Samaritans Listening Volunteer

Can anyone be a listening volunteer?

Samaritans welcomes applications from a wide range of applicants.

Anyone has it in them to be a Samaritan. You won’t need to have previous experience or qualifications, but you will need to be non-judgemental and accepting of others.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve gone through difficult times yourself, what matters is that you want to help people – all kinds of people, from all walks of life.

You need to be 18 or over, and because we'll invest in you (our training is really high quality), you need to see this not just as a short term role but something you're likely to do more long term.

Serving police officers and special constables can’t be listening volunteers because they have a duty to report crimes, which might conflict with our policies, although they can volunteer in any other role.

In order to safeguard our volunteers and callers the listening role requires a criminal record check. If you have a criminal record it won't necessarily stop you from becoming a volunteer. We’ll consider each case individually. 

https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/volunteer/become-samaritans-listening-volunteer/

What skills do I need?

Who are we looking for?

Open minded- You’re willing to understand someone else’s point of view, even if it’s different from yours. Supportive- You’ll help maintain a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Empathetic- You’re comfortable with your own feelings and able to share another person’s feelings.

Discreet- You’ll be careful with any information you're told, and never share it outside Samaritans.

Accepting- You won’t discriminate against anyone for any reason, including gender, race, sexuality, disability or political views.

Honest- You’re able to tell the truth even when it’s difficult – for example about the type of support we can offer people, even when they want more.

https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/volunteer/become-samaritans-listening-volunteer/

When do I need to be available?

Where does this role take place?