Alpha You're using an early version of Still Kicking. Things may break or change. Please don't rely on this as your only safety plan yet — and tell us if anything looks wrong.

Help without an emergency contact

Don't have anyone to list? You're not alone.

Plenty of Australians have outlived their family, are estranged, have moved away, or simply can't put one person on the line. Here's where to look — and how to still have a plan.

Why we can't be your emergency contact ourselves

It's the first thing people ask, and we think about it often. The honest answer is that we're a small (tiny!) service built to notice and alert — we don't have the man-power available to rush to someone's house at 3 am, arrange pet collection, or be the named person in a welfare report. Trying to do that for every user would lead to burnout, slower responses, and genuine harm. We'd rather be reliable at the thing we're built for, and point you towards services that are funded, staffed, and genuinely good at the rest.

You can still use Still Kicking! Nominate someone from the resources below — a volunteer befriender, a council welfare officer, a friend-of-a-friend, a neighbour — and we'll do our part.

If you're truly overwhelmed and sincerely need more help from us, please send us an email using our contact form and we'll see what arrangements we can come to!

For daily contact

Wellness-call & visitor services

Free or low-cost programs designed for exactly your situation.

Daily phone call

Red Cross Telecross

Free daily wellness phone-call service for Australians who live alone or are socially isolated. A volunteer rings you every day. If you don't answer, they escalate to a nominated contact or emergency services.

redcross.org.au/telecross →
Regular volunteer visit

Community Visitors Scheme

Commonwealth-funded program that pairs isolated older Australians with trained volunteer visitors. Regular in-person company and a person who'll notice if things aren't right.

health.gov.au — CVS →
Home-delivered meals

Meals on Wheels

Not just food — the driver is a regular, trained contact who'll raise the alarm if you don't answer the door. Available in most Australian suburbs.

mealsonwheels.org.au →
Local council

Your council's welfare officer

Nearly every Australian council has a welfare officer or aged & disability services team. Ring the main council number and ask. They can often be your nominated contact or refer you to someone local who can.

Find your council →

For your animals

Pet-care and bequest programs

So the worry in the back of your mind has an answer.

Pet bequest

RSPCA "Home Ever After"

Leave your pets to the RSPCA in your will. They take custody and arrange rehoming to a vetted family. Nominate them while you're well — they'll send you paperwork and keep it on file.

RSPCA — Home Ever After →
Pet rehoming

Animal Welfare League

State-based welfare organisations (AWL NSW, AWL QLD and others) run similar bequest and emergency-custody programs. Search for the one in your state.

awlnsw.com.au →
Pet trust

Nominate a guardian in your will

A proper pet clause in your will nominates a guardian and (optionally) allocates funds for care. Your state's Public Trustee can draft a simple will with this included — often free or low cost for seniors and pensioners.

Public Trustee (varies by state) →

If you need someone right now

Crisis lines & urgent help

If things are very hard today, please ring one of these. Now, not later.

24/7

Lifeline

Crisis support & suicide prevention. Free, confidential, 24 hours.

Call 13 11 14
24/7

Beyond Blue

Depression, anxiety, loneliness. Trained counsellors, free, 24 hours.

Call 1300 22 4636
Emergency

Emergency services

If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call right now.

Call 000

A practical first step

Give a neighbour a note.

If you can't think of a person to nominate, sometimes the simplest bridge is the person closest to your front door. You can print this and drop it in their letterbox:

A small favour, if you're willing
Click the blanks to fill in your details, then print.

Dear neighbour,

My name is and I live at . I live on my own. I'd like to ask you for a rather large favour: could I nominate you to be an emergency contact in case anything happens to me?

If you're willing, could you write your name, phone number, and email address and leave it in my mailbox? I have signed up for a "daily check-in" website that occasionally reaches out to emergency contacts if they don't hear from me within 48 hours.

I'd rather someone know than not know. Thank you for reading this. Feel free to throw this away without contact if you'd rather not!

Signed,

Still not sure what to do? Talk to us.

If your situation doesn't fit the resources above, or you're just overwhelmed by the list, email us. We'll reply personally and try to help you think through the options. There's no upsell — we'd rather you end up with a proper safety net than a subscription.

Email us personally

We read every email. Response usually happens within 2 business days.