WARWICK VOLUNTEERS
VOLUNTEERING POLICY
Mission Statement
Warwick Volunteers aims to support and enable all University of Warwick students (& staff) to volunteer
successfully within the local community. Our aims are to:
 Deliver an outstanding volunteering programme for University of Warwick students and staff.
 Integrate with the local community to make a positive difference.
 Provide opportunities for students to: build networks, make friends, experience diversity, have fun,
learn new skills & gain confidence.
 Support and encourage students to recognise and reflect on volunteering experience.
Purpose of the Volunteering Policy
This policy:
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Sets out a policy to ensure good working practices
Defines the rights and responsibilities of Warwick Volunteers and its volunteers
Encourages and enables, rather than limits, the involvement of volunteers
Eligibility for membership of Warwick Volunteers
All members of Warwick Volunteers must be a current student or member of staff of the University of
Warwick.
Non-EEA citizens must be aware that some volunteering activity is subject to visa restrictions, and it is your
responsibility to ensure that you adhere to these.
Tier 4 visa
You can volunteer but your volunteering and any other (e.g. paid) work that you do must not exceed the
number of hours you are permitted to work during term time.
Short-term Student visas (formerly 'Student Visitor') holders may volunteer while in the UK provided that
you:
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Do not have a contract of employment
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Do not take the place of an employee
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Do not receive payment (travel reimbursement and/or subsistence allowance is permitted)
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Do volunteer to help a charity or voluntary or public sector organization
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Recruitment, Induction and Training
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Warwick Volunteers is committed to providing appropriate and effective induction and training for
volunteers.
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All new Warwick Volunteers members will be provided with basic information about the rights and
responsibilities of volunteers, and the support provided by Warwick Volunteers.
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Each project will have its own policy for selection and training of volunteers, which will be agreed
with the Project Leader and any external organisation involved. (See also the policy on Screening).
All selection procedures must pay proper regard to equal opportunities.
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Warwick Volunteers will try and place volunteers on projects they want to do, but will not always
be able to guarantee this. In such circumstances, we will work with the volunteer to find an
appropriate alternative placement.
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Safeguarding training will be provided for all volunteers who will be working with children and
vulnerable adults
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Comprehensive training will be provided for the Warwick Volunteers Exec and Project Leaders.
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Training will be reviewed annually by the Exec, staff and Project Leaders.
Support and Contact
Warwick Volunteers is committed to supporting its volunteers and maintaining open lines of contact
between members of the Exec, Project Leaders, staff and volunteers.
Project Leaders will be the first point of support and contact for a volunteer if they have any problems or
issues they wish to raise. Project Leaders will be supported by the Warwick Volunteers Exec and staff team.
Volunteer Rights
Every Warwick Volunteers member has the right:
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To have a description of their volunteering role and what is expected of them
To be given appropriate training
To be supported in their volunteering
To be safe in their volunteering placement
To have all agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed for projects run by Warwick Volunteers
To have any concerns or questions dealt with promptly
To stop or change their volunteering placement at any time
To have their personal information kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
To be recognised as an individual, according to the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy
To receive up to date information about Warwick Volunteers’ activities
To have a voice in the running of Warwick Volunteers
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Volunteer Responsibilities
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To abide by Warwick Volunteers’ policies and procedures
To act in accordance with the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy
To keep in regular contact with their Project Leader and Link Organisation
To inform their Project Leader if they have a problem or want to leave a project/Warwick
Volunteers
To attend training where appropriate
To maintain their agreed level of commitment
To respect confidences
To be reliable
To act appropriately and set a good example to others when volunteering
To be open and honest with Warwick Volunteers
To give feedback to Warwick Volunteers
Project Leader Rights
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To be informed of any decisions made by the Warwick Volunteers Exec
To have a say in the running of the Warwick Volunteers through the Exec
To be given support from the Exec and staff team
To have their work and position recognised
To have open and easy access to office facilities for running their project
To have regular meetings with their volunteers
To request reliability and punctuality from their volunteers
To have any reasonable out of pocket expenses reimbursed
Project Leader Responsibilities
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To be familiar with and uphold Warwick Volunteers’ objectives, policies and procedures
To effectively co-ordinate their project and place volunteers
To support volunteers by keeping in regular contact with them
To give contact details to their volunteers
To maintain an up-to-date list of active volunteers, to store volunteers’ personal data securely and
to protect the privacy of volunteers on their project.
To be the main point of communication between the Warwick Volunteers Exec, volunteers and link
organisations
To pass on feedback from volunteers and from clients, to the Exec and link organisations
To keep in regular contact with the staff team, and inform them quickly of any problems or issues
which arise on the project.
To be responsible, reliable and act as an Ambassador for Warwick Volunteers and the University of
Warwick in the local community.
Expenses
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Warwick Volunteers believes that volunteers should not suffer a financial penalty as a consequence
of their involvement in our projects, and will actively encourage volunteers to claim all out-ofpocket expenses.
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The Warwick Volunteers Expenses policy contains details of what expenses can be claimed.
