Samaritans operates a very robust safeguarding procedure to determine whether individuals, with relevant offences recorded on their background check, are suitable to join as a listening volunteers.
The charity’s Safeguarding Panel, made up of Samaritans’ Trustees and senior volunteers, regularly review cases from across the organisation, in all nations and jurisdictions and are the decision making body on whether potential or existing volunteers are able to offer the service.
In addition, Samaritans works with prison services to offer a peer support scheme, run among inmates, to reduce instances of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in prison.
Each application to become a volunteer with Samaritans is dealt with on a case by case basis. We have a robust series of background checks, including a criminal records search. References are sought.
Anyone who has been convicted of a serious sexual offence is automatically barred from becoming a Samaritans listening volunteer.