help line

A telephone-based social service to provide contact between people in need of assistance and professionals or volunteers who provide encouragement and access to necessary services. Trained listeners are immediately available for callers, especially those at risk of suicide and family violence and runaways and those seeking information about how to get needed services. The term is often used interchangeably with hot line, although the latter may also emphasize communications such as whistle blowing, where the caller is not seeking help but providing information. See also Nineline.