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Insurance
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Volunteers taking part in authorised Warwick Volunteers activities are covered by the University’s
Public Liability insurance.
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Cover is subject to the volunteers following legal / local authority regulations and guidelines.
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It is the responsibility of Warwick Volunteers staff and Project Leaders to ensure that projects
adhere to these standards.
Equal Opportunities
Warwick Volunteers is proud of its diverse community of volunteers and clients, ensures there is equality of
opportunity for all and is committed to fostering an environment of mutual respect and dignity.
Warwick Volunteers complies with the University of Warwick’s Equal Opportunities Guidelines. Volunteers
are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to the University’s Equality and Diversity
guidelines. Further information can be found at: https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/equalops/
Responsibility for upholding the Equal Opportunities policy, and for dealing with any complaints arising
from it, will rest with the Warwick Volunteers Manager.
Equal Access and Support Requirements
Warwick Volunteers is committed to making volunteering accessible to all students. We recognise that
adjustments may need to be made to project structures and processes to provide appropriate access
and/or support for volunteers who have a disability, and are committed to making these adjustments
wherever possible.
Warwick Volunteers will take the following steps to support access to volunteering:
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Encourage potential volunteers to positively disclose support requirements through statements in
the Warwick Volunteers leaflets and website, and on project sign-up forms.
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Offer confidential consultations to volunteers who have a disability to discuss accessibility and
support requirements, and to identify reasonable adjustments to projects and/or processes to
enable access.
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Provide accurate information on the accessibility of project activities.
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Work with partner organisations to make reasonable adjustments to improve access where
necessary.
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Seek advice on improving access, for example from the University’s Disability Office.
Screening
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Warwick Volunteers has a duty of care to protect its volunteers and the members of the
community it works with. All projects within Warwick Volunteers contain elements of risk for
volunteers and service users alike. Both groups are vulnerable and protection needs to be in place
in order to minimise risk and liability.
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Warwick Volunteers will undertake Disclosure and Barring Service checks for volunteers when
requested by a partner organisation. For projects run by Warwick Volunteers, a risk assessment
will be undertaken to determine the need for a Disclosure check, following guidance issued by the
DBS
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If a volunteer has not been resident in the UK for a period of six months or more in the previous
five years, the volunteer will also be required to obtain the equivalent of a DBS check from the
country in which they have been resident based on the nature of the volunteer role and
requirements of the partner organisation. This check is called a Certificate of Good Conduct (COGC)
by the University of Warwick but it is given other names in some countries.
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Some projects may require further screening and selection processes to help ensure that
volunteers are given suitable placements. These might include application forms, short interviews,
and/or further references to be obtained.
(This is a summary of the full screening policy, for a full copy, please ask in the Warwick Volunteers office).
Data Protection
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Personal data of students who join Warwick Volunteers is retrieved from the Student Record
System and is stored on Warwick Volunteers membership database. Data is managed in
accordance with the Privacy Statement for Student Careers & Skills:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/scs/about/policies/privacy/
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We do not disclose your personal data to other organisations but may share it within the University
of Warwick if requested. This includes Student Careers & Skills who may use the data in an
anonymous form to generate management statistics.
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Warwick Volunteers may disclose volunteer membership information to link organisations for the
purposes of screening etc, but the volunteer will be informed of this in advance if it applies to
them. The only exception to this is if there is an immediate safety issue for clients, volunteers,
staff, or the public.
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Information about student members of Warwick Volunteers will be shared with Alumni Relations
after graduation. We may contact you after you graduate to ask for your help by telling us your
career story or to keep you in touch with any relevant Warwick Volunteers events and activities.
Photographs and filming
Photographs and filming of volunteers may be undertaken for publicity purposes, by Warwick Volunteers
staff, Project Leaders, Exec or other volunteers. If you do not wish to be photographed, please let the
photographer know so that they can exclude you from the photograph.
Written permission for any photographs taken which include children under the age of 18, or vulnerable
adults must be obtained and stored with the photograph. These photographs may only be used for printed
materials, on the website or in social media if permission in writing has been given to share on this type of
media.
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Grievance and Disciplinary
Warwick Volunteers complies with the University of Warwick’s Disciplinary Regulations.
Further information on the Disciplinary Regulations is available at:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/calendar/section2/regulations/disciplinary
If a volunteer experiences any problems or issues related to their volunteering with Warwick Volunteers, it
is their responsibility to raise these at the earliest opportunity with their Project Leader, or if this is
inappropriate, with the Warwick Volunteers staff.
Any issues/problems discussed will be treated as confidential.
Complaints
Warwick Volunteers adheres to the Complaints Policy set out by Student Careers & Skills which can be
found at:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/scs/about/policies/scs_compliants_proceduremay15.pdf
Leaving a Project
Every volunteer has the right to leave a project, but also has the responsibility to inform Warwick
Volunteers of this decision.
Monitoring of the Volunteer Policy
The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that it is still appropriate to Warwick Volunteers.
Date of last review: September 2015
Date of next review: August 2016
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