Modern technology is supposed to lead to increased efficiency and the easing of our daily workload.
This has not been the case with Texting Services. This service has placed an enormous workload on White Wreath – so much so that our resources are stretched to beyond capacity.
We have asked governments previously for help on another issue to no avail with the response being absolutely appalling.
White Wreath once again very recently wrote to all State Governments and the Federal Government to help us with our Texting Service that White Wreath did not instigate. Someone placed it on Facebook and it went viral. Because we were receiving hundreds of people Texting, we thought this was something that was very much needed and out of the goodness of our hearts took it on.
We are volunteers, receive no pay and working 18 hours a day. We are inundated and overwhelmed with people Texting from all over Australia and World. What White Wreath would like to know is why organisations that receive millions of taxpayers dollars aren’t responding to a Texting Service that is very much needed.
They know what’s going on as our services has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter. Texting is preferred by many people over a phone call. The increased workload comes from the fact that text conversations can go on for many hours.
On a regular basis we have all sorts of professionals, groups etc contacting us asking can they refer their clients to us, even after we explain to them we are not counsellors and do not have any medical professionals within our organisation.
This has made no difference to them what so ever. These groups include government departments, allied health services, professional counsellors, psychologists, drug and alcohol, case managers. etc
All they are interested in is showing in their official records that they have taken action by referring them on to someone else – in other words the old “revolving door” syndrome.
Over the years, White Wreath has informed various governments of this dereliction of their duty, but to no avail. Their apathy has been ignored by the “powers to be”. We mentioned this in our latest request for help. Once again they have turned a blind eye to the bumbling officialdom.
The only positive result from the texting crisis has come from the various state police forces.
White Wreath understands that police throughout Australia are spending about 25 to 30 percent of their time dealing with mentally ill people, particularly suicidal patients.
Some of the texting conversations are so serious that I have had to contact police regarding persons wanting to not only kill themselves, but are threatening to kill others. Mothers wanting to kill their children, wife wanting to kill their husband, young teenagers threatening to kill others, then themselves.
Police are able to take immediate action as they can pinpoint addresses from the mobile phone location and are able to resolve the situation.
White Wreath would like to pass on our sincere thanks to these dedicated police staff.
As this is the final edition of the year, I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and look forward to a happy and prosperous 2018.
Fanita Clark
CEO
