This includes sample role descriptions, references requests and application forms, where to get up to date information on PVG requirements.
Dundee City Council’s Volunteer Policy includes a flowchart for recruiting volunteers. This will be useful for you when planning or reviewing your own procedures.
Recruitment of CLD volunteers
Engaging with communities
This is the bread and butter of CLD practice. By definition, CLD takes place in and with communities – be these communities of geography or communities of interest. We also know that many community members lack the confidence to put themselves forward as a volunteer and sadly are often unaware of the skills and experience they could bring to the role. This means that there is often a preparatory job to be done in encouraging and preparing people before they are ready to come forward.
Learners/participants becoming volunteers
This is a very common route into CLD volunteering as those who take part in CLD activities become more aware of their own knowledge and skills and feel more confident about moving on to new tasks and challenges.
TSI volunteer centre function
All areas of Scotland have a Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations. One of the functions of these organisations is to match potential volunteers with organisations who would benefit from their skills, energy and effort. The ‘front face’ of this function often take the form of a Volunteer Centre. TSIs facilitate all kinds of volunteering not just in CLD but can be a valuable source of potential volunteers. Find your TSI using the link below.
http://www.vascotland.org/find-your-tsi
Social media
Normally an early adopter of most things that could benefit CLD, I have been a very late adopter of social media having posted my first tweet only a few weeks ago. But there are many success stories of attracting volunteers.
(examples needed)
Role descriptions
Just like anyone in paid employment, volunteers need to know what their role will involve, who they will be working with, what will be expected of them etc. The good practice guide produced by Volunteer Scotland suggests some things to think about before drawing up a role descriptor. These include reflecting on how the volunteer role fits with wider staff roles. The guidance note lists the kinds of things that should be included in the role description such as an outline of the role and the skills, attitudes and experience needed by the volunteer.
Attached below is a sample generic volunteer role description used by Dundee City Council.
Aberdeenshire Council have developed profiles for use in recruiting:
volunteer tutors working on a one to one basis with adults
https://www.i-develop-cld.org.uk/pluginfile.php/7021/mod_page/content/28/aberdeenprhireofile121.pdf
volunteers working as group tutors with adults
volunteers working with young people
https://www.i-develop-cld.org.uk/pluginfile.php/7021/mod_page/content/28/aberdeenshireywprofile.pdf
Each of these profiles outlines:
- the purpose of the role
- the duties associated with the role
- abilities, skills and qualifications the volunteer should have
Application Form
Your application form feeds into the first stage of the selection process and should allow you to determine whether the person wishing to volunteer can or has the potential to undertake the tasks outlined in the job description.
A sample application form above is from Dundee City Council.
Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme
As indicated above, at an early stage of deciding where and how you wish to deploy CLD volunteers you will need to consider whether they will be involved in delivering work which is regulated under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme. This is likely to the case with CLD youth work volunteers. This forms part of the selection process.
Volunteer Scotland’s Disclosure Services unit is funded by the Scottish Government to support the voluntary sector to comply with the PVG Scheme.
Their website (https://www.volunteerscotland.net/) offers information to individuals about what it means to be a member of the PVG Scheme and help with filling out the forms. Disclosure Services also provides an extensive range of information for organisations (and other interested parties) about PVG requirements, including narrated explanatory presentations, good practice guides, checklists, as well as sample forms and policies. Disclosure Services undertakes free disclosure checks for volunteers an also offers training to voluntary organisations.
Although targeting the voluntary sector, this information will be of great assistance to the public sector. Some local authority CLD Services have reported difficulties associated with changes to the implementation of the PVG Scheme since it was introduced in 2007. These issues relate specifically to the disclosure of staff and volunteers working with vulnerable adults.
As experience in implementing the legislation has evolved and case law has been established, developments in the way the legislation is interpreted and applied means that what is now considered as regulated work with vulnerable adults focuses on a narrower range of activities which does not include adult learning and literacies and other CLD activity with adults. Disclosure Services Protected Adult Checklist is a useful tool to help you confirm that your service does not fall within the category of regulated work.
Although the services they deliver do not fall within the category of regulated work, this does not mean that adult learning and literacies programmes are not delivered to vulnerable adults. Local authority CLD Services would probably be more comfortable if their staff and volunteers who are working with vulnerable adults were ‘disclosed’ and local authorities have a reputation for being ‘risk averse’, however, this is not the purpose of the PVG scheme and now that case law has been established following a number of legal challenges, ineligible applications will not be considered.
This makes the application and selection process, including the securing of references, all the more important for both staff and volunteers. Registration with the CLD Standards Council with its requirements for members to affirm their commitment to the values and code of ethics for CLD and for a referee to confirm this as evident in their practice has the potential to add another layer of reassurance.
Selection
Your selection processes will be designed around getting the best fit between the needs of your learners and participants and the skills and experiences a CLD volunteer has to offer. It also needs to provide sufficient information about the potential volunteer to confirm that they are suitable to work with your learners and groups.
In a few cases it might be clear from the application form submitted by the volunteer that this is not the right opportunity for them. While for most applications this is done by email or by letter, consider taking a more personal informal approach with volunteers who after all have come forward to offer their time for free.
You will want to meet with your volunteer applicant to give both you and them a chance to confirm there is a good fit with the role. Whether you actually call this meeting an interview and whether it is formal or informal, it is important to be clear that this is part of a process for all volunteers.
If your application form has already asked for references, you will want to obtain these and follow them up prior to making a decision about taking on a CLD volunteer.
Discussing your Volunteer Agreement with potential volunteers at this first meeting/interview is a good way of introducing what is expected from both perspectives and making sure that the volunteer is comfortable and still wants to go ahead.
The reference request letter and pro
forma and the Volunteer Agreement used by Dundee City Council is included below.
https://www.i-develop-cld.org.uk/pluginfile.php/7021/mod_page/content/28/DundeeRefrequest.odt
https://www.i-develop-cld.org.uk/pluginfile.php/7021/mod_page/content/28/Dundeevolagreement.odt