#wiseupwednesdays

Are you clued up about the legal aspects of involving volunteers @DudleyCVS #wiseupwednesdays

Eileen Leave a comment

vols+law1Volunteers and the Law Training

Have you ever asked the following?

  • Do volunteers have the same rights as employees?
  • Health and safety doesn’t apply to volunteers does it?
  • Do your volunteers sign a contract?
  • Are you aware how easy it is to create a contract with volunteers?vols+law2

 

Many volunteer-involving organisations are not aware of the legal implications when working with volunteers. Our session aims to dispel myths and clarify your legal responsibilities. We also use actual case studies where volunteers have taken organisations to court, to help demonstrate bad practice when involving volunteers.

 

We aim to give participants:

  • An understanding of how current legislation has implications for volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.vols+law3
  • Knowledge of good practice recommendations relating to the management of volunteers.
  • Participants will also have the opportunity to plan for their own organisation in terms of how legislation affects management of their own volunteers.

As there’s quite a lot of ‘heavy’ information, we deliver the session in sections and there are activities to break up the training, so it’s not all ‘death by Powerpoint’

 

A little respect! #wiseupwednesdays

Eileen Leave a comment

volunteer policyWhat is a Volunteer Policy

A Volunteer Policy is the foundation on which your organisation’s involvement with volunteers should be based.  It forms the basis of your entire volunteer programme, giving cohesion and consistency to all elements in your organisation that affect volunteers (i.e. recruitment, expenses, health & safety etc.)  Volunteer Policies are the key to involving a diverse group of volunteers, because they help to define the role of volunteers within the organisation, and how they can expect to be treated.

Why do we need one?

A Volunteer Policy demonstrates an organisation’s commitment both to its volunteer programme and to its individual volunteers.  By having a policy in place, you are showing that care and thought has gone into the volunteer programme.

Volunteer Policies help to ensure fairness and consistency.  Dealing with volunteers, means dealing with a diverse range of people, being able to refer to a written policy ensures that decisions are not made on an ad-hoc basis, and that all volunteers are treated equally and fairly.

A policy enables volunteers to know where they stand.  It offers them some security, in that they know how they can expect to be treated, and where they can turn if they feel that things are going wrong.

Volunteer Policies also help to ensure that paid staff, senior management and trustees fully understand why volunteers are involved and what role they have within the organisation.

Drawing up a Volunteer Policy is the ideal starting point when considering how to involve volunteers.  Once the Policy is written it should be reviewed annually in consultation with volunteers, staff and trustees, perhaps a representative steering committee.

for more info, please look at our: guidelines-on-managing-volunteers