal deeper needs and FST staff can respond accordingly and immediately.

Increasingly, people seeking help for themselves, their spouses/partners, or their families will do some initial research on our programs on the Internet and will call when they are ready to talk. Unfortunately, due to inadequate funding levels that have not kept up with the demand for our programs, many people are disappointed when they do call and encounter wait lists. In response to this, FST has instituted a duty counsellor to ease the pressure on a long wait. We are also exploring the possibility of offering e-counselling or phone counselling in addition to traditional face-to-face appointments.

Sonia Munoz, manager of SAU, sees patterns and trends that increase the traffic of calls at certain times. She notes that calls for family counselling and Violence Against Women (VAW) spike after long weekends and in September, as children go back to school. She also notes a trend in the types of calls that are currently being fielded by the SAU: “Lately, there’s been an increase in callers looking for credit counselling. FST doesn’t offer this but refers clients,” Munoz says. “And there has also been a surge in calls reflecting anxiety and family tension as a result of the economic crisis hitting people in their home lives.”

While the SAU is not a crisis line and FST does not provide addiction or mental health services, staff at the SAU provide an ear to listen to people’s stories and a human connection to steer them in the right direction. No matter how many stories SAU staff hear – about the issues faced by immigrants, stories of violence or troubles at home – they treat each person as a unique individual, ensuring privacy and a solid assessment for solution-focused counselling services for each caller.