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Clear policies and procedures

It is critical to the success of volunteering organisations that they can demonstrate that they have formally assessed and considered their operational issues and that these are set out in a clear set of policies and procedures accessible to all groups of volunteers.


Below are a few examples of how other organisations have accoplished this:


Volunteer Centre Westminster have a policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders into roles involving vulnerable clients.
Volunteer Centre Sutton provides clear policy models for it’s volunteer managers.


Cheetham Hill Advice centre have set out clear policies accessible to all volunteers.


CAN footsteps have produced a procedures manual to clearly set out their policies and procedures.
Manchester Events Volunteers has developed a Code of Practice for working with clients.

Volunteer Centre Westminster

Due to the nature of some of the volunteer roles, rigorous risk assessment has identified the need for (Criminal Record Bureau) CRB checks in some areas. The Centre became a CRB Umbrella body in 2004 and has since developed policies and procedures that are used both internally and also as examples of good practice in training courses for other organisations. This includes material relating to recruitment and selection and involving those with learning difficulties.

The Volunteer Centre Westminster policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders into roles involving Vulnerable Clients indicates that at interview, or in a separate discussion, the Centre will ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position.

The policy makes it clear that having a criminal record will not necessarily bar applicants from working with the Centre, but this will depend upon the nature of the position and the circumstances and the background of offences involved.

As part of the recruitment/appointment process, Volunteer Centre Westminster will consider:

Whether the conviction or other matter revealed is relevant to the position in question
The seriousness of any offence or other matter revealed
The length of time since the offence or other matter occurred
Whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour or other relevant matters
Whether the applicants circumstances have changed since the offending behaviours or other relevant matter
The circumstances surrounding the offence and by the explanation(s) offered by the convicted person
Whether the applicant is banned from working with children
Volunteer Centre Westminster is a registered body with the Criminal Record Bureau and hence conducts its Disclosure Checks in-house.
The above policy is used in conjunction with the:
Volunteer Centre Westminster Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders
Volunteer Centre Westminster Disclosure Service Policy Statement

Volunteer Centre Sutton

Volunteer Centre Sutton aims to provide support and guidance to move volunteer managers towards good practice by providing model policies, procedures, practices and training to enable them to provide better support for their volunteers. Consequently groups can then enhance recruitment and retention, particularly in relation to volunteers at risk from social exclusion.

Policies and procedures maintained by Volunteer Centre Sutton include:

Risk Assessments for all in-house volunteers. These are reviewed through the Volunteers Sub-committee and ratified at subsequent Board meetings.
Health & Safety policy and procedures.
Appropriate insurance cover for volunteers (including personal accident) 12 - 80 years old. Volunteers over 80 are required to sign a disclaimer letter regarding personal accident cover.
Payment of all volunteers’ out-of-pocket expenses.
Confidentiality and Data Sharing policy and procedures.
Complaints policy and procedures.
A written Equality & Diversity (E&D) policy and procedures.
All policies and procedures are reviewed every 2 years.

In addition to the above:

Staff and trustees attend Equality & Diversity training on joining Voluntary Centre Sutton and office volunteers receive E & D training as part of their induction programme.
Volunteer Centre Sutton holds the Positive About Disabled People standard recognising good practice around the recruitment of disable d people.
Staff and trustees represent local disability and BME demographics.
Volunteer Centre Sutton also has an Equality & Diversity Advisory Group which meets 6 monthly to review policies and procedures; membership of this group includes staff, volunteers, trustees and a Local Authority representative. The group reports directly to the Board of Trustees.

Cheetham Hill Advice Centre

The organisation has in place a range of clear policies accessible to all volunteers. These include:

Health and Safety Policy;
Home Visiting Policy;
Risk Assessment Policy;
Disability Discrimination Act Statement of Intent;
Insurance and Regulatory Certificates;
Employers’ Liability;
Professional Indemnity;
Legal Assistance and Expenses;
Stakeholder Designation;
Policy for the Payment of Volunteer Childcare Expenses;
Volunteer Expenses Policy;
Confidentiality Policy;
Volunteer Policy for Resolving Disputes;
Policy for Volunteer Role and Participation in CHAC.

