Samaritans to close around half its 200 branches as volunteers raise fears over working from home

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Suicide prevention charity Samaritans are planning to close around half of its 200 branches across the UK and Ireland.
The charity has said that its current operation is 'not sustainable' and while an exact number of closures is yet to be confirmed, volunteers have been told it is likely to affect around 100.
Founded in 1953, the charity aims to prevent suicides by connecting trained volunteers with people who may be struggling.
It estimates that volunteers answer a call for help every 10 seconds and many of its staff view themselves as the fourth emergency service.
But plans to work from home have raised fears among volunteers, with up to a quarter of branches having voiced concerns, as some believe it will cause many to leave the charity.
Some volunteers only began helping out after feeling isolated at home themselves, while others are concerned about the pressure of dealing with suicide related calls alone.
Some female volunteers have also said working alone could leave them dealing with abusive and sexual calls by themselves.
The charity is also considering withdrawing from some activities, such as talks in schools and providing the Veterans Emotional Support Line.
'We're not against change,' one volunteer told the BBC, 'but they've not provided any evidence these changes will improve the charity. It feels more like the professionalisation of the Samaritans.'
The location of the closures are yet to be decided.
Despite half in danger of being cut, the charity has insisted its volunteers will continue to be available as usual, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
The organisation is also understood to be considering scaling up other branches or increasing their volunteer capacity, as fewer but larger branches could mean less resources spent on managing buildings and more spent on delivering and improving its listening service.
The charity's chief executive Julie Bentley said: 'Samaritans provides a life-saving service, day and night, 365 days a year but the changing needs of our callers and volunteers means thinking differently about the way our services need to work.
'We are engaging with our volunteers on proposed improvements that will mean we are able to answer more calls, have more volunteers on duty, and be there for more people in their darkest moments.
'Samaritans volunteers are hugely dedicated to being there for our callers and they remain at the heart of our service, but it has become increasingly clear that having over 200 branches, varying in size from 10 to 300 volunteers, is not sustainable and hinders us providing the best possible service to people who need us.'
The charity's board is expected to meet about plans in September.
Closures could begin in April in the UK while consultation on potential closures in Ireland could start in 2027.