The
following Policies are upheld by Volunteer Centre Craven
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you should have a complaint to make about Craven Volunteer
Centre’s staff or volunteers, or a situation that
you feel needs investigating, we have the following procedure
in place.
Stage 1 – oral complaint
The complaint should first be discussed orally with the
Volunteer Centre Manager, or if the complaint is about the
Manager, then with the Chair of the Management Committee.
The VC Staff can give you their contact details upon request.
Stage 2 – in writing
If your problem cannot be solved through discussion and
you wish to take it further, you should put this in writing
to the VC Manager within one month. If the complaint is
about the VC Manager, you should put this in writing to
the Chair of the Management Committee.
The organization should respond to you within 2 weeks.
Stage 3 – right to appeal
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can appeal
to the Chair of the Management Committee. The matter will
be discussed at a committee meeting with other trustees
and the Chair will respond to this appeal within two weeks
and their decision will be final.
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CRAVEN VOLUNTEER CENTRE
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT
Craven Volunteer Centre recognizes that everyone has a contribution
to make to our society, and a right to equal treatment.
We aim to ensure that no job applicant, staff member, volunteer
or organization/individual to whom we provide services will
be discriminated against. We aim to be an equal opportunities
employer, and we select staff solely on merit irrespective
of age, sex, marital status, class, sexual orientation,
race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, employment
status, political belief, unrelated criminal conviction,
disability or caring responsibility.
We aim to ensure that volunteers working with individuals,
and in organizations to which the Craven Volunteer Centre
provides support or services, are not discriminated against.
When this occurs, the Craven Volunteer Centre commits itself
to taking positive action against discrimination.
This document can be made available in other formats upon
request, e.g. large print, Braille, on tape etc.
Updated January 2012
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SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE ADULTS,
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
This policy sets out the ways in which Craven Volunteer
Centre will safeguard the vulnerable adults, children and
young people they come into contact with through the various
schemes that they manage: DRAG (Decoration, Repair and Gardening)
Scheme and through volunteering schemes/placements undertaken
with young people through schools and colleges. The policy
refers to all vulnerable adults and children under the age
of 18, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality
or religion. It is the duty of all employees and volunteers
to follow this policy.
Who is a Vulnerable Adult?
Some adults feel less able to protect themselves than others,
and some have difficulty making their wishes known. This
may make them vulnerable to abuse. The broad definition
of a ‘vulnerable adult’ referred to in the 1997
Consultation Paper ‘Who Decides?’ issued by
the Lord Chancellor’s Department, is a person:
“Who is or may be in need of community care services
by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness;
and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself,
or unable to protect him or herself against significant
harm or exploitation”.
Many of the clients who are referred to the Volunteer Centre’s
services fall under this category. Volunteers are recruited
to work on the schemes mentioned above and are matched with
our clients to assist with their various needs. All volunteers
and staff are currently checked through the Criminal Records
Bureau at Enhanced Level and two references are also taken
up for anyone wanting to work on our schemes. If a CRB Disclosure
shows anything that causes concern, a meeting is arranged
by the Manager with at least two committee members to discuss
what action to take. (Please see Rehabilitation of Offenders
Policy for full details). When the new Vetting and Barring
Scheme comes into operation through the Independent Safeguarding
Authority, all new volunteers and employees will also be
checked through this, as in accordance with new legislation.
Children and Young People
This refers to anyone under the age of 18.
What will we do if a volunteer suspects signs of abuse
in a vulnerable person?
Volunteers are asked to report any situation they feel uncomfortable
with to the staff at the Volunteer Centre. This will be
followed up with a visit to the client concerned by the
Manager to investigate further. If after investigation,
the situation does raise concerns, these will be shared,
with the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board by completing
an inter-agency Safeguarding Adults Alert/Referral Form
– copies held at the VC office. Contact should also
be made with NYCC Customer Services Centre on 0845 034 9410.
If someone is thought to be in immediate danger, the Police
should be contacted on 999.
If a vulnerable person or young person has disclosed something
which causes concern, it is the duty of the staff and volunteers
to report this, even if the person concerned does not give
their consent to report it.
