About GoldStar 
Appropriate training processes
The training opportunities provided need to be relevant and appropriate for participating volunteers as well as the work that they will be doing. There should be opportunities for feedback on training and direct input from volunteers. The delivery of training needs to be flexible to the needs and constraints faced by different individuals.
Below are a few examples of how other organisations have accoplished this: |
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Multiple choice spends six weeks on induction training for each new volunteer. |
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Barnardo’s services have designed and compiled a peer participation training programme. |
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Volunteer Centre Sutton has structured induction training tailored to each volunteer. |
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Multiple Choice
A comprehensive six-week training programme is provided to volunteers as part of their induction process. This is provided by the Volunteer Coordinator, peer mentors and paid staff (who provide induction for specific roles).
The induction process covers all the basic policies and procedures and includes specific training around roles.
Soo Nevison the former Development Manager of Multiple choice stressed the importance of potential volunteers understanding the boundaries that have to be maintained as a volunteer, this being a key aspect of the induction training. She also indicated that help is provided for those not able to fill the application form in. Given the high proportion of ex service users taken on as volunteers, she also stressed the importance of being able to manage people in and out of service.
The induction process covers the following areas.
Week one is designed to provide essential information needed to complete the training programme and covers:
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Welcome to your training programme
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Meet your Mentor and fellow training volunteers
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Code of Conduct
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CRB checks and Training Contracts
Week Two covers e ssential training for volunteering ANYWHERE. These sessions are designed to let participants know what restrictions they will have to work within whilst volunteering at Multiple Choice. Topics covered are:
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Confidentiality
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Diversity
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Boundary Setting
Week Three involves m ore work around some other essential policies that affect everyone at Multiple Choice. Also there is the chance to look at on-line training opportunities at Multiple Choice. Topics covered are:
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IT – Online Training
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Child Protection
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Health and Safety
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Time Keeping
Week Four is a week of fun designed to strengthen the bonds between fellow volunteers - both new and experienced!!
Week Five provides time to catch up with respective volunteers Mentors and relax over coffee and time to get confident in talking in front of groups. Topics covered include:
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Mentoring Partnerships – how are they going?
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Presentation Skills
Week Six provides an in-depth look at the roles on offer; some initial information about do’s and don’t’s in these roles. Understanding the relationship between the volunteer and the Volunteer Coordinator, how it will work and what other support volunteers will be offered.
Induction training is provided by the Volunteer Coordinator, peer mentors and paid staff.
Volunteers recently completing the induction process have indicated that they feel that from doing these six weeks they have learnt so much and even if they don’t stay they have now got a tool kit for the future. Comments made in relation to the induction included informative, brilliant, funny, lovely people, looking forward to the future and enjoyable.
The six-week induction course is treated as a part of the recruitment process, “to filter people out”. It was commented that many potential volunteers who have been service users “don’t actually understand a lot of what goes on behind the scenes when they are a client”. The approach of Multiple Choice is to provide clients with a safe and supportive environment without bothering them too much with how this is done, but when ex service users come to Multiple Choice to volunteer that need to learn how this process works in practice. As result some potential volunteers drop out. “They say, actually I didn’t realise it was that difficult”
This induction process has already been shared with similar agencies in Leeds.
The induction process is only one part of a continuous process of training of volunteers. In relation to training Soo indicated that this “never stops really” and should be seen as a process of personal growth. She commented, “I don’t like using the term professional development because that can be a bit scary, so it is growth. Volunteering is about starting with the individual and allowing an individual to get to where they want to be”. She stressed the importance of being flexible to the needs of individual volunteers and allowing volunteers to go at.
Barnardos North East
The Party promotes training to volunteers and engages them in activities to raise their self-esteem and encourage them to realise that they have transferable life skills that they can use elsewhere in work.
Learning and Development is considered a high priority for the Project, particularly as Service users may have no formal qualifications. For some volunteers achievement of Open College accreditation may be the only chance they have to gain a “certificate” and be a significant personal achievement.
Personal development plans are put in place for those who want to use their volunteering as a means to develop career skills.
Part of “The Party’s” aims is to develop opportunities that take into account the needs of the individual. So instead of just advertising a particular opportunity. The Party will develop a new opportunity to respond to a volunteer’s interest or need. This care with matching volunteer to opportunity and creating specific opportunities ensures greater retention of volunteers.
Because young people don’t always come ready equipped with training qualifications and an understanding of the way social care organisations work, young people from Barnardo’s services have designed and compiled “Clued up”, by young people, for children and young people (aged 8 years plus). These are peer participation training programmes. This is a ground breaking, successfully piloted concept, and consists of the guidance and subsequent training coming from a young person/ child centred perspective.
Service users, volunteers and young workers were involved in designing this training and it will be delivered by young workers and volunteers in the near future.
This course is currently being accredited. Young people will deliver the accredited course to other young people, assessing their peers’ success and ensuring that some of the most disaffected young people gain an accredited qualification.
Although “Clued Up “is being accredited through the Open College Network, the Project is also looking into how young people’s developing skills could be recognised through the National Accreditation framework, the Youth Achievement Awards.
Barnardos’ does offer other more conventional training to staff and volunteers to enable them to participate in Volunteering. The organisation has an accredited training pack called “Working for Children”. The title reflects the belief that all volunteers can access this training, whether or not they work with children.
Barnardo’s have undertaken an assurance that this training will be made accessible to all volunteers by taking into account those with learning disabilities or physical or sensory impairments.
All Volunteers attend an induction programme.
Volunteer Centre Sutton
The volunteer Centre Sutton recognises that from the outset the needs and capabilities of potential volunteers is an important factor. Therefore the induction is structured, training provision tailored and the programme is varied, relating to both the volunteering work and the individual volunteer.
In relation to training and induction Volunteer Centre Sutton provides all in-house volunteers with a volunteer Handbook as part of a structures induction training programme and offers a variety of training provision relevant to specific roles, such as: Health & Safety, Manual Handling, Befriending/mentoring, Disability Awareness, First Aid and Appropriate Adults.
Volunteers are asked what training they would like and the Centre ensure financial provision is made within its budgets to provide targeted volunteer training.
A certificate of attendance is giving to each volunteer when they have been to a training session organised by the centre.
Volunteers may themselves identify training that is relevant to their Centre work and is provided externally. In such cases they may apply for the Centre to fund, or partially fund this training.
The main purpose of volunteer training is to provide the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge, which will enhance the volunteer’s competence in their volunteering, Volunteer training should thus improve standards of service.
The project identifies a number of equally important benefits to the organisation from providing training. It:
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Demonstrates to volunteers that the Centre values their contribution by investing some of its resources in this way;
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Is one way of showing recognition to volunteers;
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Provides the opportunity to meet other volunteers, which is itself a form of support;
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Provide volunteer managers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with volunteers they may otherwise rarely see.
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