Directors of the charity have been warned thousands of volunteers will quit if plans to close 100 branches go ahead this weekend.
Samaritans, a leading suicide-prevention charity, is considering shifting towards larger regional call centres as part of a ‘future proofing’ strategy. The mental health charity, which is sometimes regarded as a fourth emergency service, has around 22,000 volunteers answering calls and messages from people in crisis in the UK and Ireland.
This weekend a Samaritans board meeting is set to take place and local directors will weigh up the pros and cons of moving to bigger call centres. Some members agree that the decision could help save the charity money and improve services.
However, not everyone is on board with the idea. Seven branch directors have signed an open letter which states that the decision could destroy local relationships and ultimately damage the not-for-profit. It reads: ‘We fear that implementation of the current decisions could harm and diminish the organisation we all value so deeply.’
Against this backdrop, the group has called for a vote of no confidence at the charity’s annual general meeting, which is set to take place next month.
James Watkins, co-director of Rhyl and North East Wales Samaritans, is one of the members who is strongly against the restructure and he said that the move could trigger mass exodus among thousands of volunteers. As such, a survey comprised of 210 volunteers across Welsh branches found 74% would not move to another branch if their own closed and 80% doubted the success of the centralisation plan.
In similar vein, separate research from the Kingston upon Thames branch shows 64% of volunteers opposed branch closures, with many citing fears over isolation and burnout.
Commenting on the response, Julie Bentley, the chief executive of Samaritans, said: ‘Samaritans will continue to be there for those struggling to cope across the UK and Ireland, day and night, 365 days a year. The improvements we’re proposing will mean we can answer more calls, cut wait times, particularly in the middle of the night, and make it easier for people to volunteer with us.
‘We have been listening to feedback from our 23,000 volunteers throughout this process and this will be considered carefully in the final decision-making.’
Photo by Nick Fewings via UnSplash
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