VOLUNTEER POLICY – AG-HR-10

Primary Responsibility	Church Secretary

Issued	March 2021
Status	Agreed
Review Period	5 years
Next Review Date	March 2026

DISTRIBUTION

Original	Church Office
Copy	Trustees

If printed this document is UNCONTROLLED

Volunteering at Wymondham Baptist Church is the commitment of time and energy for the benefit of other members of the church fellowship and the community. It is undertaken freely and by choice without concern for financial gain.

Principles

The involvement of volunteers will be guided by the following principles of good practice:

The tasks to be performed by volunteers will be clearly defined, so that everyone is sure of their respective roles and responsibilities;
Wymondham Baptist Church will comply with the Data Protection Act in the use of data held on all volunteers;
Volunteering opportunities will complement rather than replace the work of paid staff
Volunteers will be provided with regular opportunities to share ideas/concerns with a named contact.
All existing and future policies will be checked as to how they affect volunteers.
All volunteers will be expected to commit to the role that they have undertaken and to advise their team leader in advance, when they are unable to fulfil the role that has been assigned to them

Purpose of this policy

Wymondham Baptist Church aims to:-

Highlight and acknowledge the value of the contribution made by volunteers;
Recognise the roles, rights and responsibilities of volunteers and offer support and encouragement as appropriate.

Procedure

Each volunteer will meet with the leader of the team to which they are volunteering
If appropriate DBS check will be undertaken
Induction/training will be given
Leadership Team will be advised of all new volunteers
The church’s Safeguarding Policies and procedures will be explained to all volunteers
Roots Community Café will follow their procedures when appointing new volunteers.

Confidentiality

Volunteers will be expected to keep all information that they receive in the process of their duties confidential and not to divulge anything unless they are concerned about an individual’s safety.

Training, Support and Supervision

Volunteers will be given full information about the role that they are expected to undertake. Any necessary training will be given. Support and supervision will be provided by the team leader/member of the Leadership Team responsible for that area of the work of Wymondham Baptist Church. Regular training updates with regard to Data protection and Safeguarding will be given to all volunteers.

Health and Safety

All volunteers should be aware of the Health and Safety Policy and procedures and the Fire Safety Policy and procedures and any other of the church policies relevant to the role that they are undertaking. If it has been agreed that a volunteer’s car should be used in their work, the volunteer is responsible for ensuring that their insurers are aware that they are using their car in the course of their volunteering duties.

All volunteers are expected to fulfil their role to the best of their ability, adhering to any rota that is prepared and to act with integrity and honesty in all that they engage in. Should any concerns be raised with regard to the volunteer’s conduct and action, in the first instance this is to be addressed directly with the volunteer by the team leader, if the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved or concluded then the team leader is to refer the matter to the Leadership Team for further instruction. In the event that a volunteer is found to be acting dishonestly or not working in line with the ethos and values of Wymondham Baptist Church they will be asked to stand down from their voluntary role. Pastoral support will be provided.
Roots Community Café manager will engage volunteers in line with their policy and procedures.

Record of amendments

Date	Revised pages	Details of revision

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