The Volunteer Centre Staff have all attended Safeguarding
Adults Level 1 Alerter Training in September 2010
Examples of abuse could be:
• Signs of physical or psychological ill treatment
• Reports of money or other items going missing
• Reports of cold-callers or bogus workmen
• Vandalism or nuisance behaviour
Abuse against Young People
If any staff member or volunteer is concerned about the
welfare of a young person, they should contact the Local
Safeguarding Children’s Board through NYCC Customer
Services at 1 Belle Vue Square, Skipton (01609 535469).
What happens if there are allegations of abuse against
a volunteer or staff member?
The incident will be investigated by either the Manager,
or another member of staff or a committee member (whoever
is deemed the most appropriate according to the situation).
A meeting will be arranged with the person who has been
accused, to discuss the situation. A meeting will also be
arranged with the vulnerable person to gain as much information
as possible. The situation may also be discussed with Adult
& Community Services if the person is known to them.
If it is felt that further investigation is needed, the
Disciplinary Procedure guidelines will be followed within
the organisation, and if deemed serious enough the suspicions
will be reported to the Police. If the allegation is proved
to be substantiated, the alleged abuser will be reported
to the ISA, in accordance with new legislation.
To prevent the likelihood of accusations, our volunteers
will not be asked to involve themselves with any personal
financial matters on our clients’ behalf.
How will we protect the children and young people we work
with?
Contact with children and young people is most likely to
come through our work with placing young people in volunteering
roles, either with other organisations or with our own schemes.
When providing volunteering information on other organisations,
the Volunteer Centre will make every endeavour to ensure
that the organisation is registered with the Volunteer Centre’s
database, and that it has all the relevant policies in place
to protect young people working with them.
How will the Policy be put into practice?
All new volunteers and staff will be made aware of this
Policy, which will be kept in the office, and of the requirements
within it. The policy will also be obtainable from the Craven
Volunteer Centre website (www.cravenvb.org.uk) .
Review of Policy
This Policy will be reviewed on annual basis. Next review
January 2013.
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CRAVEN VOLUNTEER CENTRE POLICY ON
CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU PROCESS
The staff and committee of the Craven Volunteer Centre are
committed to managing the CRB process in accordance with
the attached guidelines.
The Volunteer Centre will request Enhanced Disclosures
for all volunteers who are involved directly with children
and vulnerable adults, under circumstances where they will
be largely unsupervised. At present this includes all those
working with the Volunteer Centre’s Decoration, Repair
and Gardening Scheme, but also include anyone working in
similar circumstances on volunteering schemes set up by
the Volunteer Centre in the future.
When volunteers are recruited by the Volunteer Centre and
referred to another organisation, it will be the responsibility
of that organisation to decide whether to undertake a Criminal
Records Bureau check.
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POLICY ON REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS
The nature of the volunteering schemes currently run by
Craven Volunteer Centre means that the positions involved
are “exempted” from the Rehabilitation of Offenders
Act 1974, i.e. they involve access to vulnerable adults
or to children (see separate notes re the Rehabilitation
of Offenders Act 1974).
If a Disclosure reveals that a volunteer or member of staff
has a conviction, the Manager will meet with two committee
members to discuss the individual case, based on the nature
and seriousness of the crime (whether spent or unspent)
and the position applied for.
If it is decided to reject the applicant on the grounds
of a criminal record, the Manager will offer to discuss
the reasons for rejection with the applicant and ensure
that they have received and understood the organisation’s
policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders.
The Manager will ensure that whenever possible the applicant
is given information on other volunteering opportunities,
which may be more suitable for them.
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VOLUNTEER POLICY
Introduction and Statement of Principles
Craven Volunteer Centre recruits, supports and matches volunteers
with volunteer-involving organisations in the Craven district.
In addition to this, the Volunteer Centre runs its own direct
service volunteering projects, currently: the DRAG Scheme
(decorating, repair and gardening), and a partnership with
Skipton Library to deliver the Home Library and Information
Service (delivery of library books to the housebound).
Volunteers can be involved with the Volunteer Centre either
by helping with office administration or by joining one
of the above-mentioned schemes, which provide assistance
to older, disabled and disadvantaged people. Volunteers
are not used to replace paid staff, but to enhance the services
that the Volunteer Centre provides.
