The charity was initially concerned about hackers breaching the confidentiality of the online service but Ms Thomas said the technology has proved secure. Twenty-seven branches of the Samaritans are equipped to receive emails, including two outposts in Hong Kong and Perth, Australia. Many more branches are currently preparing to come online to help cope with the rising demand. The Samaritans promise to respond to messages within 24 hours. The charity currently relies on 19,500 volunteers, but with the exponential increase in email users it is searching for more helpers.
Volunteers usually complete a shift of three to four hours a week and one overnight shift a month.
None of the volunteers is exclusively concerned with email calls. The bulk of the training focuses on how to provide the Samaritans' service through the written medium. The charity is also looking to see how it can integrate other new technologies into its service.