CAN Footsteps

The Footsteps procedures manual sets out clear procedures for six stages of mentee support.

These can be summarised as follows:

Stage one - Referral Procedure: The referral procedure begins when either an agency or an individual contacts Footsteps with a view to referring that individual. First contact is usually by telephone. In any case, an eligibility test is undertaken before referral is taken any further.
Stage two – Application Procedure: This covers the initial assessment interview, the Footsteps Introduction Document and completion of the application form and accompanying procedures.
Stage three – Allocation Procedure: This stage covers the mentoring service level required, signposting where appropriate and the mentor and mentee matching process.

There are three main areas of consideration in relation to mentoring service level required:

Individual Development Plans: Individual Development Plans exist in order that these goals can be written down and a path plotted towards achieving them
Practical support: It may be that the mentee is facing stress inducing practical problems that can be helped or resolved by practical intervention
Befriending: in those cases where social isolation appears to be a problem, Footsteps befriending service may be useful.

There may be cases where Mentoring and Befriending is not a suitable option for the individual. In such circumstances Footsteps can act purely in a signposting capacity.

Once the need for a mentor, and the type and level of service required has been established, the Project Co-coordinator then matches the mentee with a mentor. Footsteps Mentor Matching Guidelines outline this process.

Stage four: Initiation procedure : Should the match between mentee and mentor be successful a second meeting will be arranged between the two, with the agenda for this meeting broken down into five stages; Schedule Agreement; Formalising Agreeements; IDP Commencement; Mentee Induction and Mentee Assessment
Stage five: The Mentoring procedure: The Procedures Manual sets out the guidelines that should be observed and processes that should be adhered to during the mentoring process
Stage six: Exit Procedure: There are three main ways in which the Exit Stage may be reached:

Both mentee and Project Co-ordinator decide that no further mentoring is required
The Mentee decides that no further mentoring is required
The Project Co-ordinator decides that mentoring is not beneficial to, or required by the mentee.
In all three cases exit interviews are required, together with associated procedures.

Manchester Event Volunteers.

MEV has developed a Code of Practice for working with clients, which sets out responsibilities to volunteers and guidelines in relation to the selection, management and training of volunteers. This requires the signed agreement of the client.

MEV has maintained a high level of commitment from the volunteers by providing a supportive environment. Two members of the team have been in post since 2002 and know the majority of volunteers personally. The Code of Practice highlights the responsibility that event organisers have for the support and supervision of volunteers during events. Feedback from events and training is actively encouraged and volunteers are asked to complete evaluation forms following each activity either on line or in written form.

The Code of Conduct specifically covers:

What is a volunteer
Data Protection Act
Insurance Cover
Funding
Pre-recruitment
Recruitment and selection
Security checks
Induction and training
Management and supervision
Health and Safety and welfare
Transport and expenses
Uniforms
Recognition
Tracking of volunteers

Clear policies and procedures

It is critical to the success of volunteering organisations that they can demonstrate that they have formally assessed and considered their operational issues and that these are set out in a clear set of policies and procedures accessible to all groups of volunteers.

Volunteer Centre Sutton provides clear policy models for it’s volunteer managers.

CAN footsteps have produced a procedures manual to clearly set out their policies and procedures.

Volunteer Centre Westminster

The policy makes it clear that having a criminal record will not necessarily bar applicants from working with the Centre, but this will depend upon the nature of the position and the circumstances and the background of offences involved.

As part of the recruitment/appointment process, Volunteer Centre Westminster will consider:

Whether the conviction or other matter revealed is relevant to the position in question

The seriousness of any offence or other matter revealed

The length of time since the offence or other matter occurred

Whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour or other relevant matters

Whether the applicants circumstances have changed since the offending behaviours or other relevant matter

The circumstances surrounding the offence and by the explanation(s) offered by the convicted person

Whether the applicant is banned from working with children

Volunteer Centre Westminster is a registered body with the Criminal Record Bureau and hence conducts its Disclosure Checks in-house.