Recruitment
Many of our volunteers are recruited through the Do-It website
(the national volunteering website) or by calling in to
the office to discuss opportunities available. The Volunteer
Centre also advertises occasionally by way of posters, websites,
talks and articles in the media.
All volunteers are asked to attend an interview and to
complete an application form and for those working on the
direct service schemes a CRB Disclosure is required for
anyone over 18 years of age. Two references are taken up
for every volunteer.
If a CRB Disclosure shows that offences have been committed,
the Manager will call a meeting with at least 2 members
of the management committee to discuss that particular application.
They will consider the seriousness of the offences, the
time since the offence and whether the offence is relevant
to the role which is being considered. The volunteer will
then be informed as to whether they have been accepted for
voluntary work with the Volunteer Centre. If a volunteer
is considered to be unsuitable for a particular role, they
will be notified either in person or by letter, and will
be offered other more appropriate opportunities.
Volunteer Role Outlines
The roles for our schemes are as follows:
DRAG Scheme (decoration, repair and gardening): this involves
basic gardening – pruning, digging, weeding –
in order to tidy up a garden as a one-off. Decorating may
involve painting or papering one room of a house and DIY
jobs can include basic tasks such as putting up shelves,
hanging pictures etc. If a task is deemed too large or is
more suited to a professional, it will not be accepted by
the staff.
Home Library and Information Service: Volunteers on this
scheme work in pairs (one driver and one escort) to collect
and deliver library books and tapes to housebound people,
who are on Skipton Library’s list. The driver uses
their own car.
Induction and Training
When all vetting is in place, volunteers will be given information
about the organisation and their role will be explained
to them in more detail.
Office Volunteers: the volunteer will be invited to discuss
the areas in which they would most like to offer help and
an agreement will be reached which suits both parties. If
working in the office, they will be shown how to use various
items of equipment and office procedures will be explained.
DRAG Scheme: Volunteers will either be accompanied to the
service user’s house by a staff member to assess a
task, or if the task is considered straightforward or the
customer is known to the volunteer, they may attend on their
own to carry out the task straight away. A supply of tools
is kept in the office that the volunteers can use. Volunteers
on this scheme do not need to be professionals, but a certain
level of competence will be required. They also need to
be reliable and trustworthy and good communication skills
are useful.
Home Library and Information Service: When vetting is complete,
the volunteer’s contact details are passed on to the
Library who arranges the induction and introductions to
their partner volunteer and the service user. All ongoing
supervision is given by the Library.
Requests for specific training are welcomed and every effort
will be made to provide this, subject to funding. Information
and guidance sheets are also available for the various roles.
Expenses
Craven Volunteer Centre will reimburse out-of-pocket expenses
incurred as a result of your voluntary work as follows:
Petrol expenses at 45p per mile, bus or train fares (on
production of a ticket), lunch allowance up to £3.50
if you work more than 3 hours in one session, car parking
fees, entrance fees etc.
Support & Supervision
Support is available to all volunteers, who are encouraged
to contact the Volunteer Centre if they have any concerns
or difficulties.
Insurance
Volunteers are covered under the Volunteer Centre’s
Public Liability and Employer’s Liability Insurance
in the course of their work but Car Insurance is their responsibility.
An Advice to Insurance Companies form is available from
the office. Personal accident cover is in full for ages
16-69, but reduced cover for ages 12-15 and 70-79.
Equal Opportunities and Diversity
Craven Volunteer Centre welcomes applications from all walks
of society and positively encourages enquiries from different
ages, cultures, genders and backgrounds.
Health & Safety
Craven Volunteer Centre has a full Health and Safety policy
and volunteers are welcome to have a copy of this.
Problem Solving Procedures
If a volunteer wishes to make a complaint, this should follow
3 stages:
Stage 1: Oral complaint
Stage 2 – In writing
Stage 3 – Right to appeal
If a problem should arise from the volunteer’s behaviour,
this will be discussed informally with the volunteer in
the first instance. If this cannot be resolved easily, the
following procedure will be used:
Stage 1 – Oral discussion
Stage 2 – Written warning
Stage 3 – Right to appeal
Further details on the above procedures can be obtained
from the Manager.
If a volunteer commits an act of gross misconduct, they
may be dismissed immediately.
Confidentiality
All volunteers are expected to keep information confidential,
when it is passed to them during their course of their voluntary
work.
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