National Care Hotline to cease on Dec 31, callers to be redirected to alternative helplines

SINGAPORE — The National Care Hotline, set up for people who need emotional support during the Covid-19 pandemic, will stop operations from 8pm on Dec 31 due to a decrease in the volume of calls received, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Friday (Dec 2).

“With the easing of safe management measures and the transition to living with Covid-19, the National Care Hotline observed an 85 per cent decrease in number of calls received in October 2022, compared to May 2020,” MSF said in a news release.

Callers after 8pm on Dec 31 will be directed to alternative helplines for assistance, including those supported by the Institute of Mental Health and Samaritans of Singapore, MSF said.

The hotline was launched during the Covid-19 partial lockdown period in April 2020 as a crisis support hotline to provide help to individuals who were experiencing emotional distress as a result of the pandemic.

More than 76,500 calls have been made to the hotline as of Nov 1 this year, MSF said, adding that emotional support, mental health issues, as well as marital and family issues have been the top concerns surfaced by callers.  

More than 900 mental health professionals, social service professionals, and trained volunteers have been involved in operating the hotline since its launch.

The hotline is now managed by social service professionals and trained volunteers from Viriya Community Services. 

The following are some alternative hotlines that are available to people who need support.

1. Mental well-being

• Care Corner Counselling Centre (for Mandarin speakers) (1800 3535 800)
• Fei Yue’s Online Counselling Service (eC2.sg)

2. Marital and parenting issues

• Community Psychology Hub’s Online Counselling Platform (CPHOnlineCounselling.sg)

3. Helpline services

• Hear4U (WhatsApp 6978 2728)
• Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline (6389 2222) (24-hour)
• Sage Counselling Centre — The Seniors Helpline (1800 555 5555)
• Samaritans of Singapore (Hotline: 1-767; CareText: WhatsApp 9151 1767) (24-hour)
• Singapore Association for Mental Health Helpline (1800 283 7019)
• Silver Ribbon Singapore (6386 1928)
• Tinkle Friend (7 to 12 years) (1800 2744 788)

4. Reporting of violence or abuse

• National Anti-Violence & Sexual Harassment Helpline (1800 777 0000) (24-hour)