The All-hours Support Line (ASL) is a 24/7 confidential telephone service for Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families to facilitate access to ADF or civilian mental health services. Services include psychology, medical, social work, and chaplain services.
The helpline is provided by an experienced external agency contracted by the ADF. The agency’s personnel have been trained on the issues that ADF members and their families face, and what services are most appropriate to assist them.
The helpline operates under very strict rules about confidentiality.
For those who wish to access ADF-provided facilities, details will be taken and passed on to the relevant agency. The process is no different than if it was a referral from a doctor to another specialist. The ADF agency will only retain records they would normally keep (medical, psychology, Defence Member and Family Support, etc).
For those who do not want to use ADF-provided services, only enough details will be taken to ensure the caller can be directed to the appropriate resources in the local community. In these cases, no personal information will be passed on to the ADF.
If the helpline operator determines that the caller or someone else is in danger, they may contact the police or ambulance. This is required by all health providers by law.