Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Samaritans Full Time NEW

We are here for anyone who is going through a difficult time, whenever they need us. People come to us from all backgrounds, all walks of life and we listen and support them as they explore how they feel.

Suicide and self-harm is complex, but research tells us that it is impossible to separate them from the inequalities that exist in the UK and Republic of Ireland. People who are marginalised because of aspects of who they are, including their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race/ethnicity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation; are more likely to face exclusion from society. This exclusion in turn can increase vulnerability to trauma and adversity, which are known risk factors for suicide and self-harm.

To genuinely address the causes of suicide and self-harm, we must take more practical action to challenge discrimination and injustice, working hand in hand with people affected by both. Listening is at the heart of Samaritans – this is our commitment to listen, learn and make genuine change.

We will strive to significantly improve our understanding of the challenges faced by marginalised communities, particularly in relation to risk factors for suicide and self-harm. We will take action to become more equitable in our services – making sure that we are responding to people’s needs in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them and their circumstances. We will address barriers in accessing support, including improving access to our own services. We will work with people with lived experience to champion their rights and needs, using our platform to elevate their voices and connect them with policy makers and influencers.

We want Samaritans to be a welcoming place for our staff and volunteers, and as diverse as the communities we live and work in. We will take targeted action to improve our representation, and to make sure we have an environment where our people feel safe, that they belong and that their experiences are valued.

We have a lot of work to do, and this is our public commitment to take action.

Our strategic goals for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is one of the key principles in our new strategy. It will connect with everything we do at Samaritans, guiding the way we work and behave.

As part of our strategy, we’ve identified five key goals for equity, diversity and inclusion:

• Our culture and environment will support all of our people to feel welcome, that they belong and their experiences are valued.
• Our staff and volunteers will be more representative of the communities we live and work in.
• We will support a wider range of people by taking action to become more accessible and relevant to different communities.
• We will appeal to a wide range of supporters who are representative of the communities we live and work in.
• We will collaborate with and advocate for the needs of a diverse range of communities who need our support the most.

We’ve created a two-year EDI plan to work towards these goals.

Read about our EDI plan

Our plan to achieve these goals will be a living piece of work, with all members of the Samaritans family encouraged to be involved in suggesting new ideas and guiding the nature and pace of implementation. Everyone has a role to play.

We have launched our two year EDI plan, and are committed to accountability and transparency. We are in the process of developing measurement for EDI across our organisation to ensure the greatest sustainability and impact.

If you have any questions or feedback about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Samaritans, please contact us at EDI@samaritans.org