Bridgend Council’s Cabinet will be asked to adopt a new Volunteer Policy (pdf).
The policy – which you can read here (pdf) – covers Bridgend Council’s obligations, as well as obligations facing voluntary organisations and volunteers themselves.
The report says the policy “provides clear standards” and “has been developed to ensure that volunteers are engaged safely, undertake mandatory safeguarding awareness training and that there is robust monitoring of the work that volunteers do”.
As well as clarifying who or what activities BCBC considers to be volunteering, the policy includes measures (most of which you would hope were in place anyway) such as:
- Volunteers are barred from doing something that would result in the loss of an existing (BCBC) paid employee’s post. Volunteers cannot be used to provide cover for staff either.
- Anyone seeking to volunteer unsupervised with children and young people, or adults at risk, needs to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This DBS requirement includes volunteers aged 16-18.
- Volunteers under the age of 16 need consent from a parent/carer/guardian to take part.
- All volunteers need to be provided with an appropriate induction (including health and safety training, where appropriate), must sign a volunteering agreement and be provided with a volunteer ID badge.
- Volunteers doing tasks on behalf of/under the control of BCBC are counted as employees for insurance purposes. Volunteers are also subject to data protection and confidentiality policies.
- BCBC can cover the out-of-pocket expenses of volunteers in certain circumstances.
- Volunteers can use whistleblowing policies where necessary but are not protected under the law as they are not council employees.
