Tameside Compact Code of Practice on Volunteering

Contents

1. Background
2. Benefits of the Code of Practice on Volunteering and Definitions
3. Aims
4. The principles of volunteering
5. Scope of volunteering and community activity
6. Undertakings by statutory sector partners
7. Undertakings by the voluntary and community sector partners
8. Charter of rights and responsibilities for volunteers
9. Promoting volunteering

Background

In November 1998, the Government published the 'Compact on Relations between Government and the VCS' to provide a framework for the relationship between the statutory sector and the VCS. Following the publication of the National Compact, five Compact Codes of Good Practice were published:

1. Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary and Community Organisations
2. Consultation and Policy Appraisal
3. Funding and Procurement
4. Volunteering
5. Community Groups

The publication of the National Compact and Codes of Good Practice was a starting point for local Compacts and Codes of Practice to be produced and adopted.

The Tameside Compact Group

The Tameside Compact Group was set up in 2002, following the successful launch of the local Compact in the same year.

Aims and objectives

The Compact Group aims to bring about an effective working relationship between the voluntary and community sectors (VCS) and other sectors to the benefit of Tameside communities. This will be achieved by:

1. Building the capacity of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) and of the sector as a whole
2. Working together on strategic/policy issues related to the VCS
3. Working together towards the achievement of the Tameside Community Strategy
4. Promoting sharing of skills and knowledge, and joint learning opportunities

Membership

Membership is drawn from key agencies and VCS networks:

• T3SC
• Volunteer Centre Tameside
• Tameside Voice
• VOLCON (Voluntary Organisations Chief Officers)
• TMBC
• PCT and other NHS Trusts
• Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
• Greater Manchester Police Authority

Tameside Strategic Partnership adopted the National Compact Code on Volunteering in October 2006 and recommended the development of a local Code for Tameside. This Code sets out a shared vision of how the VCS and Public Sector organisations in Tameside can support and promote volunteering and voluntary action and develop a cohesive borough wide volunteering policy.

The draft policy went out for consultation to over 300 voluntary and community groups, to all members of the Compact group and circulated widely within the main statutory organisations in Tameside. The results have been incorporated into this document.

This code is an agreement that should improve relations between local public bodies and VCS groups/organisations for mutual advantage. It is important that it is a living document setting values, principles and commitments for how best to work together to achieve more for the local community.

The Code will be adopted by Voluntary, Community and Statutory Organisations and can be used as Guidelines on which to base individual organisations own Good Practice policies.

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Benefits of the Code of Volunteering and Definitions of Volunteering

Benefits

For the voluntary, community sector (VCS) and statutory sector:

• Improved recognition, value and understanding of the importance of volunteers
• Recognition that volunteering makes a major contribution to all aspects of life in the local community – particularly in health, social welfare, education and the environment.
• The code highlights the need for a consistent and appropriate approach from all agencies, which have an impact on volunteering.
• The voluntary/community and statutory sectors are committed to maintaining best practice in the promotion, development and celebration of volunteering.
• All signatories to this code respect volunteers' independence and free choice.
• A coordinated and agreed charter for volunteers' rights and responsibilities.

Definitions

For the purpose of the Code of Practice, Tameside Compact agree the following definitions:

1. Volunteering is described as "any activity or service that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups other than or in addition to close relatives), or to benefit the environment."
2. Partners are organisations that are working together to achieve a clear set of shared objectives and there is a clear understanding of the contribution each Partner Organisation brings to the Compact. Partners have equal respect for the varied roles and experiences individual organisations bring to the Compact. (In this context, partners are those organisations who have formally signed up for the Compact, are under its Principles, or adopt this Code of Practice.)

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Aims

1. To build on and underpin the principles of the Tameside Compact.
2. To make a positive impact on the working relations between voluntary organisations, community groups and public bodies operating in the Borough.
3. To improve the recognition, value and understanding of the importance of volunteers in the delivery of service provision across statutory, community and voluntary sectors.
4. To improve the recognition, value and understanding of the importance of volunteering to an individual's personal development.
5. To set out a series of undertakings for the voluntary, community and statutory sectors in Tameside on good practice in volunteering.
6. To enable and support more people to become involved in the varied forms of voluntary activity which contribute to active citizenship. (It is a target of Tameside's Local Area Agreement to increase the number of people volunteering in our communities.)
7. To raise awareness that volunteering is not free, that cost benefits cannot be achieved without investment in volunteering.
8. To encourage VCOs to recognise that there is a cost to supporting volunteering and a need to allocate budgets for this.
9. That this code be adopted and implemented by voluntary, community and statutory sectors in Tameside.

(NB. The code is not legally binding, and there will be no consequences for organisations choosing not to sign up. It is a code of best practice, which organisations should use for their own and their volunteers' benefit.)

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Principles of Volunteering

The four principles fundamental to volunteering and community activity:

Choice

Volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual, including the choice to stop volunteering without pressure or guilt.

Acknowledgement that no judgement is made on the types of volunteering activity in which people participate. All types of volunteering are of benefit to the wider community.

