10 minute read
FROM THE CEO
All this should tell us that there is much for us to do as we work shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of grassroots organisation across the UK, helping them in creating and maintaining safer places for all to flourish. We are committed, as we always have been, to listen to our members, supporters, and partners as we consider the best ways to develop our services and support to meet their needs.
Our Strategic Priorities of being Ethical, Sustainable, Professional and Collaborative in all our work will continue to shape our future direction whilst we keep our plans under review and ensure to the best of our ability that we resource them appropriately and get set for success in meeting our biblicallyinspired mission and vision of a world where every child and adult can feel, and be safe.
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It is our privilege to work supporting many organisations at the frontline of practice, as well as looking to strengthen our position in informing national decision-making and policymaking among key influencers and politicians. Our credibility in both respects has grown and has been reflected back to us in a number of ways providing us with real encouragement about the place we have as thought leaders in this important aspect of faith and life for many. Both of us, along with the our Board of Trustees are excited by the opportunities ahead of us. It may not always be easy to step-up and step forward into all the areas necessary for us. However, we remain convinced and confident that we have an amazing team to journey with and an ever-diversifying membership base and wider community to serve as we consider together the multitude of ways we can all contribute to creating and maintaining safer places for all as we believe God inspires us to do.
From the CEOs
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Safer recruitment for volunteers and preparing for summer camps
Lee Carmichael, thirtyone:eight Helpline Practitioner
In a post lockdown context, many church leaders came back to in-person services with a reduced workforce, a result of those still feeling too vulnerable to return or those who reconsidered their children and youth volunteering commitments. In some cases this has created a situation where the temptation to take every willing and able person that volunteers to help with the Childen’s and youth work the moment they say they’re interested is increased. However, we must remind ourselves that blind trust, even in people we’ve known for a while, is not good safeguarding practice and having healthy safer recruitment procedures is still essential, no matter how much you need those volunteers.
If you can’t, then don’t
There is a principle which we need to be comfortable with in order to avoid unsafe recruitment fueled by the pressure to restart any previous activites. The simple rule is, ‘if you can’t, then don’t’. If you only have enough volunteers to provide for two weeks out of four in your Sunday School, then do the two weeks and be inventive or more inclusive in your services the rest of the month. If you know the minimum number of people needed to safely run a holiday camp and you only have two thirds of volunteers available, don’t run it. If you plan far enough in advance you won’t disappoint people by cancelling it last minute, you just won’t run it. Karl Vaters, author of ‘Small Church Essentials’ encourages leaders to work with who they have in front of them, instead of trying to work like the bigger church they want to be. This means not doing stuff that others are doing, or stuff you used to do before you lost some leaders. Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. With those foundational thoughts in mind, let’s take a look at the principles and practice of safer recruitment for your organisation. This applies to recruitment for churches as well as summer camps and residentials.
1) What will they do? Preparing a job and role description
Recruiting for volunteers shouldn’t be that different than if you were recruiting someone to a paid post. It shows that you value the role you’re advertising and the person you’re recruiting. Distinguishing between a helper and a teacher in Sunday School may mean the difference between someone willing to apply and someone being put off by thinking the job will be too much.
• Take time to think about what position you are recruiting for and make sure the title is clear.
• Jot down some bullet points as to what it will involve in both tasks and time.
• List the parts of safer recruitment that they need to know about, including an application form, references, interview and Criminal record check. By doing this, people will know what you need and what they’re signing up for.
2) Advertise
If you are in a small church or community group, it may feel unnecessary to advertise for volunteers. It’s easy to assume you’ve got all the volunteers you’re going to get, or the church doesn’t need any more because they’re not asking. Advertising - a simple notice in the newsletter or from the front in the service may bring people to apply that you wouldn’t have thought about before. If you are in a larger organisation, advertising your volunteer opportunities is essential to reach those who may not be well known and gives equal and fair access to those who otherwise wouldn’t be chosen or asked to serve.
3) Application forms
How detailed should an application form be for a volunteer? You should work out what key information you need for safeguarding and job suitability and include these points on the form. Our members get access to our model template application form which can be downloaded from our website.
Two things we normally get asked about when recruiting volunteers are:
• Qualifications and
Experience –Rather than ask someone to list out their entire qualification history, you could ask them to list their most recent or relevant qualifications.
