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how to volunteer

We think that everybody is important, valuable and has something significant to contribute to the community and to each other.

This is how we recruit volunteers. We:

• Agree the task and Volunteer Job Specification
• Prepare publicity
• Send out the written Job Description to people enquiring
• Interview or have a formal meeting
• The volunteer starts! An induction period + 4 week taster begins with a supervision meeting
• The time is reviewed 4 weeks later
• The volunteer is formally appointed

We ask volunteers beginning at the Hackney Marsh Partnership, to sign a confidentiality form. This states that any information relating to individuals who use Hackney Marsh Partnership projects and services is confidential and should not be discussed outside of the work.

Confidentiality is very important! All volunteers must be prepared to sign the confidentiality form.

As part of our recruitment of volunteers we want to make sure that all people regardless of age, sex, gender, disability, marital status, sexuality or ethnicity are able to access volunteering opportunities.

The job description details every area of work and explains clearly about volunteering in the Hackney Marsh Partnership project or service. This includes information about accountability, hours and times of work and tasks to be done.

We will arrange an interview time. The interview or meeting is arranged in order for both the person being interviewed as well as Hackney Marsh Partnership to work out if:

• The person has the appropriate skills for the project
• The person wants to pursue the volunteering

The need for references will vary according to the different needs and identities of separate projects. A decision to use references will be at the discretion of specific project co-ordinators.

Once volunteering at Hackney Marsh Partnership there is a period of time (a few days) called induction, which focuses on getting to know the organisation, specifically:

• The Hackney Marsh Partnership organisation
• The philosophy and ethos
• The structures
• How decisions are made and the project is managed
• Lines of communication and accountability
• The volunteers own responsibilities and how their work fits in
  

Any volunteer successfully recruited will already have found out information under the above headings. The induction period helps the potential volunteer to decide if the Hackney Marsh Partnership is 'for them'. It also formally welcomes the new volunteer into the Hackney Marsh Partnership and affirms their involvement.

The induction period leads into a four-week "taster" period. The taster period ends in a one to one work review between the project manager and the volunteer. If both the volunteer and the manager are happy to continue the volunteer and project leader then both agree a work description.

Our volunteers have regular one-to-one review sessions. This is a regular part of the volunteering experience. It is about ensuring all volunteers have clear and complete information about their role and project. It also aims to build involvement, ownership and confidence.

One-to-one sessions play a crucial role in the development of the volunteering role and the volunteer, reflecting the value placed on people who work in the Hackney Marsh Partnership projects. They are not a corrective measure for people who have done wrong. The amount of supervision given will be appropriate to:

• The nature of the job
• The experience of the volunteer.
  

As with all staff, these sessions are an expected part of the programme for all volunteers with the Hackney Marsh Partnership.

The purpose of a one-to-one session is for a two-way exchange of information (this benefits both people taking part!) It is about:

• Consultation sharing information about work
• Confrontation of a problem or crisis, recognising or dealing with existing or potential problems
• Asking and Answering Questions clarifying priorities
• Affirmation and (sincere!) encouragement from monitoring work and work performance
• Reflection on both positive and negative experiences and the emotion and feelings raised
• Planning discussing and agreeing change. This makes for experienced learning!

Each volunteer has a minimum of 6 one-to-one sessions a year.

Good supervision needs the following:

• Preparation
• Focus on how matters can be improved
  

When a volunteer comes to leave an exit interview is arranged. This is really important! We want to know why a volunteer wants to leave a project. It is helpful for the paid worker and the volunteer to evaluate together, and to review what went wrong, or the reasons for leaving.

This is an important process for the volunteer, who may have grievances to air, and for the worker who may need to learn from a person's experience.

The Hackney Marsh Partnership is committed to reimbursing any out-of-pocket expenses, not exceeding £15 a week, to volunteers which have been incurred as part of their work. This includes travel to and from the Hackney Marsh Partnership, but does not include childcare for the time they are working with Hackney Marsh Partnership. It includes an allowance for lunch if the volunteer has worked more then four hours.

Where possible the Hackney Marsh Partnership will allow parents to bring their children with them. The Hackney Marsh Partnership is committed to the idea of crèche provision as far as funding and other resources will allow.

The Hackney Marsh Partnership is committed to training volunteers and enabling them to develop and update their skills. The Hackney Marsh Partnership is committed to providing opportunities for workers and volunteers to keep learning new skills, face fresh challenges, grow and develop.

Volunteer Quickies

• Paid workers carry out regular health and safety checks on the Hackney Marsh Partnership building to protect the volunteers.
• Volunteers are fully insured to carry out their duties whilst on the Hackney Marsh Partnership premises
• Where volunteers are responsible for taking and handling money, they should not be working in isolation, but in a team (minimum of two people).
• Where volunteers handle cash, the money should be counted before it is handed over, when it is handed back, and signed for by both parties. This is important to safeguard the interests of the individual and the Hackney Marsh Partnership.
• No Volunteer should work in the Hackney Marsh Partnership without the presence of another worker or volunteer for safety reasons.
• No volunteer must be left alone in premises with a child which is not their own, unless the care of children forms part of their volunteer duties.
• In order to protect volunteers and users, no volunteer must be left alone to work in the front room area where children could be present on their own.
• Where volunteer duties involve the care and supervision of children (e.g. Homework club), the volunteer should still always remain accompanied by another volunteer or member of staff. Before beginning a volunteer role with direct contact with children, we ask people to have a CRB check.
• If Management Board or Steering Group members also volunteer for a project, they may on some occasions have to declare a conflict of interests, for example if matters relating to their volunteering are raised at Management Committee level.

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