A Listener lives here The development of Samaritans’ prison Listener scheme
Contents Acknowledgements..............................................................................02 Introduction and overview of the Listener scheme .................................03 1970s and 1980s: Reaching out to prisoners............................................04 1990s: Piloting and developing the Listener scheme................................06 2000s: Improving and growing...............................................................08 Future outlook.....................................................................................10 Facts and figures................................................................................. 11 Overview and contact details................................................................ 12 This booklet gives a summarised history and background to Samaritans’ prison Listener scheme. The full version of this history can be found on www.samaritans.org/prisonshistory
Acknowledgements We would like to thank Michelle Jaffe for the full version of the history, put together with the help of Ruth Acty; James Waghorn; Ann Nicholl; Trudie Stott; Jane 3807 (CLS); Tina Bytheway; Paul Rubenstein; Shelia Coggrave; Alex Audain; Joyce Cole, William 04, Paul, Kate and James from Swansea Samaritans; Sheila Souchard; Alison Gomme; Kay Nooney; Pam Blackwood; Maria Foster and Jane van Zyl and with special thanks to Kathy Biggar.
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Our vision is that fewer people die by suicide Samaritans is the leading national helpline for emotional support. We’re here for anyone feeling distressed or struggling to cope, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. We believe that by giving people time and space to talk through their worries, feelings and problems in confidence, without fear of judgement and without being told what to do, they will find their own way forward.
Our pioneering spirit since 1953 Samaritans has a proud history of innovation. In 1953, we became the first 24-hour telephone helpline in the world. Since then, we have continued to change social perceptions and broken through technological boundaries. In 1991, we began our ground-breaking peer support scheme for prisoners; now in 145 prisons. We launched our email service in 1992 and our award-winning text helpline in 2006 – again, a first of its kind.
Working in partnership with the Prison Service Prisoners are recognised as being a high-risk group in terms of suicide and self harm. By working in partnership with other organisations, agencies and experts, we believe we can achieve our vision that fewer people die by suicide. Samaritans and the Prison Service have successfully worked together during the last two decades with the common goal of providing prisoners in distress access to emotional support, at any time of the day or night. The Listener scheme involves Samaritans volunteers visiting prisons to select, train and support prisoners to become ‘Listeners’. Once trained, Listeners provide confidential emotional support to other prisoners, following the same principles and practices as Samaritans volunteers. Whilst this currently forms the main type of Samaritans involvement in prisons, a small number of
Samaritans branches also visit some establishments to provide face-to-face confidential support where the operation of a Listener scheme hasn’t been possible.
‘The Listener scheme and our partnership with Samaritans remain absolutely fundamental to our strategy for reducing self harm. Over the last 20 years, Listeners have saved many, many lives – providing vital support to individuals in genuine turmoil and distress. ‘The success of the scheme provided the model for much wider use of prisoner peer support and I have huge admiration and gratitude for the passion and commitment of all those who have promoted and participated in the scheme over the years. ‘It is a beacon of international good practice and an invaluable resource which makes a difference and saves lives.’ Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer, National Offender Management Service
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1970s and 1980s: Reaching out to prisoners During the 1970s, Sally Casper, Director of Boston Samaritans in the United States, was involved in implementing a prison scheme called Lifeline in Suffolk County Jail, Boston, Massachusetts. In this scheme, prisoners could listen to fellow inmates in confidence and offer them emotional support. In 1978, Sally spent some time at Samaritans General Office in the UK sharing her experience of the valuable resource that prisoners provided in supporting their peers. The insight that came from Sally’s visit was to prove instrumental in the development of the Listener scheme.
Samaritans reaches out to prisoners
Prison suicide becomes a political issue
In the early 1980s, Samaritans began to think about how to reach more people who would benefit from emotional support but who didn’t have easy access to it. At this point, a small number of Samaritans branches had already linked up with nearby prisons, running awareness sessions and offering direct emotional support.
Around the same time that Samaritans had increased efforts to reach out to prisoners, suicide levels in prison were becoming a huge concern. A Government review in 1984 raised the profile of the issue of prisoner suicide and, in 1985, the Home Office asked Samaritans representatives to join a suicide prevention working group it had set up. The group recommended setting up schemes to allow Samaritans access to suicidal prisoners and to consider ways in which prisons and local Samaritans branches could work together.
