Samaritans launches Facebook drive to encourage support for suicidal friends
Samaritans has teamed up with Facebook to create a
pioneering new scheme allowing the 30 million people on Facebook in
the UK to get help for a friend they believe is struggling to cope
or feeling suicidal.
People concerned about a friend will be able to tell Samaritans
via Facebook’s Help Centre (www.facebook.com/help), where
they can report specific content such as status updates or wall
posts. Facebook will then put Samaritans in touch with the
distressed friend to offer their expert support.
This initiative runs in tandem with an awareness campaign
through Samaritans’ Facebook Page, giving advice on supporting
vulnerable friends such as how to spot the signs of distress and
how to start a difficult conversation. Also on the Page will be
messages from high profile celebrities backing the campaign.
Catherine Johnstone, Chief Executive of Samaritans, said:
Through the popularity of Facebook, we are
harnessing the power of friendship so people can get help. As a
friend you are better placed to know whether someone close to you
is struggling to cope or even feeling suicidal.
We want to remind people that if a friend says that life isn’t
worth living, they should always be taken seriously. Facebook is a
part of daily life for so many of us and we must make sure that
people online have support when they need it.
Facebook’s Director of Policy for Europe, Richard Allan
said:
We're pleased to welcome the expertise of a
great partner in Samaritans. They will help to make our robust
reporting system even more effective, as friends are encouraged to
look out for one another on Facebook as they do in the real world.
This supplements the number of ways to get help already available
on Facebook, from our Help Centre to the reporting tools we
offer.
Samaritans’ volunteers have welcomed the initiative. Sandra
Forrester, director of Samaritans’ Northampton branch and part of
the team responding to the Facebook referrals, said:
It is a brilliant idea that we team up with
Facebook as it is another way for vulnerable people to know that we
are here to support them, and that they aren’t alone.
Samaritans is running a Facebook advertising campaign to
encourage people to “Like” their fan Page at www.facebook.com/samaritanscharity
where they can find updates on the charity’s work and how to become
a supporter.
More information
Media briefing: Questions
and Answers
What should people do if they
are worried about someone, and what are the signs they should
look out for.
Walk-through
of the referral process (PDF)
The complete
process for making, managing and responding to requests for support
via Facebook.
For information about the partnership, please contact Will
Davies, Samaritans Senior Press Officer, on 020 8394 8350 / 07943
809 162, or press@samaritans.org
Notes to Editors
Samaritans on Facebook: www.facebook.com/samaritanscharity
Samaritans’ Facebook fan Page has over 3,000 fans and is used to
keep our supporters up to date with our guidance and fundraising
initiatives and direct people to the contact details they need to
get further support from us.
About Samaritans
Anyone feeling distressed and needing to talk can contact
Samaritans 24 hours a day by phone 08457 90 90 90 (UK) or 1850 60
90 90 (ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, face-to-face
(visit www.samaritans.org for details of
your local branch) or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/help and search
for ‘worried’.
Samaritans’ advice about how to
help a friend
Samaritans and the online environment
Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.