Careline Crisis and Trauma Centre

Founded from Crisis

Careline Crisis and Trauma Centre was officially founded in 2000 by Joey du Plessis as a mercy ministry — explicitly faith-based, explicitly not bureaucratic, driven by a conviction that restoration after crisis is not only possible but is the core purpose of the work. Joey and her husband Dan gave up their home in Waterfall to live on-site at Careline, a commitment that has continued for over two decades. She has described the work as becoming "mother, protector and disciplinarian" to people she did not previously know.

The first Careline crisis office was opened at Hillcrest SAPS. The model was direct: trained volunteers who could be called out at any hour to accompany police at scenes of crime, providing immediate support to victims. The focus was on the person in front of them, in the worst moment of their life.

The model worked. Other SAPS stations across KZN began requesting the same. Business Against Crime and the Spar Group helped resource the expansion. Careline established crisis teams across the Outer West Durban area — and later helped other organisations wanting to open their own non-profit crisis centres to do so, sharing its model and experience.

Services

SAPS-Based Crisis Teams. Trained Careline volunteers work alongside police at multiple KZN SAPS stations, accompanying officers to scenes of crime and providing immediate on-scene trauma support to victims of violence, sexual assault, and domestic abuse. This model places support exactly where it is most needed — at the moment of first police contact — and reduces the secondary trauma and re-victimisation that too often comes from an inadequate first response.

Counselling. Careline provides individual counselling for survivors of abuse, domestic violence, rape, trauma, suicide crises, addiction, poverty, and the complex grief that follows violent loss. The Hillcrest centre receives an ongoing stream of people for counselling appointments, and Joey and her staff are constantly called out to crises requiring off-site support.

Recovery and Halfway House. The Careline facility at 36 Assagay Road has evolved from a residential rehabilitation centre into a long-term halfway house for women — providing a safe, supported environment for women in recovery from addiction, abuse, and trauma who need longer-term stability and support before re-integration into community life.

Skills Development and Community Support. Careline provides practical community support including skills development for women at the facility, and maintains a network of referral relationships across the Outer West and wider KZN.

Crisis Mentoring for Other Organisations. Careline has helped establish crisis centres across KZN for other organisations wanting to replicate its model — contributing to system-wide capacity growth in a province with severe GBV resource gaps.

Faith Basis and Approach

Careline is explicitly faith-based, rooted in the conviction that restoration after trauma is possible and that this work is "a great privilege." Its theology of restoration goes beyond survival: the stated aim is "more than only back to normal but better" — a framework of recovery that holds space for genuine healing rather than only stabilisation.

This is not a service that conditions help on faith. Careline serves anyone in crisis, regardless of religious belief.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

For survivors in the Hillcrest and Outer West Durban area — and increasingly across wider KZN through Careline's SAPS partnerships — Careline is one of the most accessible and embedded crisis support services available. Its presence at SAPS stations means that survivors arriving at police in the immediate aftermath of violence are more likely to encounter a Careline-trained volunteer. Its halfway house provides longer-term recovery support. Its counselling services address the full range of GBV-related trauma. Contact: 031 765 1587 / 082 787 6452.

Careline Crisis and Trauma Centre: 36 Assagay Road, Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, 3610. Phone: 031 765 1587 / 082 787 6452. Website: carelinecrisis.org. Founded 2000 by Joey du Plessis. SAPS-based crisis teams across KZN; counselling; women's halfway house; addiction recovery.