In 1981 and 1983, Samaritans ran surveys to establish what type of involvement branches had with prisons. The surveys highlighted that the level of support offered was inconsistent and not every branch was targeting highturnover ‘local prisons’ which typically cater for prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing, or who are only recently convicted. Prisoners here can be extremely vulnerable because of the anxiety of adjusting to the prison environment and the uncertainty about their future. Through this work, Samaritans realised prisoners were a prime example of a vulnerable community they needed to reach out more to and they therefore continued to slowly but surely develop relationships with nearby prisons.
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In 1987, the Home Office instructed prisons to form ‘Suicide Prevention Management Groups’ (SPMGs) to raise awareness of suicide in prisons, especially amongst prisoners first arriving at prison. The instruction encouraged prison Governors to make use of Samaritans’ knowledge and experience and establish links with local branches. Despite this, in 1989, there were 49 suicides in prisons, double that of three years previously. It was clearly a tense time, and prisons realised there needed to be a change of tack.
In 1989, volunteers at Swansea branch started making links with HMP Swansea.
Prisons follow Samaritans’ example The Prison Service, following a further review of suicide in prisons, increasingly looked to Samaritans for its insight, knowledge, experience and sensitivity in dealing with vulnerable prisoners. Because of this expertise, the Prison Service saw Samaritans as the ideal organisation to work in prisons to support the area of suicide awareness and prevention. By 1988, Samaritans General Office had set up a dedicated prison outreach team to lead and develop this critical area of work. During this time, Samaritans also developed a training package to help prepare volunteers for the work involved in the very different and, at times, daunting prison environment.
‘When you speak to the chap who informs you that he intends to die that night, you encourage him to think of alternatives. You take him directly to the pain, and not away from it. He needs to realise exactly what is causing his pain. You tell him that it is his life and his decision, but you will be there for him. “If you need me, I am here. So are all the Listeners,” you say. The following morning, you anxiously look toward his cell, and then you see him step out. It is just like a birth! A new life!’ Listener from HMP YOI Feltham
By the time the decade ended, Samaritans and the Prison Service were working very closely together. A total of 60 branches were carrying out activities in prisons. These included holding ‘surgeries’ for prisoners; being there for prisoners by phone, letter or in person; having emergency ‘flying squads’ for urgent visit requests; training and supporting prison staff; attending SPMGs; and being there for staff and prisoners at sensitive times, such as after a death in custody.
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1990s: Piloting and developing the Listener scheme The next decade was a period of sustained development and partnership work, including the introduction of a ground-breaking peer support scheme for prisoners.
Samaritans and the Prison Service move forward together In May 1991, the Prison Service Headquarters set up the ‘Suicide Awareness Support Unit’ (SASU) to tackle suicide nationally. That same year, the Prison Service appointed Kathy Biggar to oversee joint working with Samaritans for three years. As a former Probation Officer at HMP Wandsworth and a Samaritans volunteer in charge of outreach work, Kathy wanted to follow the kind of work developed by Sally Casper through Lifeline. From this point, Samaritans and the Prison Service started making joint decisions and developing national guidance alongside each other.
A pivotal moment: a 15-year-old boy takes his life in custody In the same year, two people took their lives in HMP Swansea. One was a 15-year-old boy – the youngest person at the time to take his life in custody. He was on remand, charged with stealing a handbag. In response, Swansea Samaritans increased their visits to this prison, helped with staff training and supported prisoners when they first arrived in custody. The year after, Swansea prison installed a phone line (the ‘red phone’), to link prisoners directly to Swansea Samaritans.
The first prison Listener scheme launches The Prison Service and Samaritans agreed that the SASU would pilot a scheme in HMP Swansea where prisoners could be involved in suicide prevention. They tried it out on the wing for first-time prisoners where anxiety was highest, before rolling it out across the rest of the prison. Samaritans and SASU guided and trained volunteers on what to do. Over six weeks, Swansea Samaritans trained and prepared a team of volunteers to visit the prison and begin to work with prisoners. Many volunteers found the prison environment challenging and intimidating, and they needed to adapt 6
to the unique prison setting. The prison put forward six prisoners they thought would make good peer supporters. Samaritans chose three of them to be trained, and the prisoners called themselves ‘The Swansea Listeners’. By September 1991, the first Listener scheme was in place and the name ‘Listeners’ was adopted nationally.
