Media Centre
Relate Programme Makers Further Information
1. We're making a programme that is relevant to what Relate do and we are looking for people who could potentially appear in the programme. Can you put me in touch with your clients?
In short, no. It is not ethical for Relate to make this request on your behalf. Our name is deeply trusted by our clients and we would effectively be endorsing a project over which we have no control if we were to put a request through our network on your behalf. For example if a member of the public got involved in a programme via Relate and subsequently had cause for complaint they may legitimately direct a part that complaint towards the organisation.
In addition Relate is not an appropriate outlet for this request. When people are at a point of contact with us they are very often in crisis or despairing and this is not an appropriate time for such a request to be made.
2. You don't have to put me in touch with clients directly. Can I just put a poster on a noticeboard in Relate Centres or a message on your website?
Again no, for the reasons above, and also that the purpose of notice boards in centres is to provide information to clients about the centre itself and other relevant support services. In addition the overall number of requests from programme-makers reaches into the hundred's each year. It is simply not logistically feasible to take posters or amend the website for every request. You may be interested to know that we have worked with programme makers in the past to recruit people via these routes when the ethical fit of the two parties permitted it and it did not elicit any people who wished to take part in the programme. People are quite understandably not in the mindset to consider such an undertaking when they are making contact with Relate.
3. We have a track record making serious/acclaimed/popular programmes involving the public. Will this further our case study request with Relate?
The first priority is to safeguard the interests of our clients and secondly to ensure that the media projects Relate is involved with will be of benefit to Relate. If you are simply looking to use Relate as an access route to our client base to recruit candidates and nothing else i.e. Relate itself will not feature in the final programme to some degree, then the quality and credibility of your past output is not relevant. This information will be relevant if you are looking to make a programme about Relate itself, or if you are looking for a Relate expert to feature in the programme.
4. We have a top expert on board so anyone you put us in touch with will be well looked after.
If the expert you have on board to work with, or comment on, the members of the public is not a qualified Relate counsellor currently practicing with Relate then we can't pass our clients on to you, or your details to our clients.
5. Our programme is quite light-hearted, we won't be probing into the depths of really serious problems or be looking to upset anyone so can you put us in touch with clients?
This is not possible for the reasons outlined in the answers to questions one and two.
6. Our programme will offer the people you put in touch with us to get expert help/a chance to start a new life/a makeover with a difference/relight their sex life… so your clients would benefit from being in touch with us.
Even if your programme really will be of benefit to the participants and they find it a wholly positive experience that still does not make Relate's network an appropriate recruitment channel. Many of the production teams who contact us have worthwhile, interesting and reputable projects. However it still stands that these are projects which are not managed by Relate therefore it would not be appropriate for Relate to be the agency putting a request for possible participation to the public.
7. We're not asking for endorsement from Relate, we'll make this clear to everyone we talk to that you put us in touch with and they can make their own decision.
This doesn't change the position outlined in questions one and two. It is also not responsible for us to put offers to clients that we don't or can't ethically support.
