Volunteering Guide

Welcome to inVOLved, the Staffordshire University Students’ Union Community Volunteer Scheme.

InVOLved is a joint partnership between the Students’ Union and Staffordshire University aimed at helping interested students and staff to find opportunities to volunteer in the community. Volunteering whilst at university can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Not only can it provide valuable insight into a possible career path, it can increase your employability by enhancing your CV, and at the same time give you the opportunity to meet new people and make valuable contacts.

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There are numerous volunteering opportunities available to you via inVOLved, from sports coaching, conservation, mentoring, working with the elderly or fundraising, the list goes on. We also encourage students to develop their own community projects with help and support from inVOLved.

Whether it’s your first experience of volunteering or something you’ve been doing for a while, inVOLved is here to help and support you in every aspect of your experience; which we hope you will find interesting, useful and fun.

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inVOLved – Volunteering at Staffs Community Volunteer Co-ordinator

Motivation and Enthusiasm Simply by taking part in one of the inVOLved projects you are demonstrating a level of motivation!

Employers are looking for people who show evidence of enthusiasm, an ability to make their own decisions and, more importantly, to have confidence in themselves. Involvement in a volunteering project will give you some valuable evidence of all these things.

Resourcefulness Employers like people who can bring them

Advantages of Volunteering Teamwork Participation in most inVOLved projects involves working with others. You can easily use examples of projects you’ve taken part in to demonstrate that you’ve been a team worker, and identify examples of where you have motivated others in your team using encouragement and motivation skills.

Communication This is often one of the most important skills an employer is seeking and most inVOLved projects will help you develop these skills. You will be able to identify examples of how you see communication as being an important skill and how you have been able to prioritise and recognise what information needs to be passed to others.

solutions, not problems. If you have been involved in a voluntary project that has required you to make decisions and think for yourself, then you could well have more valuable evidence of your ability to apply your past experience, solve problems and deal with difficult situations.

Leadership Most volunteer opportunities will have an element of leadership involved. Organisations rely heavily on volunteers and opportunities to lead sessions and develop projects prove to be the ideal way to develop and demonstrate your own leadership qualities.

Planning It is also important that you develop the skills of

Self-Management It’s important to recognise that if you wish

prioritising and managing the time you have available to devote to projects. This can be gained in particular by engaging in one of our volunteer projects but even more so when you are part of a student led project.

to improve your skills then you may have to plan some training or further study. Time management skills and the ability to deal effectively with multiple tasks can be developed considerably through participation in both the training and projects we offer.

SUPPORT & SUPERVISION

INDUCTION & TRAINING All inVOLved volunteers will attend a Volunteer Induction session- either individually or as a group - which will include issues such as health and safety, rights and responsibilities, expectations, certification and accreditation opportunities.

At this session volunteers will be issued with a Volunteer Handbook which will cover the above issues and also grievance and disciplinary procedures.

All volunteers will be asked to complete an informal review with a member of inVOLved staff within one month from the date they start volunteering, where appropriate.

Volunteers will be offered information about additional personal development opportunities available to them within Staffordshire University and the Students’ Union and may be offered additional opportunityrelevant training by external organisations where necessary.

Volunteers will be asked to evaluate and provide feedback on the inVOLved induction and training procedures.

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The review will ascertain the volunteer’s progress, skills development, enjoyment, and improvements in the opportunity, and identify additional complementary training or development opportunities as appropriate.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

inVOLved will endeavour to ensure that all external organisations through which volunteer opportunities are arranged provide/have the following, as appropriate/relevant: • • • • • • • •

Induction, training and supervision for volunteers Equal Opportunity Policy & Racial Equality Policy Health & Safety Policy & appropriate First Aid resources Manual Handling Policy Public & Employers Liability Insurance Fire Procedures & appropriate resources Policies for volunteers working away from the organisation Policies for working with vulnerable clients

inVOLved will endeavour to identify up to three possible opportunities available for each volunteer in line with their interests and/or experiences.

Volunteers will be offered and asked to choose one of these opportunities or identify further ideas areas of interest.

Volunteers will be given a written outline of the voluntary work they choose to undertake including the external organisation’s contact details; aims and objectives of the organisation/activity; and details of the volunteer opportunity role and/ or responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to make contact with the volunteer organisation to start their opportunity at this stage.

Volunteers will have access to support and advice during opening hours of the inVOLved service and can arrange a supervision meeting with an inVOLved member of staff at any time.