Diversity

The people of Tameside bring varying qualities, experience and expertise to all aspects of volunteering and diversity is recognised, respected and valued.

Volunteering should be open to all, no matter what their background, age, race, sexual orientation, faith, etc. It is recognised that social exclusion barriers can be overcome by skills, experience, confidence and contacts gained while volunteering.

Volunteering opportunities should be open to all, and comply with the principles of equality of opportunity.

Mutual Benefit

Volunteers offer their contribution unwaged but should benefit in other ways in return for their contribution to wider social objectives. This should include the provision of out of pocket expenses.

Benefits that volunteers expect to gain include a sense of worthwhile achievement, useful skills, experience and contacts, sociability and fun, and inclusion in the life of the organisation and the wider community.

Recognition

It is vital that the value of volunteers' contribution is recognised by all involved, including statutory agencies, employers and voluntary organisations, during Volunteers' Week as well as throughout the year. Organisations should be encouraged to celebrate the contribution of all volunteers regardless of the number of hours spent volunteering: every volunteer offers what they are able to and every contribution should be valued.

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Scope of Volunteering and Community Activity

The scope of volunteering and community involvement includes:

1. Helping to provide a service as a volunteer within a voluntary or community organisation, the public sector or a not for profit group
2. Taking part in running a voluntary or community organisation; (e.g. as a Trustee, Board or Committee Member)
3. Serving as a non-executive member of a public body or participating in civic governance
4. Being involved in a voluntary initiative, usually as part of a voluntary organisation or community group, to improve the quality of life for people in a neighbourhood or community interest
5. Being part of a group activity, within a neighbourhood or community of interest, providing a community service, or campaigning for a public cause
6. Enabling young people to develop as active citizens through community involvement
7. Volunteering through involvement in a faith congregation or community
8. Offering career-based skills to a voluntary organisation
9. Helping to develop public policy through involvement in consultation processes and campaigning
10. Taking part in Employer supported community involvement
11. Helping others in a formal role or an informal way.

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Undertakings by Statutory Sector Partners

All Statutory sector partners undertake to:

• Ensure all relevant policies do not adversely affect volunteering
• Remove any barriers which may prevent people from volunteering, e.g. by endeavouring to pay all out of pocket expenses including travel and meal expenses when appropriate.
• Assess how volunteering and community activity within their organisation can contribute to achieving organisational policy and programme objectives.
• Remove any barriers which prevent involvement by specific groups of people especially those around social exclusion.
• Increase staff awareness of volunteer contributions to the organisation's objectives.
• Ensure that sufficient safeguarding precautions have been taken.
• All organisations must have a vetting procedure set out in a policy which includes safeguards (where appropriate) such as:
1. Extensive safeguarding interviews.
2. Receipt of a current satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure.
3. A requirement to be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority *(see note below)
4. Not to deploy/engage any volunteers who are deemed to be unsuitable to work with vulnerable individuals/groups by the ISA.
5. Satisfactory references.

*Independent Safeguarding Authority The new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Group Act 2006 and in future will make decisions on who is unsuitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable groups.

This new scheme is due to be implemented on a phased basis from October 2008 and will require all individuals who work or volunteer with vulnerable groups to be registered with the ISA. The requirement to register may not replace the need to carry out a CRB Disclosure.

Tameside will be implementing the new arrangements at a date to be determined when further details have been received regarding registration and the phasing in.

• Adopt and implement policies which ensure that local volunteering infrastructure bodies can rely on realistic sustainable long – term funding
• Recognise that volunteering infrastructure bodies should be independent voluntary sector organisations
• Support a communications strategy that recognises volunteer contributions to raising the quality of life in a local area, and support activity motivating more people to become involved in volunteering
• Support initiatives to provide accessible information about volunteering opportunities at local level. This should include a variety of methods such as local media and internet technology
• Seek ways in which partners can work with community and voluntary sectors to address how detailed demographic information on volunteering and community activity can be collected for comparison with other surveys and research
• Work with local employers to encourage and support their staff to volunteer
• Ensure that volunteering is not paid work substitution.
• Where a statutory partner directly manages volunteers, it will follow the undertakings in section 7.

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Undertakings by Voluntary and Community Sector Partners

Voluntary and community sector partners undertake to:

• Recognise the importance of high standards and effective management of volunteers
• To raise awareness that volunteering is not free, that cost benefits can not be achieved without investment in volunteering
• Those responsible for recruitment, induction and management of volunteers, whether paid staff or volunteers themselves, should:
  - Have this work recognised as part of their role
  - Receive appropriate training and support
• Identify a senior named person to be responsible for volunteer involvement, ensuring Health and Safety requirements are relevant to volunteers as well as paid staff and for monitoring and reporting as required.
• Ensure appropriate records are kept of how volunteering is funded, and the benefits this produces.
• Ensure that sufficient safeguarding precautions have been taken. All organisations must have a vetting procedure set out in a policy which includes safeguards (where appropriate), such as:
1. Extensive safeguarding interviews
2. Criminal Records Bureau checks, when working with children or vulnerable adults.
3. Taking up of references.
• Recognise that, as part of the reciprocal relationship volunteers should get fair treatment and be given thanks and recognition for their contribution. Training and support should be available commensurate with the resources of the organisation with which they are involved
• Encourage and enable development of skills and gaining of qualifications where appropriate through relevant accredited bodies
• Assist potential volunteers to find volunteering opportunities that fit their needs, interests and abilities
• Develop systems for referring surplus volunteers, or those unsuited to their organisation's needs, to other organisations, to ensure no volunteer's potential is wasted. Volunteer Centre in Tameside is a recognised referring organisation, as listed in section 9
• Organisations should endeavour to pay all out of pocket expenses, this should include travel, meal and child care expenses wherever possible.