The above policy is used in conjunction with the:

Volunteer Centre Westminster Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

Volunteer Centre Westminster Disclosure Service Policy Statement

Volunteer Centre Sutton

Policies and procedures maintained by Volunteer Centre Sutton include:

Risk Assessments for all in-house volunteers. These are reviewed through the Volunteers Sub-committee and ratified at subsequent Board meetings.

Health & Safety policy and procedures.

Appropriate insurance cover for volunteers (including personal accident) 12 - 80 years old. Volunteers over 80 are required to sign a disclaimer letter regarding personal accident cover.

Payment of all volunteers’ out-of-pocket expenses.

Confidentiality and Data Sharing policy and procedures.

Complaints policy and procedures.

A written Equality & Diversity (E&D) policy and procedures.

All policies and procedures are reviewed every 2 years.

In addition to the above:

Staff and trustees attend Equality & Diversity training on joining Voluntary Centre Sutton and office volunteers receive E & D training as part of their induction programme.

Volunteer Centre Sutton holds the Positive About Disabled People standard recognising good practice around the recruitment of disable d people.

Staff and trustees represent local disability and BME demographics.

Volunteer Centre Sutton also has an Equality & Diversity Advisory Group which meets 6 monthly to review policies and procedures; membership of this group includes staff, volunteers, trustees and a Local Authority representative. The group reports directly to the Board of Trustees.

Cheetham Hill Advice Centre

The organisation has in place a range of clear policies accessible to all volunteers. These include:

Health and Safety Policy;

Home Visiting Policy;

Risk Assessment Policy;

Disability Discrimination Act Statement of Intent;

Insurance and Regulatory Certificates;

Employers’ Liability;

Professional Indemnity;

Legal Assistance and Expenses;

Stakeholder Designation;

Policy for the Payment of Volunteer Childcare Expenses;

Volunteer Expenses Policy;

Confidentiality Policy;

Volunteer Policy for Resolving Disputes;

Policy for Volunteer Role and Participation in CHAC.

CAN Footsteps

The Footsteps procedures manual sets out clear procedures for six stages of mentee support.

These can be summarised as follows:

Stage one - Referral Procedure: The referral procedure begins when either an agency or an individual contacts Footsteps with a view to referring that individual. First contact is usually by telephone. In any case, an eligibility test is undertaken before referral is taken any further.

Stage two – Application Procedure: This covers the initial assessment interview, the Footsteps Introduction Document and completion of the application form and accompanying procedures.

Stage three – Allocation Procedure: This stage covers the mentoring service level required, signposting where appropriate and the mentor and mentee matching process.

There are three main areas of consideration in relation to mentoring service level required:

Individual Development Plans: Individual Development Plans exist in order that these goals can be written down and a path plotted towards achieving them

Practical support: It may be that the mentee is facing stress inducing practical problems that can be helped or resolved by practical intervention

Befriending: in those cases where social isolation appears to be a problem, Footsteps befriending service may be useful.

There may be cases where Mentoring and Befriending is not a suitable option for the individual. In such circumstances Footsteps can act purely in a signposting capacity.

Once the need for a mentor, and the type and level of service required has been established, the Project Co-coordinator then matches the mentee with a mentor. Footsteps Mentor Matching Guidelines outline this process.

Stage five: The Mentoring procedure: The Procedures Manual sets out the guidelines that should be observed and processes that should be adhered to during the mentoring process

Stage six: Exit Procedure: There are three main ways in which the Exit Stage may be reached:

Both mentee and Project Co-ordinator decide that no further mentoring is required

The Mentee decides that no further mentoring is required

The Project Co-ordinator decides that mentoring is not beneficial to, or required by the mentee.

In all three cases exit interviews are required, together with associated procedures.

Manchester Event Volunteers.

MEV has developed a Code of Practice for working with clients, which sets out responsibilities to volunteers and guidelines in relation to the selection, management and training of volunteers. This requires the signed agreement of the client.

The Code of Conduct specifically covers:

What is a volunteer

Data Protection Act

Insurance Cover

Funding

Pre-recruitment

Recruitment and selection

Security checks

Induction and training

Management and supervision

Health and Safety and welfare