Overcoming barriers Samaritans’ and Listeners’ policy of complete confidentiality presented challenges for prison staff responsible for prisoners at risk. They wanted to know about any relevant discussions so they could take the appropriate action and were uncomfortable with the idea that Listeners could not share information with them. Samaritans and Listeners were therefore sometimes treated with suspicion by prison staff. At the same time, volunteers had to adapt to working in a setting where they were not allowed to move around freely and were not always welcomed by prison staff. Establishing a pioneering scheme required building up positive and trusting relationships. With hard work, patience and commitment by all involved, prison staff soon started to appreciate the value of the Listener scheme and its confidentiality and volunteers equally started to see how rewarding the work could be.
Further Listener schemes are set up From 1992 onwards, Swansea Samaritans and HMP Swansea promoted the Listener scheme to other Samaritans branches and prison staff through seminars organised by SASU. They encouraged branches and prisons to set up schemes and share ideas. There were difficulties, however. Samaritans’ prison teams couldn’t prepare volunteers in time, there weren’t enough staff and prisoners available to take part from the start, some volunteers didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of the scheme, there were day-to-day operational and security issues in prisons and not everyone was sure what to expect.
To help, Samaritans and the Prison Service gave out guidance and training packs including videos to show to first time prisoners describing how they may feel in custody and what kind of support was on offer. Samaritans also appointed six volunteer Regional Officers to improve communications between Samaritans and prisons.
‘Being a Listener has given me a sense of self-worth. I’ve grown and now have emotional independence. It has inspired me to do more for ‘me’, and shown me that there is so much more in the world.’
Despite the difficulties, by 1993, there were 20 schemes in operation, and a further 15 schemes in process.
Listener from HMP Peterborough
A positive effect on prisoners
The partnership strengthens
Research from 1993 showed that both staff and Listeners were confident that the Swansea Listener scheme helped reduce distress and levels of self harm and suicide amongst prisoners. It also changed the way prisoners in distress were treated in custody. Listeners themselves claimed they were more confident, with more self control, patience and pride in their work.
In 1997, the Prison Service issued an instruction to Governors to work with Samaritans to support distressed and suicidal prisoners. It viewed Samaritans and Listeners as complementary to existing prison practice and believed all prisoners should have access to Samaritans or Listeners, which prompted more prisons to take up the scheme.
A firm partnership in place In January 1994, the Prison Service, working closely with Samaritans, launched a strategy focusing on prisoner safety and treating prisoners with dignity. It aimed to help identify vulnerable prisoners, and to encourage the whole prison community to take responsibility for their wellbeing. It encouraged the role of the suicide awareness teams in sharing knowledge and understanding of this critical area of work. Kathy’s unique, joint role with the SASU and Samaritans ended in 1994. By this point, the partnership was firmly in place. Samaritans put together a regional network to support prison-related activities. Each region appointed a volunteer Regional Prison Support Officer (RPSO) to guide regional prison teams. Samaritans also appointed its first National Prison Support Co-ordinator to oversee national development of the Listener scheme through regular meetings with SASU and with the Samaritans Regional Officers. By 1995, there were 70 Listener schemes in prisons across England and Wales.
Listeners participate in conferences In the mid 1990s, Samaritans and the Prison Service held a joint conference so that volunteers and prison staff could discuss and share ideas about the work they did in prisons. In 1996, Listeners attended the conference; this was a great success so, from 1997, the Prison Service agreed licence conditions for temporary release so that Listeners could stay overnight at the conference. Their participation was, and still is, an important and valuable aspect of these joint conferences.
By this point, Listeners were helping Samaritans train new Listeners. Samaritans volunteers also had a lot more freedom to move around the prison and very often were allowed to use prison keys. Communication between Samaritans and the Prison Service increased and Samaritans continued to help shape Prison Service policy on suicide and self harm prevention.
The Listener scheme arrives in Scotland The development of Samaritans’ work in prisons evolved later in Scotland than in England and Wales. In 1992, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) launched the ‘Prevention of Suicide’ strategy which promoted access to Samaritans for prisoners. The first Listener scheme was set up in Scotland in Saughton Prison in 1994. Further policy guidance in 1996 emphasised the important role Samaritans and Listeners played in suicide prevention and encouraged further Listener schemes in Scottish prisons. By the end of the decade, there were at least 8 Listener schemes in Scotland.
Work begins in Ireland During this decade in Ireland, Samaritans visited a number of prisons and held meetings to talk about the role that Samaritans could play in the prevention of suicide in custody. In 1999, a report on deaths in Irish prisons encouraged prisons to make contact with Samaritans branches.
By 1998, there were 100 Listener schemes across England and Wales.