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YOUR RIGHTS AS AN inVOLved VOLUNTEER To be valued and respected To be treated equally in accordance with the Students’ Union equal opportunities policy To receive up-to-date information about inVOLved activities To have access to volunteer opportunity information To feel safe and secure during your volunteering experience To receive appropriate quality training in order to learn and develop new skills To receive regular support and guidance from inVOLved staff To receive recognition and appreciation for your voluntary activities To be reimbursed for all out of pocket expenses upon production of receipts To have a forum for expressing any suggestions or complaints about your volunteering experiences To have your views represented at local, regional and national levels To have personal information about you handled and stored in an appropriate and sensitive way To have the choice to leave or change the volunteer opportunity at any time

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r o f in If you have any questions please refer to our Volunteer Policy.

VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES To abide by inVOLved policies and procedures To represent inVOLved and the University in a positive way To keep inVOLved up-to-date with what and how you are doing To support other volunteers and staff where appropriate To be reliable, punctual and committed To act in a responsible manner To make constructive criticism and suggestions about how we can improve our service To respect confidentiality and understand professional boundaries To never put yourself, another volunteer, or client at risk To report all potential or actual accidents or risks To complete the inVOLved induction or placement specific induction To inform inVOLved if you want to leave a project To inform inVOLved if you have a complaint about your volunteering

HEALTH & SAFETY

inVOLved will maintain a duty of care to avoid exposing its volunteers to risks to their health and safety.

inVOLved volunteers will be covered by the Students’ Union’s Public Liability Insurance policy whilst they are on University/Students’ Union premises and engaged in voluntary work on inVOLved behalf. inVOLved volunteers will be covered by the Public Liability and Employer’s Liability Insurance policy of the external organisation with whom they volunteer. inVOLved volunteers should endeavour to take responsibility for their own personal health and safety whilst volunteering. This includes: • Conducting themselves in a manner conducive to ensuring their own safety and that of others • Reporting on hazardous situations, equipment, or incidents to the relevant person within the external organisation with whom they volunteer • Making use of safety equipment and protective clothing provided in the manner and for the purpose for which it was intended • Not volunteering under the influence of alcohol or drugs • Being aware of the external organisation’s health and safety and emergency procedures and location of First Aiders in case of accident

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION inVOLved will use all reasonable means to advertise and to recruit prospective volunteers from the staff and student community of Staffordshire University.

Interested staff and students will be given the opportunity to discuss and identify their own possible volunteer opportunities and be informed about opportunities for certification and accreditation – either individually or as a group.

All prospective volunteers will undergo the selection procedures of inVOLved. This includes completing an application form, signing a volunteer agreement and attending an informal induction with a member of inVOLved staff.

Recruitment to the inVOLved Community Volunteer Scheme will follow the Students’ Union equal opportunity policy.

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inVOLved reserves the right to decline any volunteer who does not complete this selection procedure and who they believe would not be an appropriate volunteer.

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GRIEVANCE & DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

inVOLved promotes a constructive atmosphere in which volunteers feel comfortable, have a sound relationship with other volunteers, and feel their rights and responsibilities are being respected. inVOLved will encourage all volunteers to question or seek assistance with any situations or issues with which they are not comfortable.

In the case of a student volunteer wishing to air a grievance, they should follow the standard procedures as set out in the Students’ Union Complaints Procedure; or if a member of staff at the University wishes to air a grievance they should ‘Employment Handbook’ (Green Handbook) Staff Grievance Procedure’.

In the case of a disciplinary situation, a volunteer will be subject to the procedures and structures as set out under the 'General Regulations for Students' - Student Disciplinary Procedures (for students); under the ‘Employment Handbook’ (Green Handbook) Staff Disciplinary Procedures (for University staff members); and under the Union Disciplinary Procedure (for Students’ Union staff members).

Copies of the above documents can be found on the University’s website, the Students’ Union website or from an inVOLved staff member

CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU What is a Criminal Record Bureau check?

A Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check is a process for gathering information about someone’s criminal convictions and other cautions, reprimands and final warnings given by the Police.

The results of a CRB check are printed on a document officially known as a ‘Disclosure’ and copies are posted to the individual and to the organisation which they have applied to volunteer for.

Two levels of CRB check were introduced, to recognise that organisations need to have access to different levels of information, depending on the activities that their staff and/or volunteers will be carrying out.

EQUALITY & DIVERSITY Staffordshire University, the Students’ Union and inVOLved are committed to supporting and encouraging a diverse and inclusive University community in which differing ideas, abilities, backgrounds and needs are fostered and valued, and where those with diverse backgrounds and experiences are able to participate and contribute. Discrimination, bullying or harassment will not be tolerated on any grounds. inVOLved will regularly evaluate and monitor its progress with regard to equality and diversity.

All inVOLved volunteers have a responsibility for familiarising themselves with the University’s policies and procedures regarding racism and harassment, and should be ready to identify and challenge racial bias and stereotyping.

