Volunteering in Community Learning and Development
3 Induction of CLD Volunteers
The induction of CLD volunteers will be very similar to that of paid staff. In addition to an introduction to the organisation and the people they will be working alongside, this is likely to cover key policies and procedures such as health and safety, equal opportunities, child protection, confidentiality, data protection etc.
It can be useful to use the experience of existing volunteers in developing and delivering the induction for new volunteers. Involving the learners, young people and community members with whom the volunteer will be working at the induction stage can help new volunteers see the relevance of what can seem like a barrage of information!
Volunteer Scotland good practice guide Creating a Positive Induction provides a comprehensive listing of things you will want to consider and include in your induction.
PDF File: Creating a Positive Induction
One of the actions recommended is to give volunteers an insight into what your organisation is about, its mission statement and its values. For CLD volunteers this would be a good time to make reference to the CLD Values and Code of Ethics which underpin all that we do.
You will find it on the CLD Standards Council website - http://cldstandardscouncil.org.uk/resources/code-of-ethics/
During the induction you will want to go over the support and training available to volunteers. If this not already recorded in a Volunteer Agreement you will want to provide the contact details of the volunteer’s named support person and information about the support available to them. This is covered more fully in Section 4 Supporting Volunteers in Practice.
It is important that CLD volunteers have access to professional learning opportunities to assist them to develop and improve their practice and to evidence this this as necessary for re-registration as Associate Members of CLDSC. Section 5 Professional Learning explores the range of opportunities open to volunteers. We hope to develop this to include professional learning at the induction stage linked to specific strands eg YouthLink Scotland are currently developing materials to support the induction of volunteers into youth work. Additional information and resources in support of specific elements of an induction programme such as health and safety, equal opportunities are included at the bottom of this section.
CLD volunteers can make a valuable contribution to monitoring and evaluating the impact of CLD delivery. The form this will take in your organisation and any record keeping the volunteer will be asked to undertake should be introduced at the induction stage and followed as part of their ongoing support. Section 6 Valuing and celebrating the impact of CLD volunteers contains some ideas and approaches for this.
The procedure for claiming out of pocket expenses should also be explained and the appropriate forms distributed at the induction stage.
WORD File: Example Expense Claim Template
An induction handbook and checklist similar to those used for paid staff will help make sure that volunteers get the information they need and that there is a record of this. This is particularly important for certain types of information and training, including health and safety, equal opportunities, child protection, confidentiality and data protection. It helps to make sure that things not covered in the first session are not forgotten about and that the volunteer’s name is included when training opportunities arise.
Additional materials useful for induction
National Youth Work Induction Checklist
The purpose of this checklist, which was facilitated by YouthLink Scotland’s Youth Work Training Forum, is to have a minimum induction standard across Scotland so that staff and volunteers can expect the same level of induction training wherever they practice and so that the induction is transferrable across organisations and locations.
The checklist should ensure inductions give a good sense of the values and principles, approaches and skills needed to deliver youth work. The concept and several of the sections can readily be adapted to support staff and volunteers across all CLD practice. Topic areas include:
- values and principles
- equality and diversity
- planning
- understanding your community
- working with your team
PDF File: National Youth Work Induction Checklist
Volunteer Health and Safety
Having the right Health and Safety practices can reduce the risk of accidents, damage to property or physical, emotional or financial harm. It will also make the volunteers’ experience more enjoyable as a result and they’ll appreciate that you have considered their safety.
PDF File: Volunteer Health and Safety
Volunteer Equality and Diversity advice from Volunteer Scotland -