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Charter of Volunteer's Rights and Responsibilities

Partners of the Tameside Compact commit to adopting the Volunteers' Charter below and will use it as a basis for developing good practice within their own organisations:

Volunteers' Rights

• To be given a clear idea of duties and responsibilities within the organisation and the skills etc that are needed to fulfil them i.e. a task description and person specification
• To be given copies of all relevant policies and procedures
• To be given the name of the person in the organisation who will look after their interests and who will offer them support and supervision on a regular basis
• To be given the appropriate induction
• To be assured that any information given in confidence to the organisation is kept confidential
• To be given the same protection under the health and safety regulations and public liability as paid employees
• To be given appropriate opportunities for training and skills development
• To not be exploited. Volunteers should not:
1. be used to replace paid workers
2. have unfair demands made on their time
3. be asked to do something which is against their principles or beliefs
• To be given the chance to play a part in decision making within the organisation
• To be respected and listened to
• To be assigned to projects that meet their interests and needs
• To do meaningful and satisfying activities
• To not be out of pocket through doing voluntary work. Each organisation should make it clear what expenses they are to cover and how they can be claimed
• To be given information of situations arising that may adversely affect their position as a volunteer
• To be able to take a break from or cease to volunteer

Volunteers' Responsibilities

• To accept the organisation’s agreements, policies and procedures
• To do what is reasonably required of them, to the best of their ability
• To treat confidential information obtained while volunteering in a confidential manner (except where there is statutory duty to pass on such information)
• To recognise the right of the organisation to except quality of service
• To recognise that they represent the organisation and therefore need to act in an appropriate manner at all times, in accordance with policies and procedures
• To honour any commitment made and to give as much notice as possible if a commitment can not be met
• To undertake appropriate training (including Health & Safety issues)
• As far as possible, to give notice of holidays and other commitments
• To share suggestions for changes in working practices
• To advise the organisation of any pre-existing or subsequent convictions and cautions that might impact upon the organisations activities
• To be open and honest about issues affecting their volunteering, and advise the organisation of any other relevant matter(s) which might impact on their volunteering role
• To recognise that their volunteering role may need to be reviewed and modified.
• To accept that their preferred role may not be suitable for them and they may be referred on to a more suitable role.

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Promoting Volunteering

All partners agree to expand the public perception of volunteering by improving the profile status and range of volunteer activity.

Ways in which this can be achieved include:

• Co-ordination of planned activity during Volunteers’ Week
• Promotion of volunteering events, such as Volunteering Awards, to secure greater media coverage, and a higher public profile for volunteering and community activity
• Developing partnerships with organisations that promote volunteering or deploy volunteers
• Developing and promoting innovative programmes to encourage volunteering, including developing opportunities for disabled and marginalised people
• Use of a combination of newsletters, adverts, posters and the internet to communicate volunteering information, ensuring organisations without internet access are not excluded
• Supporting young people to volunteer and encouraging them to get involved in formal and informal volunteering activities.

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Thank you to everyone who responded during the consultation process, these are some of the comments received from organisations, both voluntary and statutory.

An action plan will be developed by the Compact group and will be circulated in the near future.

Comments

'Attached T3SC's comments – basically support most of it – looks good, just a few ideas to throw into the pot!' - Rob Cookson, T3SC

'Document is OK – good that it mentions the environment & not just helping people, clear document not too much jargon.' - Janet Higgins, Neighbourhood & Community Services, TMBC

'Just read the draft Tameside Compact Code of Practice on Volunteering; looks good and we at SPY will definitely be signing up to it!' - Victoria Clark-Leece, SPY

'The document is clear and comprehensive enough to cover all key areas/issues.' - Adam Allen, TMBC

'Both Jenny and I have read through it and overall we thought it was very positive about the contribution volunteers make, without placing onerous demands on organisations beyond treating people reasonably and fairly.' - Richard, Tameside and Glossop Mind

'It's a really easy document to read that doesn’t contain lots of unnecessary info.' - Sandra Whitehead

'This code provides a well thought-out, wide reaching view of how to promote, support and value the act of volunteering and clearly lays out all the supporting mechanisms that organisations need to sign up to when working with volunteers.

It also provides a clear message for both volunteers and organisations that volunteers have rights, which should be respected and acknowledged.' - Teresa Jankowska, Adult Services Joint Commissioning and Performance Management Team, Tameside & Glossop PCT

For more information, or to sign your organisation up to the Tameside Compact Code of Practice on Volunteering, complete the form below:

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