Good practice resources are available on the Volunteer Centre website – there is a lot of useful information including involving refugee and asylum seeker volunteers, expenses, DBS guidance, volunteer policies, volunteer agreements and much, much more. Good Practice Resources - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

The Sheffield Volunteer Standard is a locally developed quality mark giving independent recognition that an organisation manages a structured volunteering programme, based on consistent policies where volunteers receive a high quality, positive volunteering experience.

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To find out more about the Sheffield Volunteer Standard and how to apply please see Sheffield Volunteer Standard - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

Confidentiality Agreement – a Good Practice Example

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Volunteer Induction

• This is the process of introducing a volunteer to your organisation. Helpful information can be found on the NCVO website: Running a volunteer induction | NCVO

• Attached is an induction checklist which you can amend to suit your organisation.

• Some volunteer induction videos can be found on the Doing Good Leeds website

Volunteer Induction Videos - Doing Good Leeds

This is an example Induction Checklist

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Volunteer Agreement – Good Practice Example

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Volunteer Handbook

A good example of a thorough volunteer handbook can be found here - Volunteer Handbook - City of Sanctuary Sheffield

Free Online Training

East Riding Voluntary Action Services (ERVAS) have a number of online courses available for volunteers that are free, and these can be found on their training website here: https://www.ervas.org.uk/training/, and I have linked some of them below:

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• Introduction to Safeguarding: https://www.ervas.org.uk/training/courses/introduction-to-safeguarding/

• Equality &  Diversity: https://www.ervas.org.uk/training/courses/equality-diversity/

• Confidentiality & Data Protection: https://www.ervas.org.uk/training/courses/confidentiality-data-protection/

• Understanding Validation, Mental Health and Resilience: https://www.ervas.org.uk/training/courses/understanding-validation-mental-health-and-resilience/

They also have the following playlist on YouTube for those individuals that may struggle to take part in an official course, and these 4 videos can be found here: 

Safeguarding Tips East Riding

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Free GDPR Training - Understanding GDPR - Overview (brighthr.com)

National Volunteer Certificate

Free e-learning training provided through the NHS.

Volunteer Learning - https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/volunteer-learning/

Deaf Awareness Resources

• https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/being-deaf-friendly/information-for-professionals/how-to-make-your-services-and-workplace-deaf-friendly/
  https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/being-deaf-friendly/

• https://www.ndcs.org.uk/our-services/services-for-professionals/training-courses/bespoke-training/deaf-awareness-training/

Safeguarding Training

You can access free safeguarding through through the NHS Volunteer Certificate training - up to level 2 adult and children safeguarding

Julie’s Bicycle

Welcome to Julie's Bicycle | Homepage | Culture & Climate Non-Profit (juliesbicycle.com)

Julie’s Bicycle is a pioneering not-for-profit, mobilising the arts and culture to take action on the climate and ecological crisis.

Founded by the music industry in 2007 and now working across the arts and culture, JB has partnered with over 2000 organisations in the UK and internationally. Combining cultural and environmental expertise, Julie’s Bicycle focuses on high-impact programmes and policy change to meet the climate crisis head-on.

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There website has lots of interesting info including this resources page which covers case studies, research, podcasts, webinars and guides Resources | Julie's Bicycle | Culture & Climate Support (juliesbicycle.com)

Green Arts Portal

Green Arts Portal | Creative Carbon Scotland

The Green Arts Portal is a set of straight-forward resources full of ideas for projects to help your organisation take action on climate change to be part of making a better world.

The Green Arts Portal is resource delivered by Creative Carbon Scotland

Connecting arts and sustainability | Creative Carbon Scotland

Arts Green Book – Sustainable Building Information

Home - Arts Green Book

The Green Book has brought together arts organisations and sustainability experts to create common guidance for making the arts sustainable.

The Green Book is a free resource for everyone in the UK arts sectors. It has been funded by Arts Council England and the Greater London Authority, and supported by the organisations whose names and logos you can see below.

They are also running seminars on sustainable buildings for museums and galleries

Sheffield Volunteer Centre have minimum quality standards to help ensure that volunteering is accessible and as inclusive as possible, as such we ask that organisations will ensure that volunteers will be:

• Welcomed whatever background they come from

• Safe

• Properly insured

• Adequately trained

• Supported and supervised

• Not used to replace paid staff

• Reimbursed for out of pocket expenses (travel expenses as a minimum)

Application Form 

Click here for an example application form which can be adapted your needs 

Volunteer Interview

Here is a sample volunteer interview/informal chat which can be adapted to your needs

Welcoming Volunteers – The Basics

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Nuts & Bolts for Involving Volunteers

This is thorough guidance on involving volunteers.

Info can also be found here - Nuts & Bolts - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

DBS Checks

Info on DBS checks - DBS Checks for Volunteers - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

Info on DBS checks for Asylum Seekers - DBS Checks for Asylum Seekers - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

Volunteer Expenses

Volunteers should be proactively offered expenses they have incurred during their volunteering. This could be travel reimbursement via public transport, or mileage and parking. It is usual to cap this amount (for example at the price of a one day bus travelcard) unless you have agreed otherwise with the volunteer.

Lunch expenses are usually offered if a volunteer has been volunteering for 4 hours or more. This is usually capped at the price of a local meal deal or similar.

This is a useful document regarding paying volunteer expenses Paying_volunteer_expenses_legal_pitfalls_and_examples_Final.pdf (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

And some good practice guidance for paying expenses to refugees and those seeking asylum Good Practice Guidelines (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

Involving Refugees & Asylum Seekers

Helpful information on how you can go about involving refugees and asylum seekers can be found here - Involving refugees & asylum seeker volunteers - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

DBS checks for Asylum Seekers - DBS Checks for Asylum Seekers - Volunteer Centre Sheffield (sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk)

Volunteer Insurance

As your organisation involves volunteers, you should consider the types of insurance cover needed to protect them and your organisation.

You should check with your insurers whether volunteers are covered and where in the policy it sits.

Read more on NVCO blog - Getting volunteer insurance | NCVO

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy

Good practice example of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy - from City of Sanctuary

Code of Conduct

Good Practice example of Code of Conduct Policy - from City of Sanctuary

Volunteering Policy

Good example of a Volunteering Policy from Ignite Imaginations