Thank you for your interest in getting involved with SoBS – Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. We need your help to make sure everyone needing help or needing clearance in the UK gets the best possible care and support. There are many things you could do today to help us reach more people. If you're really pushed for time, could you just help us get the word out about what we do? If you'd like to get more involved, perhaps fundraising or volunteering is for you. To volunteer for us, you must be bereaved by a minimum of two years before you make an application.
We operate a national support line, open from 9 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday. We take calls from anyone who is over 18 and it is an opportunity for people to talk with someone who has been bereaved by suicide. Find out more about calling the support line.
Great support line volunteers do more listening than talking, are comfortable listening to the experiences of others and pay attention to their own well-being and boundaries.
Support line volunteers listen to callers, answer any questions they have and arrange to send them further information if required. Sometimes callers may ask you to share your personal story. They have shifts assigned in advance governed by their availability and can be 30 minutes to 4 hours long, depending on the volunteer's preference. The telephone line is diverted to their landline or mobile phone for these shifts and some people have a different ring tone assigned for support line calls.
All support line volunteers must have a working landline or mobile phone to apply.
Support line volunteers must have been bereaved by suicide themselves, not less than 2 years previously. This shared experience with the people who call us is a really important part of what makes them so effective. People feel that they will be understood.
We provide training and the opportunity to attend our conferences.
We run local SoBS support groups at locations around the UK – and we are always looking to open more. Groups are open to anyone over 18 and create an opportunity for people to meet with others who have been bereaved by suicide so that they can share experiences and ask questions. They meet once a month, at a set time and location.
Each local SoBS group is run by a team of 3 group facilitators. Between them, they facilitate the session, get the conversation started, make sure everyone has the opportunity to talk if they want to, and generally look out for people. The team also work together to manage the administration, fundraising and communication for the group.
Great group facilitators do more listening than talking, are comfortable listening to the experiences of others and pay attention to their own well-being and boundaries.
All volunteers are to be bereaved by suicide for more than 2 years. This shared experience with the people who come to our groups is a really important part of what makes them so effective. People feel that they will be understood.
All volunteers must attend SoBS training before a group can start.
We are rapidly growing the number of groups that we have around the country, meaning that more people are within travelling distance of a meeting.
If you are interested in setting up a new group, it is not an easy task but we will support you every step of the way with help from our support team and from others who have been through the journey themselves.
To set up a new group you will need to consider:
Being one of our volunteers is rewarding but demanding work. Here are some honest answers to the most common questions people ask about becoming volunteers.
Being bereaved by suicide more than 2 years previously is a requirement if you would like to work on our helpline, email support or be a group facilitator. However, if you would like to support a group, fundraise or raise awareness, you can do this even if you have not been personally impacted by suicide loss.
If you work on the helpline, you will have prearranged shifts, each between 30 minutes and 4 hours long. How much time you can spare will determine how much time you give. This is similar to email – though the number of emails and their complexity will determine how long it takes.
For a team facilitating a group, the minimum time is probably 5 or 6 hours a month each – 3 hours to facilitate the group (including set up and close down) and then 3 hours each for phone calls, administration etc. This can vary depending on the number of callers etc. It helps if you can work flexibly as a team to share the workload. The time requirement may be greater when first setting up a group.
Some volunteers also choose to get more heavily involved in local activities such as publicity and education, as well as running a service, which can increase the time required.
For all roles, you should think about the fact that it can be emotionally demanding work and factor in the need for your own time and space.
If you are interested in opening a new group, you will need to form a team of three facilitators (the national office can support you in finding other volunteers in your area) and all facilitators must have been bereaved by suicide for 2 years or more. We can offer you advice about attracting new volunteers and setting up and publicising new groups. If you don't feel that this is for you, then consider supporting our helpline or email services or you could support us through publicity and fundraising.
Our services are about self-help – we bring people together who have been bereaved by suicide so that they can share their experiences and learning. We do signpost people to counselling organisations if they would like to explore this option. Some of our volunteers are also trained counsellors however we do not require them to use this skill in delivering our services.
If you are interested in developing or using your counselling skills, there are other organisations that offer this service.
We offer training to volunteers before they deliver our services. This covers both the practical and the emotional aspects of being a volunteer. We also seek to match people with a "mentor" – a more experienced volunteer who they can work with and learn from. Our support team are always available to support our volunteers.
Yes. The well-being and safety of the people who use our services, our volunteers, and our employees matter to us, so we require all volunteers to go through an application process which may include an informal interview and requesting references.
Those of us who have experienced this terrible tragedy truly understand. None of us need to suffer alone. Together we help each other.
We help individuals support each other, at the time of their loss and in the months and years that follow. We aim to provide safe, confidential environments where people can share their experiences and feelings, giving and gaining support from each other.
By entering your postcode or local town, you can locate your nearest peer to peer support group. We offer both face to face and virtual support groups. Our group facilitators have also been bereaved by suicide, so you will be met with understanding.
Call our national supportline to talk about your loss, get help on being impacted by suicide or for information. Our phones are answered by trained volunteers who have impacted by suicide, so will hear you with compassion and understanding.
Please contact 0300 111 5065, we are open everyday 9am-7pm
Some people find it easier to write down their thoughts and feelings or ask for information when it might be difficult to pick up a phone. Like the Supportline, our Volunteers have experience of suicide bereavement.
Please contact email.support@uksobs.org
Our online community forum offers peer-to-peer support to those bereaved by suicide. Please click the image above to complete an application form to gain access to our forum. Forum applications will be approved within a couple of days. You must be over the age of 18 to access our forum.