Copies of the University’s Race Equality Policy can be found in the inVOLved office and on the University’s website.

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Having a conviction does not mean that a person is automatically unsuitable. The majority of convictions would not have any bearing on someone’s suitability for volunteering.

For further information, please visit the following websites; ISA- www.isa-gov.org.uk Every Child Matters- www.everychildmatters.gov.uk NSPCC- www.nspcc.org.uk If you need any more information please ask the inVOLved team for access to Child Protection resources.

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WORKING WITH VULNERABLE CLIENTS

For the purpose of this document, ‘vulnerable clients’ include people under 18 or over 65, people with learning or physical disability or chronic illness and alcohol or drug misusers.

inVOLved takes very seriously its duty of care to protect the clients it works with and its volunteers. Volunteers who will be working with or alongside vulnerable clients may be asked by their volunteer placement organisation or by inVOLved to undergo a police check through the Criminal Records Bureau.

This is a standard procedure.

inVOLved requests that all volunteers who work with or alongside vulnerable clients consider the following guidelines where possible and appropriate:

• To avoid lone working or one-to-one situations with vulnerable clients • To not pass on any personal contact details to clients • To not request any personal contact details of clients • To remember to act as an appropriate role model at all times

Recognising Your Volunteering inVOLved – Volunteering at Staffs Volunteer Recognition Certificates are an ideal addition to your CV. They range from a Bronze for 1 days volunteering all the way through to Platinum for 100 hours volunteering.

Certificates are presented at the annual awards night and signed by the Students’ Union President and a senior member of University staff. To gain one of our certificates simply complete a Volunteer Log Sheet for the hours you volunteer, this logs what you have been doing and is signed off by someone within the organisation you are volunteering at.

Staffordshire University Volunteer Module The Faculty of Arts, Media and Design has modules at Levels 1 and 2 that provide accreditation (15 credits) for voluntary activity. These modules may also be taken by Level 3 students.

Students from most undergraduate awards in the university can enrol on these modules as general options, and they count as employability modules for those with an employability requirement.

Volunteering: Action and Experience I AMD25413-1 (Level 1) Volunteering: Action and Experience II AMD25412-2 (Level 2) *This is an independentstudy type module designed for those who want to undertake voluntary activity with a community focus: such as working with children, helping at a theatre, working in a shelter or for a helpline, or supporting fellow students through mentoring or welcome week activities.

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*To complete a module you will be required to undertake 40 hours voluntary activity (a letter confirming hours will be required), attend the workshops and complete a written assessment which asks you to reflect on the skills gained during the volunteering process.

For more info go to: www.staffsunion.com/activities/volunteering

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V-involved Volunteering Award

V-involved are a new independent charity that is helping young people to volunteer in England.

What are the v awards?

If you start volunteering or are an existing volunteer we accredit you with nationally recognised certificates in the following stages; • Thank you certificate for up to 15 hours from V • 15 hour Youth Service certificate • v50 Award for up to 50 hours volunteering • v-Impact Award - on completion of 50 hour awards you can apply for one of the 5 impact awards, which focus on the following areas; passions, skills, community, campaigning and leadership.

Volunteering England Volunteering Award Volunteering England’s Gold Award is the only national student volunteering award that recognises Achievement, Dedication and Leadership within Further and Higher Education. The Gold Award is a prestigious mark of excellence in student volunteering.

From unsung heroes to those who have defied the odds or shown remarkable leadership, each year, the Gold Awards reward a select band of special student volunteers. In particular, the Gold Awards reward leadership, dedication and achievement

You may choose to focus on just one of these three themes, but ultimately, though, it’s up to you. These criteria are deliberately broad, enabling you to focus on what works best for you.

VOLUNTEER EXPENSES An expense is any cost that a volunteer has to pay that they would not have incurred if they had not been volunteering. In the first instance, expenses must be sought from the host organisation.

Volunteer expenses via inVOLved, shall be available to all, regardless of income. inVOLved or the external volunteer organisation shall reimburse all reasonable expenses incurred whilst carrying out volunteering activities, as agreed in advance.

All volunteers will be encouraged to claim expenses. Reasonable expenses include the following, undertaken during the course of volunteering: • travel to and from the place of volunteering, this does not include by taxi unless agreed with inVOLved prior to the journey • additional necessary travel • postage and telephone costs • protective clothing or other essential equipment • care of dependants during the course of volunteering

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Volunteer expenses will only be reimbursed on receipt of a completed Expenses Claim Form and appropriate receipts/ records. Only the exact amount that the volunteer has paid will be reimbursed.

Expense claim forms must be submitted on a monthly basis, complete with receipts and will be reimbursed within a week of receipt.

Expense claim forms are available at www.staffsunion.com/activities/volunteering

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