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2000s: Improving and growing Samaritans and the Prison Service continued working in partnership. The SASU was renamed ‘Safer Custody Group’ (SCG) and the Samaritans National Prison Support Co-ordinator regularly met with members of SCG to help develop policy and guidance relating to the Listener scheme, including writing a joint statement in 2004 to emphasise the importance of Samaritans’ and Listeners’ confidentiality policy.
Time to review and evaluate Between 2001 and 2004, both Samaritans and the Prison Service did some key pieces of work that led to further improvements in the way that prisoners in distress were cared for. In 2001, Samaritans set up the Risk 1 project to carry out the first large-scale evaluation of its work in prisons. Risk 1 prisons were ‘local prisons’ where suicide risk was deemed the highest, but the review also included some female prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs). The review aimed to identify areas of best and poor practice. A panel made up of representatives from SCG and Samaritans accepted all the recommendations of the project team who then produced a range of guidance materials and held conferences to share the learning. In 2002, the Prison Service issued an update on its policy for suicide and self harm management in prisons. This highlighted the positive impact that joint working had, and the need for it to continue. It is significant that at this point it became compulsory for prisoners to have telephone access to Samaritans. It was also around this time that prisons introduced a secure, dedicated phone system that allowed calls to be made to Samaritans via remote handsets that could be used by prisoners in their cells. This meant that access to emotional support was now available 24 hours a day. The update also encouraged prisons to have more formal relationships with branches by signing Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
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From 2001 to 2004, SCG carried out a ‘peer support project’ to promote and encourage peer support schemes and reduce levels of violence, suicide and self harm in prisons. They also looked specifically at women’s prisons to identify how peer support for women prisoners could be improved. The project team made plans to increase the number of Listeners in women’s prisons, raise awareness of self harm among women and share best practice.
Structural changes in the Prison Service In 2004, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) was formed to oversee prison and probation services nationally. Prisoner risk assessment and care become more detailed and focused on prisoners’ needs through a new system known as ‘Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork’ (ACCT). Between 2004 and 2010, the NOMS policy group responsible for safer custody went through a number of changes to keep up with organisational and policy developments. During this time, NOMS retained a dedicated policy team to develop national suicide prevention, self harm management and violence reduction strategies and to progress the safer custody environment. This team was renamed the Offender Safety, Rights and Responsibilities Group in 2010.
Ensuring best practice One of the recommendations of the Risk 1 project was to revise the training package to ensure consistency in the way that Listeners were trained. Many branches weren’t sticking to the training guidelines put in place in the late 1990s, which caused problems when Listeners went from one prison to another. The new training package needed to be suitable for prisoners who couldn’t read or write because illiteracy amongst prisoners was high and it needed to address the topic of self harm because of the high levels of self harm amongst prisoners. An experienced Samaritans prison support volunteer and a professional trainer jointly wrote a comprehensive training package. They piloted, refined and re-piloted the training in an adult male prison, a female prison, and a Young Offenders Institution before the final Listener Initial Training (LIT) package was launched and made mandatory in July 2006. By 2006, there were 125 Listener schemes across England and Wales. In light of all the developments that had taken place in the first half of the decade, Samaritans knew that it needed to review and update the guidance that had been issued to branches in the 1990s. In 2006, in consultation with SCG, Samaritans compiled the Guide to Prisons to provide comprehensive and detailed information and guidance for branches involved in supporting prisoners and Listener schemes.
The Listener scheme arrives in Ireland The first Listener scheme in Northern Ireland arrived in Magilligan prison in 2002, and in the Republic of Ireland in Cloverhill prison that same year. In 2003, the Northern Ireland Prison Service encouraged working relationships between Samaritans and prisons, to introduce Listener schemes as part of a policy on suicide and self harm prevention.
In 2010, there were 145 Listener schemes across the UK and ROI. As of May 2011, the Listener scheme operates in two prisons in Northern Ireland and in five prisons in the Republic of Ireland.
Listener schemes aren’t always possible Although Samaritans’ support for prisoners is mostly provided through Listener schemes, face-to-face support is used where Listener schemes haven’t been possible. Reasons for this include: small prisons where everyone knows everyone else, prisons with high numbers of foreign national prisoners causing language barriers and under-18 prisons where prisoners are not mature enough to take on the role of Listener.
Where we are now In 2011, the care and support of prisoners in distress is almost unrecognisable to the way it was back in the 1980s. NOMS respects and values the work of Samaritans and Listeners in helping to reduce levels of suicide and self harm in prisons; they showed their commitment to the Listener scheme by signing a three year grant agreement with Samaritans in April 2011. Supporting Listener schemes continues to bring challenges for all concerned, but we now have schemes in almost every prison in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in over half the prisons in the ROI. By working together, for the good of prisoners in distress, the challenges can always be overcome.
