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Original poster

to think killing off the local branch structure will kill off the Samaritans

113 replies

Lemniscate8 · 01/08/2025 08:50

The Samaritans have 20 000 volunteers who answer the phone day and night. They are organised into local branches, where they can receive face to face visitors, run recruitment and ongoing training, base local fundraising efforts, and host visiting Samaritans sleeping on the floor to man big events such as festivals and demonstrations, as well as respond to local tragedies. Calls are taken in small sound proofed operations rooms where 3-4 Samaritans take a shift together. They will likely know each other well, and can supervise and support each other. In many cases, the local branches own their own building.

The COO sitting on a salary of 110k, and their team of 300 paid employees have come up with a plan to "rationalise" the service, closing small local branches where every one knows each other and shifts are designed around what fits in with the local cohort, and opening a small number of large ware house type call centres, meaning volunteers would have a long way to travel, would not know who they were working with, and would have no input into setting up shift times that fit in with their lives.

There will also be the option of working from home, without benefit of sound proofing, no guarantee of not being overheard, without peer support or supervision, and with the potential of taking deeply emotional and distressing calls, or even sexually abusive calls from your personal safe place.

I know the Samaritans doesn't work for everybody, but they help hundreds of thousands of people. In the end, it is only one person trying to support another, and there are times when with the best will in the world they just wont click. Most callers report feeling better after a call though. I don't think there is another organisation like it, and it has been there and been helpful for decades.

My daughter has been a volunteer for nearly 10 years, no way could she work from home, it would be completely inappropriate, she doesn't drive for medical reasons and is unlikely to be able to get to a big city call centre. And she and two friends have for years manned a shift set up specifically for them, timed perfectly for morning drop off at the local primary school and a walk back to the branch

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2l23ylv46o

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 01/08/2025 09:11

to be fair that isn't enormous these days

It is. It really is. £110k goes a long way round here. Do you live in London?

riversflows · 01/08/2025 09:09

It'll be a disaster. Already you can wait an hour or more for answer at night.

mamagogo1 · 01/08/2025 09:08

Without seeing their accounts, I don’t think any of are able to say that this change isn’t necessary. I’m guessing that rents are the issue, but also potentially no enough volunteers. Perhaps their volunteers are additional work from home - I like many do have a home office and I’d rather be at home than in an office during the night for instance

Jumpthewaves · 01/08/2025 09:08

Its not unreasonable that the coo earns a decent salary - and to be fair that isn't enormous these days. You just wouldn't get anyone who knew what they were doing in the role if you didn't pay near enough that.

I do agree about the centralisation though, it seems they perhaps should look at alternative ways to save money, though they probably have exhausted all other options and are just struggling to make ends meet. Times are hard.

Original poster
Lemniscate8 · 01/08/2025 09:06

YellowStickerGoldFrame · 01/08/2025 09:04

Perhaps if volunteers WFH they could go off script and not sound bored while robotically saying “that sounds difficult”

The person at the other end of the line in the end is only a person at the end of the line doing their best. They are volunteers sitting there because they care and want to try and help

OP posts:
MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 09:05

YellowStickerGoldFrame · 01/08/2025 09:04

Perhaps if volunteers WFH they could go off script and not sound bored while robotically saying “that sounds difficult”

🤣😂🤣, I mentor new Samaritans through their first 8 shifts and I also detest that phrase.

Sunnyjac · 01/08/2025 09:05

It's difficult. I was a volunteer some years ago, left because of the increasing numbers of men calling for sexual kicks. I would not do this at home, I don't want those calls coming into my house. I also couldn't do this work at home due to having three kids who could potentially hear my side of the conversations. As to regional hubs, again tricky. Some people can/will travel, some people not. I wouldn't want to travel far as I have too many work and family commitments that would likely prevent this. Also, living off the mainland the chances are a regional hub wouldn't be here so that would be all island volunteers off the books. I agree with OP about the local nature being one of the strengths of the organisation and they will lose something by streamlining.

YellowStickerGoldFrame · 01/08/2025 09:04

Perhaps if volunteers WFH they could go off script and not sound bored while robotically saying “that sounds difficult”

Original poster
Lemniscate8 · 01/08/2025 09:03

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 08:56

I’ve been a Samaritans listening volunteer since 2016 and I would love to be able to do it from home. Especially the night duties. I was also part of the email from home trial and it was great.
Generally people don’t like change, but bigger regional hubs, I think will work well.

Doing it from home is not going to be a viable option for most volunteers. You would need privacy, guarantee of confidentiality and total quiet. Not happening in most family homes, or in my daughter's home, for example where she is on a noisy estate and living with a noisy dog!

Plus the fact many vols are not going to want to listen to the horror they have to listen to invading their personal space.

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 01/08/2025 09:00

I agree with you @Lemniscate8
I live near a motorway that has a high footbridge popular with jumpers.
Sadly, the motorway is closed on a regular basis because someone has jumped or is threatening to jump.

I guess the answer really is more funding for mental health services, but realistically that is never going to happen, so it is vital that access to the Samaritans isn't compromised.

Unlike a PP £110k (round here) is a huge salary.

Your DD is doing a wonderful thing by volunteering with the Samaritans 💐

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 08:56

I’ve been a Samaritans listening volunteer since 2016 and I would love to be able to do it from home. Especially the night duties. I was also part of the email from home trial and it was great.
Generally people don’t like change, but bigger regional hubs, I think will work well.

Original poster
Lemniscate8 · 01/08/2025 08:56

needtostopnamechanging · 01/08/2025 08:52

110k isn’t massive for that role and if the COO took a median salary around 40k it wouldn’t save much in the grand scheme

sounds a desperate attempt to balance the books - where does their money actually go? Rents would be my guess - another problem of our screwed housing

That pay cut would save the festival branch, where all the money goes on transport to the festivals. Volunteers camp on site and provide a round the clock service to festival goers, including young teens facing A level and GCSE results at Reading and Leeds for example. No rent at all, for festival branch and for many other branches who own their buildings, although there is rent paid for some branches, many of them raise the rent themselves, nothing to do with central office

OP posts:
needtostopnamechanging · 01/08/2025 08:52

110k isn’t massive for that role and if the COO took a median salary around 40k it wouldn’t save much in the grand scheme

sounds a desperate attempt to balance the books - where does their money actually go? Rents would be my guess - another problem of our screwed housing