Without individuals providing their time, free of charge, to assist an organisation to deliver its services, most organisations would struggle to achieve their aims.
Volunteers come in many guises, such as:
- Raising funds for charities.
- Providing welfare assistance to those whom the organisation supports.
- Undertaking specialist services to members of the public such as first aid, acting as carer or providing transport to appointments.
All organisations whether they are charities, limited companies or unincorporated organisations have a responsibility to their volunteers and are responsible for the actions of the volunteers towards those they assist.
Responsibility to Volunteers
Numerous Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments create duties for organisations in respect of anyone whose services they use to achieve their aims. This includes volunteers.
Examples are:
- Defining the volunteer’s status. If the volunteer is an employee, then properly detailing this, but if the volunteer has no employment protection ensuring this is documented.
- Providing a health and safety assessment and a health and safety policy.
- Creating a working environment free from harassment and bullying and establishing a culture where all volunteers are treated, and treat others, with dignity and respect.
- Requiring equal opportunities for volunteers and a policy detailing this.
- Ensuring all volunteers have access to a procedure to help deal with any grievances relating to their duties and responsibilities.
- If relevant, the implementation of a policy to create a suitable framework within the organisation to manage risks associated with manual handling.
- A recruitment process that is open and does not discriminate.
- A whistleblowing policy to encourage volunteers to report suspected wrongdoing in the knowledge that their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate.
Responsibility to External Parties
When providing their services, the volunteers will be interacting with individuals whom the organisation exists to help. The organisation will have responsibility for any actions of the volunteers and needs to ensure that the organisation can demonstrate that they have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities. An organisation will also need to ensure that as far as possible there is some protection in place against potential claims.
Examples of how to achieve this are:
- Insurance cover for liabilities.
- When relevant a disclosure and barring service check (DBS).
- When applicable having a policy and adopting systems which ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and hygienic methods of operation are adopted to reduce infections.
- A policy with regards to the importance of privacy and dignity in the provision of services to clients and their relatives.
- Provision for safeguarding and ensuring policies are in place to protect children and vulnerable adults.
- Training of volunteers
How the Organisation Can Manage these Responsibilities
All organisations who have volunteers should have a volunteer’s handbook which will provide a framework for the volunteer when working for the organisation and also include policies to cover all the areas set out above.
The handbook should also cover such areas as:
- Data protection
- Confidentiality
- Expenses
- Conflicts of interest
- Disciplinary Rules and Procedure
- Sickness absence
Without a well-prepared volunteers’ handbook, an organisation will struggle to manage volunteers to be able to demonstrate to any enforcement or regulatory agency that they have fulfilled their statutory duties.