‘The whole system relies on integrity. The honesty and confidentiality has to be there. If we had ever tinkered with that, the Listener scheme would have failed.’ Neil Lavis, Governor, HMP Swansea
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Future outlook The partnership between Samaritans and the Prison Service is a model of best practice with both parties working closely together to achieve the same goal, while respecting and maintaining their individual approaches. The commitment and contribution of the Managers of SASU and SCG from 1991 to 2008 should never be underestimated; it was crucial in establishing and maintaining the partnership. Samaritans will continue to build strong relationships and develop similar partnerships with all prison services as it does with NOMS. Samaritans will continue to grow and develop in the area of research and practice development. In 2006, an independent research study on the Listener scheme was set up to better understand how the Listener scheme operates and how it is used and viewed by prisoners, Listeners and prison staff. Research findings will be published during 2012 and will significantly inform the ongoing development of the Listener scheme. As well as continuing to ensure that Samaritans and Listeners offer regular and consistent support nationwide, building relationships with the various prison services and continuing with research, we need, above all, to keep appreciating just how important this scheme is. We must never forget that it is the dedication, devotion, hard work and persistence of the volunteers, prison staff and prisoners - who become Listeners despite their own problems and challenges - that keep the scheme going.
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We must never forget that it is the dedication, devotion, hard work and persistence of the volunteers, prison staff and prisoners that keep the scheme going.
‘Prison listening is as vital as ever. There are so many demands on volunteers’ time now, but it’s really important that people come forward and join their branch prison teams. Listener schemes cannot be run without the vital support of Samaritans volunteers. It’s really rewarding work and ensures that some of the most vulnerable in society have 24-hour access to emotional support.’ Linda Pyatt, Samaritans Volunteer Prison Support Coordinator
Facts and figures Our helpline is open 24 hours a day and we are contacted more than five million times each year. That’s once every six seconds. Our service is provided by around 18,750 volunteers working from 201 branches, all across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Our volunteers are amazing; annually the total number of hours contributed by volunteers stands at 4.5 million. 123 Samaritans branches provide support to 158 prisons in the UK and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. The first prison Listener scheme was set up in 1991 after the suicide of a 15-year-old boy in prison at HMP Swansea, Wales. The youngest person ever to take their life in custody. There are 145 Listener schemes in prisons in the UK and ROI.
In 2010: 1,600 new Listeners were selected and trained during 250 training courses. 1,500 prison Listeners, who receive regular support from their local branch volunteers, responded to 91,000 requests for face-to-face support from fellow prisoners. Samaritans volunteers ran 5,000 Listener Support meetings. Samaritans volunteers attended 1,500 Safer Custody meetings, providing valuable input to discussions on suicide and self harm prevention. Samaritans volunteers responded to 135,000 calls from prisoners; volunteers are available 24 hours a day. 365 days a year. Samaritans Correspondence Branch responded to 150 letters from prisoners. Samaritans volunteers offered direct emotional support in prisons where there was no Listener scheme. Prisons regularly sought support from Samaritans following deaths in custody; support is offered to prison staff, Listeners and other prisoners. Samaritans volunteers delivered training to prison officers to increase their understanding of the work of Samaritans and Listeners. 11
A Listener lives here The development of Samaritans’ prison Listener scheme This guide draws on the history of Samaritans’ prisoner Listener scheme giving an overview of: n n n n n
why suicide became an issue in prisons the events that led to Samaritans’ involvement in prisons the joint working between Samaritans and the Prison Service how the Listener scheme developed our plans for continuing our joint work for the future.
For more details on the prisoner Listener scheme provided by Samaritans simply email
[email protected]
Supporting you Whatever you’re going through, we’re here to help 24 hours a day. We won’t share what you tell us with anyone else, and we won’t judge you.
08457 90 90 90* (UK) 1850 60 90 90* (ROI) 8
[email protected] www.samaritans.org * Chris, PO Box 90 90, Stirling, FK8 2SA Or meet us in person – find your nearest branch on our website.
*Please see our website for latest call charges Charity registered in England and Wales No. 219432 and in Scotland No. SC040604
‘Because of the Listener scheme, the prison service has at its disposal an incredible tool that can and does make a difference for those contemplating suicide and self harm in prison. To empower prisoners to do something good in a place they have been sent to for doing bad –now that is a great gift!’ Alex Audain, released Listener
