I am volunteering with a national charity. Just helping out a couple of mornings a month for OAP craft activities and it was easy to do. No forms to fill in from me and I get a couple of free cups of tea and biccies.
So I thought I would apply to volunteer to the hospital car service. Nightmare. DBS check. That's fine - totally understand that as I would be in the car with a client. Car check, MOT, Insurance, mini driving test - yes, I get all that too. But the application form is over 30 pages long. Wants my ENTIRE employment history. Detailed explanation of any gaps. Professional references from a professional (doctor, accountant, solicitor, engineer plus a few others - it's a very short list) who as actually worked with me (I have never worked with a professionally qualified person) for over 5 years. No character references from friends. Then a job interview - this is a non-paying role FFS.
My guess is that as the service has been contracted out, they don't want volunteers as it removes income from them.
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I've been a volunteer with the local Food Bank for over 2 years. Usually "back office", little or no contact with clients.
I had to provide some career background but not a full CV, a couple of personal references and car insurance details (as the job involves some driving goods around). Obviously also an interview but it wasn't taxing.
I don't recall a DBS check but maybe that happened during the rather long recruitment phase. Nor was there a lengthy application form.
I suppose they are just covering themselves in case it goes wrong.
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The public sector hate risk. They will happily spend £1000 to avoid £5 being mis-spent.
The same mindset is applied to charitable work - particularly that associated with other public services - as with hospital driving.
There is a balance to be struck between checking suitability and encouraging those who can to engage constructively in society - but a 30 page form with numerous references is excessive.
Other half went through a similar charade volunteering to help with the Covid vaccine rollout. A very senior nurse who also lectured trainee nurses at Uni with 40 years experience expected to complete copious forms and (most insultingly) had to go on a course to administer jabs.
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>> The public sector hate risk. They will happily spend £1000 to avoid £5 being mis-spent.
Sort of.
But let's assume somebody is signed up as a volunteer driver with reasonable but not 100% comprehensive checks. It then emerges they were suspected of being in an 'inappropriate' relationship as a teenager 40 years ago and it's all over the headlines.
Should they have asked for multiple references?
When I first volunteered for CA I gave my previous employer and last immediate manager there as referees.
Employer's reference was little more than joined in 1978, and left in 2013 with reason for leaving as redundancy.
Had to ask another former manager to confirm my bona fides etc.
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>> But let's assume somebody is signed up as a volunteer driver with reasonable but not
>> 100% comprehensive checks. It then emerges they were suspected of being in an 'inappropriate' relationship as a teenager 40 years ago and it's all over the headlines.
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>> Should they have asked for multiple references?
This absolutely crystallises the risk avoidance mindset.
If something does go wrong the defence is they left no stone unturned in their efforts to validate the applicant so no blame attaches to any subsequent failure. Any less introduces risk.
The price paid for absolute risk avoidance is reduced volunteers prepared to go through the form filling, frustrated individuals who would otherwise want to volunteer, and poorer service to the "clients" of the charity.
Risk and reward should be balanced - taking a similar approach to driving where 30,000 are KSI each year would leave us with a speed limit of 4mph + man with red flag!!
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>> My guess is that as the service has been contracted out, they don't want volunteers
>> as it removes income from them.
My guess is that as you could well be dealing with vulnerable people, they need to make sure you are trustworthy.
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>> My guess is that as you could well be dealing with vulnerable people, they need
>> to make sure you are trustworthy.
My first thought. Correct approach. But I still wouldn't fill in a 30 page form. They need to get better at conducting enquiries/evaluating folk.
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I've been thinking of volunteering for a Repair Cafe that's being set up in our Community Hall. No doubt there'll be a need for a DBS check and some form of liability insurance but nothing too onerous I hope.
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Do the DBS check first, then you won't have to worry about the rest. ;-)
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I've got that covered.
I'm gonna tell 'em that I was an MP.
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The biggest obstacle to volunteering for the NHS is the Unions who have insisted that no work is done by volunteers that could in theory be done by one of their members even though there is no financial resource for that job to be done.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Mon 7 Apr 25 at 08:02
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I volunteered at the local theatre when I lived on Anglesey - quick interview no further checks
CAB needed references, no talk of DBS checks.
Local foodbank was very casual, rocked up to help pacl the bags, ended up as treasurer. Quit front lone work. Not concernes over DBS etc.
Samaritans wanted references, as it happened a retired senior Officer in the Police and a civil engineer provided them. DBS was requried.
When I worked for Victim Support needed a full Police vetting as I worked in a local Police building. Whilst I was there i had a VS e-mail address and a Police one. i was on the wrong group of Police e-mails and ended up getting PNC code words...!
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Do the police really call seniors guv and ma'am?
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>> Do the police really call seniors guv and ma'am?
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They do in training and stand up when they entre the room.
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>> >> Do the police really call seniors guv and ma'am?
>> >>
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>> They do in training and stand up when they entre the room.
It depends, you wouldnt call the Chief Constable "guv" if you were a probationary constable.
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>> It depends, you wouldnt call the Chief Constable "guv" if you were a probationary constable.
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...no, but if you believe a number of recent news stories it might be "darling" or "sweetheart", though. ;-)
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>..it might be "darling" or "sweetheart", though. ;-)
Certainly in Hampshire.
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Boss seems to be the most used phrase for Inspectors. Skippers in the Met.
I witnessed Mrs FC as a Sgt tearing a Probationer a new one when he addressed her as 'love' :)
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Volunteering Almost Impossible - smokie
