Frequently Asked Questions
About the panels
What is a Samaritans Panel?
Who runs Samaritans' Panels?
What will being on a panel mean I have to do?
What if I change my mind and don't want to be on the panel anymore?
Can I get emotional support via the panels?
Can I join the panel if I have been affected by suicide in another way?
About the surveys
What will I be asked about?
How long will each survey take to do?
How often will I be asked to take part in a survey?
How long will I have to complete a survey that you have sent me?
Do I have to complete any/all surveys?
Will I be paid to take part in surveys?
Privacy
Who will be able to look at my personal information?
Where is my personal data being held?
Technical questions
Why doesn’t the link to the survey work?
Why do I need to ensure cookies are enabled?
Are ad blockers affecting my experience?
Is my internet browser affecting my experience?
Why do I still not receive emails, even when I have completed the first survey you sent me?
What if I don't receive my emails because my email address has changed?
I have a technical question that is not answered here - what do I do?
About the panels
What is a Samaritans Panel?
Panels are a great way for us to hear your opinions and thoughts on a range of topics. By joining a Samaritans Panel, you will have the opportunity to help shape and inform our work, services, and products by completing short surveys and polls. We have two different panels which you can choose to be involved in:
The Samaritans Insights Panel: It is important for us to understand the opinions of our supporters and potential supporters. We need help to shape the future of Samaritans and to ensure your voice is heard. There will be quick and easy polls, surveys and even potentially one-on-one or group interviews from time to time. You choose how often you get involved and what you take part in. The results will help us to improve and reach more people who are struggling to cope.
The Samaritans Lived Experience Panel: this panel is for people with lived experience of feeling suicidal, attempted suicide, experience of self-harm, bereavement by suicide, or experience using Samaritans' services. You’ll be invited to give your views on everything from our campaigns to new services. In the registration survey, we will ask you some questions about the type of lived experience you may have to make sure the panel is appropriate for you.
Who runs Samaritans' Panels?
The Samaritans Panels are run by QuMind, an independent insights and software consultancy, at its HQ in London. You can find out more about QuMind here.
What will being on a panel mean I have to do?
Once you are signed up, you will receive an email inviting you to participate in a short survey or poll. This is voluntary and you can choose which surveys or polls you would like to complete. We may also email you with other opportunities to get involved, which could include focus groups, workshops or advisory roles.
What if I change my mind and don’t want to be on the panel anymore?
You can change your mind at any point and unsubscribe from the panel, and we will remove your details so you no longer get invitations to take part in surveys. You can unsubscribe from the Samaritans Panels at any time. To unsubscribe, simply click on the unsubscribe link on any of the emails that we have sent you.
Can I get emotional support via the panels?
Our panels are not designed to provide emotional support. If you are looking for emotional support, please contact a Samaritan here or find other support services on the Hub of Hope site here.
Samaritans Lived Experience Panel:
Please note that survey responses are not checked regularly whilst the survey is open, and if you do require emotional support please contact a Samaritan here or find other support services on the Hub of Hope site here. If we notice that a panel member has expressed an intention to harm themselves or others within a survey response when analysing the responses, then we have well-being protocols in place. The Lived Experience Researcher will contact the panel member and signpost to support or refer to Samaritans' safeguarding team. If you would like to find out more about our well-being protocols, please email research@samaritans.org,
Can I join the panel if I have been affected by suicide in another way?
We recognise that people can be affected by suicide in different ways. At the moment, Samaritans Lived Experience Panel is only open to those who have personally had experience of suicidal thoughts or behaviours, have been bereaved by suicide, or have used Samaritans services. We may expand the panel in future though and we are constantly looking at new ways we can involve people in the work that we do so please keep an eye on our website or social media accounts for future opportunities. If you have been affected by suicide and require support please Contact a Samaritan here or find other support services on the Hub of Hope site here.
About the surveys
What will I be asked about?
