Samaritans launches whistleblowing line after volunteers had sex with the vulnerable
THE Samaritans has launched a whistleblowing line for volunteers to report colleagues’ bad behaviour.
An investigation by this newspaper revealed this week that Samaritans volunteers had sex with vulnerable callers.
The disclosures prompted the charity to “listen in” to conversations for the first time.
Yesterday it emerged that vulnerable people would have their emails answered from volunteers’ homes, raising fears that the personal information could be susceptible to hackers or rogue volunteers.
Julian Knight, MP for Solihull and chair of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, called for the Charity Commission to launch an investigation into the “incredibly serious allegations against a charity charged with helping people at their most vulnerable”.
Now, the Samaritans – which provides a helpline for people in emotional distress or at risk of suicide and has strict rules concerning volunteer contact – is launching a new phoneline for whistleblowers. The charity has seen 44 serious safeguarding incidents with volunteers since 2017 – many of which occurred “in the duty room”, where calls take place. Many of the incidents have also only been brought to the charity’s attention via a third party.
As a result, the board of trustees requested that a dedicated phoneline and email address be established to enable whistleblowing staff and volunteers to raise concerns confidentially.
An internal charity briefing says that the new “concerns line”, launched in July following a “safeguarding and service quality review”, “should result in improved quality, consistency, and safety of support for all callers”.
It adds that “widening the reporting options for staff and volunteers” will “reduce the number of people operating outside the current policies and procedures”. In early August volunteers were emailed a flyer with information about the new hotline, open 24 hours a day, for reports of “breaches of policy or wrongdoing”.
The phoneline and email are managed by the governance team at the charity’s central office. Previously volunteers would have contacted leaders at their local branch.
The charity already has a whistleblowing policy but the new service is being launched to provide an additional way for staff and volunteers to raise concerns. The charity has reported itself to the Charity Commission, which said on Monday that it was “assessing the information provided and was in contact with the charity”.
The “listening in” policy, another change introduced as a result of the revelations, led to concerns being raised by some volunteers that the charity’s commitment to confidentiality is being undermined.
Previously calls were confidential in almost all cases, with exceptions where a child or vulnerable person was at risk, where emergency services or social services could be contacted.
Julie Bentley, the chief executive of Samaritans, said that it had identified a “very small number” of safeguarding incidents.
“Our robust investigation procedures meant these incidents were handled swiftly and appropriate action taken.
“Any safeguarding matter is one too many and as such we review our practices on an ongoing basis and have introduced further measures as part of our commitment to delivering a consistently high-quality experience for our callers,” she said.