Seventy-four relevant studies were found; 36 addressed the effect of internet interventions on alcohol consumption, 21 on smoking and 1 on gambling, 12 the effect of helplines on smoking, 2 on alcohol consumption, and 2 on gambling.
Some complainants have said they were held for hours on helplines and were given misleading or incorrect information when they finally spoke to someone.
Crisis, the charity for single, homeless people, has a well-established programme of using volunteers for its Christmas lunches, but other charities are keen to have extra help in their shops, on helplines or at their care centres.
Further cuts to HMRC's customer services could trigger another plunge in standards, MPs have warned, with customers left waiting for hours on helplines because of surges in demand.
Analysis based on one cancer helpline, although our findings resonate with research on ethnic monitoring in a range of environments, which points to the likely conceptual transferability of findings.
Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said: "The findings echo what we are hearing on a daily basis on our helpline.
In addition, the participants need not literally read the text for it to be useful; they need only infer that words look more like words that would appear on, say, an art site than on a helpline page.
"This will be assessed from both other calls received on the helpline and from information provided by DARD staff on the ground responding to those calls.
For help phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or QLIFE on 1800 184 527 Nic Holas is a writer and queer activist.
The idea is to build on the helpline set up by the Legal Services Commission in 2004, Community Legal Advice.
