Volunteering charter

When considering the use of volunteers to supplement or complement a council service, the following further points need to be considered and incorporated into the terms of the volunteering opportunity:

• establish a process to resolve any disputes between professional staff and volunteers
• during any contracting out process, bidders will be required to quantify any intended use of volunteers and the selection process will take account of the bidder’s position on whether they intend to utilise volunteers for roles currently delivered by paid staff
• In relation to the above, an Equality Impact Assessment will be conducted to ensure that the protected groups within society are not disadvantaged through the use of volunteers
• Volunteers will be subject to DBS checks if they are to work with or alongside children or vulnerable adults
• termination of a volunteer opportunity and the notice period required

Volunteer agreement document

It is important that a Volunteer Agreement is drafted and signed by both parties, as this clarifies the commitments both the volunteer and the council can expect from each other. It is not intended to be a legally binding document but should be used as guidelines for both parties. 

Find an example of the agreement on page 4 of the HR guidance: Volunteering charter (SharePoint).