Below is a list of downloadable good practice resources for working with volunteers.
Volunteer Resources Toolkit
This toolkit is produced by the Volunteering Academy and was last updated in July 2024.
Currently volunteers do not come under ‘employment law’ and hence volunteers do not have the same employment rights as paid staff. It is good practice to include volunteers in the policies of an organisation, to ensure that the volunteers have a good experience as well as mitigate any risks of prosecution, particularly in relation to creating a contract between the organisation and the volunteer.
A volunteering policy is a framework to help you involve volunteers in a way that is consistent and benefits your organisation as well as the volunteers. It helps to establish clearly why you involve volunteers, and how you are going to engage with them, what they can expect from you and what you expect from them.
It is important you have an adequate insurance policy that covers staff and volunteers. The decision on the type and range of insurance policies that you will need will depend on the risk assessment of your organisation’s volunteering activities. Some policies will be required by law whereas others will be optional.
4. Safeguarding
Safeguarding is about actively preventing abuse and harm and making sure that your organisation has policies and procedures in place that support this. It is important you create a safe and risk-free space for your organisation’s activities, and you have a duty of care to everyone who comes into contact with your organisation including staff, volunteers and the public.
5. Risk Assessment and Volunteer Roles
Organisations have a duty of care towards their volunteers. You have a legal responsibility to assess and address any risk to the health and safety of your employees and others, including volunteers. Effective risk assessments will help determine the potential risks and any control measures needed to minimise the outcome of any risk. It will also demonstrate your commitment to offering volunteers a safe experience.
6. Reimbursement of Volunteer Expenses
It is good practice to reimburse expenses that volunteers incur due to their volunteering activities. It ensures that your volunteering roles are inclusive and accessible to everyone with the right skill sets and removes any potential barriers that volunteers might have, relating to personal finance. You should plan for this in your budget as well as include volunteer expenses into any funding applications.
7. Involving Refugees and Asylum Seekers as Volunteers
It is important to highlight Refugees and Asylum Seekers (RAAS) have the right to volunteer at all stages of the asylum process (including post-refusal). Involving them as volunteers helps your organisation access diverse skillsets, provides them with the opportunity to support their local community and assist with community cohesion and integration.
Your organisation has a responsibility to ensure, as much as possible, the health and safety of your employees and others who may be affected by your activities including the public and volunteers. It is important that you provide a safe environment which includes, protection from physical, financial, and emotional harm, irrespective of whether your organisation consists only of volunteers or has a mixture of paid staff and volunteers.
9. Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Everyone deserves to be treated equally, fairly and with dignity. It is important that you create a welcoming and inclusive environment for your volunteers, where they feel valued. These principles should be embedded in the way in which your organisation functions, to build a shared value system across the organisation.
A planned induction process is essential to help a volunteer feel welcome and comfortable in their volunteering role. It will help them understand your organisation, policies and procedures and their roles. The induction checklist can be used to help plan your volunteer induction process. This template can be tailored to suit your organisation.