Unlike a specific paid role, where experience in the field is likely required, knowing someone hasn’t done children’s work before won’t exclude them from volunteering, rather it will help you know where to start with them.
• References – Especially in smaller organisations, the people applying are often known to those leader or managing the activites.
Those who are recruiting sometimes feel that references are unnecessary.
You need equality in your process; you can’t treat some more favourably than others. The same process should apply for the person you’ve known for 10 years as well as the person you’ve only known for 10 months.
Two references are helpful if one is from a previous employer which shows them to be in good standing. If they have moved church recently, you may wish to ask that church for a reference from them too.
4) Interviews
Sometimes the thought of holding interviews for volunteer positions can seem daunting or unnecessary, especially for smaller organisations. Interviews for paid posts are usually to whittle down the number of candidates to the one that you want, whereas most organisations that rely heavily on volunteers, like churches and charities, want everyone they can get. Points to consider here:
• Equality – you can’t interview one and not another. It must be an equal process. • Formality – Interviews don’t all have to be a formal panel with multiple leaders and a long list of questions. It can be a coffee and a chat over any questions you may have because of their application.
The applicant may ask their own questions as well. • Discuss your safeguarding expectations with them at this point.
5) Criminal record checks
A Self-declaration form should be provided before carrying out the Criminal record check (DBS/PVG/AccessNI). If they disclose on the self-declaration anything that may prohibit them from taking up the role, you should not go ahead with a check till you have sought advice.
Remember, the whole process should be applied to ensure safer recruitment, a check on its own is not enough. Checks should only be carried out once you are happy that someone is fit for the role they’ve applied for. You should not let someone begin in their role until a successful check has been carried out and any blemishes have been risk assessed.
6) Induction Allow plenty of time. Working in Partnership
It may be that you appoint someone between your normal schedule of volunteer safeguarding training. We offer foundational safeguarding training online. It is essential that any new volunteer is aware of the safeguarding expectations of your church or organization when they start. The induction process should cover: • Safeguarding Training • The safeguarding policy • Procedures for raising a safeguarding concern • Worker’s code of conduct
• Practice guidelines specific to the activity they will be helping with Every year our safeguarding helpline gets calls with people asking if they can let volunteers serve whose criminal record check haven’t yet come through because they applied late. The short answer is no.
Late preparation and unverified background checks can put children and young people at risk through giving improperly vetted workers access to vulnerable people. There is also a risk in not having enough workers to cover the health and safety risk posed to children. If you are planning a camp or residential, make sure you give ample time for the safer recruitment process to be carried out. Camps and residentials are usually run by individual organisations, however, where organisations collaborate or work together it should be clear as to who is taking responsibility for what when it comes to recruitment and safeguarding. We recommend drafting a working agreement, or arrangements, document to clarify your structure and responsibilities for the event. If you need any further help and advice with Safer Recruitment or anything else relating to safeguarding contact our helpline on 0303 003 11 11.
Preparing for Summer Camps
Here are a few additional points to consider if you are looking to run any holiday club or summer camp:
It’s time to rethink orphanages
By Tarn Bright, CEO at Home for Good, a charity dedicated to finding a home for every child who needs one and building a network of adoptive parents and foster carers, who can support and encourage one another. I recently heard a story about a little boy who had been adopted from an orphanage. During the adoption process, his soon-to-be adoptive mum found out that during his two years in the orphanage, he had interacted with several hundred volunteers. Several hundred people had visited him for a few hours or a few days to hug him, play games, sing songs, give gifts, and take photographs. All very well meaning. Yet several hundred people came and went, each time leaving a sense of loss for the child, sometimes small, but often times significant. The orphanage had provided this little boy with food, shelter and clothing, and possibly compassion but had not been able to meet his primary need for emotional safety through deep belonging. This need could only truly be met by a loving and safe family. The best for this child isn’t hundreds of temporary connections but that his heart be reserved to create a long-term relational attachment with a committed care giver. Research shows that millions of Christians around the world, have supported, visited or volunteered in orphanages, doing so with the very best of intentions in an attempt to try and make the world a better place for children. However, as I have learnt more about the challenges facing vulnerable children around the world, I’ve realised that good intentions do not necessarily result in best practice and that sometimes our actions can do more harm than good. It is time to rethink orphanages.
