Since 1995 the Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line" has been run by the Health Psychology Institute of Polish Psychological Association on the order of the State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol Related Problems.
OUR TASKS:
1. The Blue Line Phone - hotline for Victims of domestic violenceIt consists of:
- 0-801-120-002 (till 01.08.2002 there was a toll-free number 0-800-120-002), which operates on weekdays and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- not free /paid by client number (48 22) 660 00 06, which operates on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The people on duty servicing The Blue Line have psychology or pedagogy education. Additionally, each person has been trained in the basic regulations concerning criminal, civil and family law and is trained to work on the phone with people afflicted with violence. These people also learn about various types of help for violence victims available at office all over Poland.
The Blue Line phone offer is addressed to:
- people suffering family violence,
- people using violence in family,
- family violence witnesses.
The tasks of the Blue Line are:
- psychology support for the callers,
- psychology and law consulting concerning stopping family violence,
- education concerning violence and alcoholism,
- motivation to take actions against the family violence,
- giving information and sending the people afflicted with family violence to local offices,
- interventions in proper institutions.
Other tasks of the Blue Line include:
- maintenance and constant verification of the database about institutions and forms of help in the whole country for people afflicted with violence,
- publishing of a nationwide guide to offices and organizations helping people afflicted with violence,
- collecting, elaborating and making the statistical data concerning phone calls available,
- standardizing the types of help available on the phone to people afflicted with violence,
Since 1995 each phone call to The Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line" has been recorded according to a specially designed form. A computer database was lunched in January 1999. It allows the systematic record of data concerning the level of home violence. It also contains detailed and current information about people and institutions helping the home violence victims.
The summary of phone calls to The Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line".Since 1996 the number of phone calls has been increasing. In 2001, by 31st December, thanks to additional line, the number of phone calls increased to 12597. Unfortunately, in 2002, we had to close one of the two lines of number 0 801 1200 02, what caused drop in number of phone calls in that year to 10573.
Number of Calls (1996 - 2003)
2. Interdisciplinary Assistance Program for People Involved in Domestic ViolenceIn June 1996 the Emergency Service started the Psychological Support Program For Families Involved In Violence for the region of Warsaw. Initially, psychological help could be provided only to the adults suffering violence. The program underwent many modifications and presently has a tendency to offer complex help to all the members of the family involved in violence. An important element of the program is a comprehensive diagnosis of the person´s situation so that they could get help being most adequate to their needs, expectations and possibilities.
Interdisciplinary Assistance Program for People Involved in Domestic Violence offers help to:
- the persons suffering violence,
- children from the families involved in violence,
- the persons using violence at home (mainly mens and parents).
Each person covered by the program may use services in legal or social issues and psychological support depending on individual needs.
Our program includes:
- Psychological support (individual and family therapy, therapeutic groups for adults and psycho-corrective classes for children and teenagers
- Legal assistance
- Social help
- Crises interventions
- Psychotherapy
Legal assistanceLawyers at the Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line" give advice on the telephone and during individual meetings with the clients covered by the Psychological Support Program. The Emergency Service clients are offered help in:
- learning their right,
- finding proper legal solutions,
- writing relevant letter to the court, institution or office.
- support at legal proceedings
- trainings and education for other services
Social helpThe clients of the Interdisciplinary Assistance Program may use social advice services. The Emergency social worker:
- helps to settle formal matters and other important vital questions,
- gives information on benefits and forms of help in justified cases,
- informs on the opportunities of help within the local environment,
- in justified cases help to find shelter in hostels or hospices for the victims of violence in the family,
- if necessary, intervenes for the person in various institutions,
- cooperates with other institutions and organizations.
3. Information Center of The Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line"Purpose of the Information Center:
- collecting of information on family violence and making it available to the interested parties,
- developing and implementing of research programs concerning violence in the families
- raising social awareness of the family violence.
They are realized by:
- establishing priorities in research programs concerning the conditions and the scale of violence,
- designing and achieving its own research programs concerning the conditions and the scale of domestic violence,
- analysis of effectiveness of the already existing Polish help systems for the victims of violence,
- developing nationwide standard reporting systems for the collection of data about the family violence,
- initiation of cooperation with foreign violence data banks to include Poland to the international research programs and develop standardized research criteria,
- development of a public system of educating in the family violence counteraction.
The activities of the Information Center can be used by:
- employees of the sites helping the family violence victims (psychologists, educators, therapist, social workers, policemen, lawyers, doctors, etc.),
- members of the Agreement Blue Line,
- members of other organizations, societies and foundations involved in counteractions against the family violence,
- students,
- scientists,
- victims of family violence.
4. Operation And Development of The Nationwide Agreement of People, Organizations And Institutions Supporting The Family Violence Victims Blue LineThe Nationwide Agreement of People, Organizations And Institutions Supporting The Family Violence Victims Blue Line came into being in December 1996 during the 3rd Nationwide Conference "Against Violence". The Agreement associates persons and institutions supporting the program of the family violence counteraction, social services, administrations of justice, journalists and people of good will who want to counteract against violence and cooperate in helping the harmed. Till January, 2005, 2209 people and 1009 institutions joined the Blue Line.
Education and trainings for all the public services
5. Local training - counteraction against the family violenceThe training course is intended for the persons that deal with the counteractions against the family violence in local environment. The basic goals include the broadening and grouping of knowledge of the issues related with the family violence problems and the developing of practical skills useful during contacts with persons involved in violence.
Participation in Central Training - Family Violence Counteraction College [Studium Przeciwdziałania Przemocy w Rodzinie]Polish Nationwide Emergency Service for Victims Of Domestic Violence "Blue Line" is the most important resource for the Family Violence Counteraction College (Polish abbreviation SPPWR), which is one of the schools led by the Health Psychology Institute of Polish Psychological Association . The College has been active since 1995. It is intended for the persons that deal with the family violence related problems: workers, medical care, education, jurisdiction and police services.
6. Other actionsThe "Blue Line" closely co-cooperates with the State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol Related Problems in building system solutions to prevent domestic violence, especially in the field of:
"Blue Procedure"
- Blue Card Procedure for police
- Blue Card Procedure for social service
- Blue Procedure for Local Communities for Resolving Alcohol Related Problems
- Blue Procedure for alcohol dependence treatment
and:
- Public education campaign
- Conferences for members of The Nationwide Agreement of People, Organizations And Institutions Supporting The Family Violence Victims Blue Line
We also:
- co-operate with wide range of NGOs to prepare legislative changes
- propose and realize prevention programs
- keep contact with media
- co-operate with NGOs from the foreign countries - Ukraine and Armenia
e-mail: pogotowie@niebieskalinia.pl
Phone | Assistance Program | Information Center | Agreement | Trainings | Other actions | POLISH VERSION |