Lots of different things related to Samaritan's activity, offline or online - we will also ask you to share your opinions and thoughts through our surveys and polls. If you join the Samaritans Insights Panel you may be asked your opinion about our products and services. If you become a member of the Samaritans Lived Experience Panel, you may be asked to give your views on campaigns or new services. As this panel is for people with lived experience to help shape and inform our work so that we can better support those who need us most, some of the surveys or polls may include sensitive topics. However, please remember that all of our surveys are voluntary and it’s entirely up to you how many surveys you complete and when. You will not be removed from the panel if you do not complete any surveys.
How long will each survey take to do?
Surveys will normally take between 5-10 minutes to complete.
How often will I be asked to take part in a survey?
This depends on the panel you would like to join. If you join the Samaritans Insights Panel, you will receive an email once per fortnight at most with the latest surveys and opportunities. If you join the Samaritans Lived Experience Panel, you will receive an email once per fortnight at the most with the latest surveys and opportunities. If you join both panels you will receive an email once per week at most with the latest surveys and opportunities.
How long will I have to complete a survey that you have sent me?
This will vary from survey to survey but typically you will have around 7 days to complete a survey. The closing date of each survey you are sent will be clearly specified within the email.
Do I have to complete any/all surveys?
No, your participation as a panel member is entirely voluntary and you can choose which surveys you would like to complete based on your interests and the time you have available. You will not be removed from the panel if you do not complete any surveys.
Will I be paid to take part in surveys?
Our surveys are not usually paid; however, there will sometimes be prize draws for the longer surveys that you can be entered into to thank you for your participation. Occasionally there may be opportunities for you to engage in that will take up more time and if you would like to participate in these you would be compensated.
Privacy
Who will be able to look at my personal information?
Your personal information can be viewed by employees of QuMind and Samaritans. Please refer to our privacy policy here.
Where is my personal data being held?
Your personal information can be viewed by employees of QuMind and Samaritans staff who run the panel and Samaritans Caller Support Team. Please refer to our privacy policy here.
Technical questions
Why doesn’t the link to the survey work?
There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to view some of our surveys. Some suggestions on how to rectify any problems are listed below.
Why do I need to ensure cookies are enabled?
Make sure that you have cookies enabled in your Internet software, as we use cookies to track the status of our questionnaires. For information on checking and enabling your browser cookie settings please email: help@samaritanspanels.com. If you would like to keep a high-security setting, but still be able to participate in the Samaritans Panels online community surveys, you will need to add Samaritans Panels to your "Safe" or "Trusted" sites. Please consult your browser documentation for assistance on this.
Are ad blockers affecting my experience?
If you have ad blockers attached or inserted into your emails, you may experience problems with the surveys. Some of these programs delete certain characters from our emails, and thus disable the links we send to you. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to control this, but we do advise you to inform your ad blocking provider of the problem.
Is my internet browser affecting my experience?
Our surveys are designed to support the most up-to-date Internet browsers. Currently, the recommended browsers are Internet Explorer 7+, Chrome 15+, Firefox 10+, Opera 8+ and Safari 3+. You may experience technical issues if using older browsers that are no longer fully supported. If you are encountering problems, we would recommend updating your browser to one of the latest versions.
Why do I still not receive emails, even when I have completed the first survey you sent me?
Firstly, if you have not already done so, check you are using the correct email address. If you have started using a new email address, but have not updated your details, the system will not recognise your new email address.
Make sure that you have "cookies" enabled in your browser software; cookies are used in our login process and for tracking questionnaire completion. For information on checking and enabling your browser cookie settings, click here.
What if I don't receive my emails because my email address has changed?
Get in touch with us at help@samaritanspanels.com if your email has changed, and we will sort this out for you.
I have a technical question that is not answered here - what do I do?
Firstly, please note down as much information you can about the problem(s) you are experiencing, including any error messages you have seen, what you were trying to do on the site (e.g. take a particular survey, visit a certain page). Screenshots can help us to understand, and solve, your problem more quickly.
Secondly, find out what software you are using. You can easily do this by clicking here and making a note of the details in the "Operating System" and "Web Browser" boxes. If you contact us with a technical question (that isn't answered here) it would be greatly appreciated if you can quote us the information you have collected.
Finally, email us this information: help@samaritanspanels.com and we will reply as soon as we are able. Before contacting us, please check you have followed the steps above and only then contact us with as much detail as possible and explain the problem fully.