HSE reviews governance of suicide helpline

THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) is conducting a review of the governance of Teen-Line Ireland, a charity set up to help suicidal teenagers.

A number of former senior office holders have expressed concerns about management and governance issues.

One of Teen-Line’s patrons has withdrawn his support, and last September the then chairman Paul Murray resigned after raising concerns about aspects of the charity’s operations.

Two other directors also departed, having raised similar concerns, and a new board has since been appointed.

The charity’s Portarlington office, which had 60 volunteers, was closed down last month after 18 months in operation.

Teen-Line was established in 2006 by Tallaght woman Maureen Bolger after her 16-year-old son Darren took his own life. It provides a national freephone helpline for young people in Ireland who need emotional support.

The charity, which has three employees and 50 volunteers in its Dublin office in Tallaght, is part-financed by the HSE through the National Office for Suicide Prevention and also receives money through fundraising. Its phone-line operates from 8pm to midnight seven days a week.

Fine Gael deputy Dan Neville, who is also chairman of the Irish Association of Suicidology, withdrew his name as a patron of the charity last month after raising concerns about certain management and governance issues.

Aside from the departures at board level, the charity lost Carmel Connolly, former project manager with Teen-Line in Dublin. She told The Irish Timesshe was worried about governance.

In addition, Winifred Cox, a former chairwoman of the Portarlington office, resigned in September after raising concerns about the same issue.

“From early June, I had been requesting them to bring in an independent company to survey the operation of the charity, but it did not happen,” she said.

Ms Cox said the Portarlington office had been self-financing through fundraising and cost only €15,000 to €20,000 a year to run. Its abrupt closure had left volunteers “totally bereft”.

She said people from the Dublin office had broken down the door in Portarlington and removed all of the office equipment, though it had been bought with money raised locally.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Ms Bolger said there were now no problems at the charity. Though she had remained a director, she had been ill and suffering from stress since last October, and had taken a break from Teen-Line.

She said there had been governance problems but these had been resolved. The resignations might have been for the best, she added, and the HSE was now very happy with the charity.

Brian Lawlor, the charity’s chairman, appointed in September, said he was brought in to look at the charity from a business perspective.

The Portarlington office had to be closed because, he said, it cost €55,000 a year to run and was not viable. There were problems with governance but these were being resolved and the Dublin office intended to relocate to cheaper accommodation.

The HSE said its National Office for Suicide Prevention was in ongoing discussions with Teen-Line about their future work and the helpline service was continuing while discussions were taking place.

“The HSE is seeking assurance that appropriate governance arrangements are in place,” she said.