A day in the life - Helpline Caseworker

Ruth talks about being a part of our helpline team, how she's here to listen and offer support with whatever anyone in horticulture wants to talk about, and what inspires her.

What does a typical day look like for you? Or is there such a thing? 

“There’s not really a typical day as such. Every day can take a different turn depending on what people get in touch about, so you can be dealing with very different things from one day to the next. 

Having said that, we have certain ways that we work together as a team, so the day usually starts with a catch up – we make sure we’ve had a look at every contact that has been made, discuss the status of each of them, share thoughts and advice that we can pass on. Then each day itself is made up of responding to those people who have got in touch on our online form or taking calls that come in there and then.”

What happens when someone gets in touch?

“However people get in touch, either by phone or using our online form, or if they have been referred to us by another organisation, it all starts with a conversation, which I want to reassure people shouldn’t be seen as too daunting. It’s simply a friendly, confidential chat with someone who is empathetic, there to listen and who is interested in asking genuine questions to try and help them. 

This means that we can understand the issues that they might be facing, what type of support they may or may not have, and what steps could be taken - so we have as much information as possible to be able to consider the best advice for them. 

However, we do know that some people are more comfortable with online or email so, if we can’t get hold of them by phone then we will email them saying it would be great  to have a conversation. But obviously it’s completely people’s choice, as to whether they take that offer up or not. After that, it depends on what we agree together is the best course of action for their particular situation. 

All of us here understand that for many, getting in touch with us, is the first step they have taken with anyone, so we are really conscientious about getting back to people as quickly as possible and making it a positive experience. And that’s something I really genuinely care about doing well and I take really seriously.“

What type of things do people get in touch about? 

“In all honesty, anything and everything. It might be looking for information about benefits they’re entitled to or needing advice about a particular health issue that’s affecting their work, or money problems that are getting out of control. Or they may be dealing with a bigger event like being made homeless or a bereavement and need someone to turn to. 

Whatever it is, we are genuinely here for people and want them to get in contact so we can be there for them and help. And even though they’ve felt nervous about getting in touch, many have said that they felt better afterwards - and that’s what I aim for, so people see it as a positive thing.”

What would you say to someone who’s maybe feeling embarrassed or worried about getting in touch?

“Lots of people say to me “oh I feel so embarrassed” or they sometimes get upset because they say they “feel so ashamed” but it’s so important to me that people genuinely know not to worry about that. This is what I’m here for. They are not the only one getting in contact and they are certainly not alone. There are other people in similar situations and we are genuinely here to help.”

What do you love about what you do?

“People are amazing. Sometimes despite the difficulties people are facing, the conversations I have are wonderful actually, because people can be so surprising in how able they are to cope with what are sometimes awful things and how they are still able to hold a conversation with you. 

I can come away thinking that call was really positive - not because of me, but because of them; because despite everything they are going through they are able to communicate what’s going on in their world really well, or they’ve clearly got resilience even though they are finding things tough or they’ve still got a sense of humour, or quite simply you can tell they are just a lovely person. 

I want to make a difference and help in some way and if I can do that then I feel happy.”