Anti Social Behaviour, distraction burglay, street crime

domestic violence, domestic burglary, drug and alcohol abuse

Crimestoppers - 0800 555 111

Samaritans UK: 08457 90 90 90

email Us - jo@samaritans.org

If you need to write about how you are feeling, write to Samaritans at:

Chris
P.O. Box 90 90
Stirling
FK8 2SA

We don't know when you might need us.

That's why we're open 24 hours a day.

Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.

Whatever you're going through, whether it's big or small, don't bottle it up. We are here for you if you're worried about something, feel upset or confused, or just want to talk to someone.

We offer our service by telephone, email, letter and face to face in most of our branches.

Samaritans is available to anyone in the UK and Ireland. If you live outside of the UK and Ireland, visit www.befrienders.org to find your nearest helpline.

What does Samaritans do?
Our volunteers provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support to people in distress on the phone, face to face, by email and by letter.

We believe that being listened to in confidence, without fear of being judged, can be a huge relief and is often the first step in finding a way to cope.

Our volunteers don’t offer advice, because what works for one person might not work for you. But we do believe that given the time and space to work through problems or difficulties in confidence, that everyone can find an inner strength that lets them find their own way forward.

Can I get in touch with Samaritans?
Anyone in distress can contact Samaritans at any time of the day. Samaritans are contacted every 7 seconds, by phone, by email, by letter or by people coming into our branches. People of all backgrounds and ages contact us for emotional support.

Common reasons to call Samaritans are:

Relationship and family problems
Loss, including loss of a job, a friend or a family member through bereavement
Financial worries
Job-related stress or overwork
College or study related stress
Body image issues
If you think you might benefit from confidential non-judgemental emotional support then we are here for you. You do not have to be suicidal to contact us. We will not judge you if you call. We understand that sometimes it feels difficult to pick up the telephone, so try an email or write a letter to us instead. Sometimes writing down your thoughts can help to understand them better.

We do not require any personal information from you in your letter, although we will need a return address. Everything is confidential to Samaritans unless:

We have your informed consent from you to pass on information
We call an ambulance because a writer appears to be incapable of making rational decisions for him or herself
We receive a court order requiring us to divulge information
We are passed information about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings
A writer attacks or threatens volunteers
A writer deliberately prevents the service from being delivered to another person

What information do you collect?
Samaritans only keep information on callers if it is essential for their care. "Callers" includes anyone who contacts Samaritans' support services, whether by telephone, e-mail or in person.

The information collected is rarely identifiable as belonging to an individual. A caller's personal details eg surnames, telephone numbers, etc, will only be taken if:

The caller accepts a follow-up telephone call - the telephone number is destroyed once the follow-up has been carried out
The caller accepts an offer of ongoing support from assigned Volunteers - this is explicitly agreed with the caller and a record of the caller's personal details is kept
The caller sends an e-mail that includes personal details, either in the e-mail address or the body of the e-mail. Samaritans will delete this information if a caller makes a specific request
If a caller makes a complaint - the caller's personal details will be kept long enough to ensure the complaint is dealt with and to ensure the safety and welfare of callers and volunteers.
The emergency lines are barred from receiving call-line identities. Therefore contact data can only be recorded if freely given by a caller.
Samaritans does not record telephone calls. Occasionally when taking a call from someone who is extremely distressed a colleague may "listen in" to the call by using an additional earpiece. The purpose of this is to offer support and advice to the Samaritans' volunteer who is engaged with the caller.

What is information used for?
Samaritans is confidential and only use a caller's information to provide that caller with emotional support. Samaritans maintains confidentiality even after the death of a caller.

All information relating to a caller is confidential to Samaritans unless:

We have informed consent from a caller to pass on information
We call an ambulance because a caller appears to be incapable of making rational decisions for him or herself
We receive a court order requiring us to divulge information
We are passed information about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings
A caller attacks or threatens volunteers
A caller deliberately prevents the service from being delivered to other callers
The same conditions would apply for other forms of electronic communication where applicable.

Access to information
If you, as a caller of Samaritans want to know whether Samaritans is processing any of your personal data you need to request this from us in writing. You must provide sufficient information that enables us to identify you and locate your personal data. The request should be marked for the attention of The Legal and Compliance Officer and sent to Samaritans, The Upper Mill, Kingston Road, Ewell, ,Surrey, KT17 2AF.

Where Samaritans is satisfied that it can comply with the request, without disclosing information relating to another individual, it will provide you with:

a description of the personal data held, the purposes for which that data is processed and information as to whom it has been or may be disclosed; plus
a copy of the personal data, or, if more appropriate, an invitation to view the data at a convenient branch office.

Questions?
Any further privacy or data protection enquiries should be directed to the Compliance Officer, Samaritans, The Upper Mill, Kingston Road, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 2AF.