1. District Roles: Volunteer Co-ordinator
Owen Sedgwick-Jell

2. ...anyone spending their time to support our activities
WHO ARE OUR VOLUNTEERS?
leaders
helpers
parents
non-parents
regular
occasional
with children
support roles
...anyone spending their time to support our activities

3. Overview of Role Recommended, not compulsory
More likely to be filled in an established district
Doesn’t need to be hands-on with young people
Aspects of role can fall to:
district co-ordinator (responding to enquiries)
group leaders (publicising opportunities, induction)
membership secretary (following up expressions of interest)

4. VOLUNTEER CYCLE
Recruit
(Progress)
Induct
Support
Train

5. PROVIDING EFFECTIVE SUPPORT
Promotion of volunteer opportunities
Enrolment and induction of new volunteers
Considering training needs
Ongoing support for volunteers
Signposting to development opportunities

6. Key Relationships - Internal
District co-ordinator
Membership secretary
Group leaders
New and existing volunteers
Parents & carers

7. Key Relationships - External
Volunteer bureaux
Colleges and universities
Council for Voluntary Services
Major employers
Like-minded groups

8. Key Resources Volunteer Toolkit Volunteer Guide
Recruitment Case Studies
Flyers & Posters
Enrolment Form
Volunteer Role Descriptions
Induction Checklist
Local Safeguarding Plan

9. Questions to ask Small volunteer teams Have we got a succession plan?
Are we making space for new volunteers?
Are we open to new ways of working?
Large volunteer teams
Are we communicating and sharing information effectively?
Is it clear who is accountable for decisions?
Are groundrules and expectations consistent week to week?
If you’ve got lots of volunteers support your group:
Is communication working so that volunteers have got the information they need?
Decision-making can be harder when more people need to be involved – but it’s really important to know who’s accountable, say, for deciding if a group night or activity can go ahead.
It can be harder to provide consistency – this is important for children & young people, but also to volunteers having a positive experience. Are there ways that a rota could be managed better to provide greater continuity?

10. QUESTIONS TO ASK ‘Leader led’ groups
Is it clear how ‘helpers’ can progress to being ‘leaders’?
Do we need more support to cover key roles?
What do we need to do to engage with parents?
‘Parent led groups’
Do non-parents feel welcome as volunteers?
Are we a bit of a clique?
Do we support each other to manage our own children?
In a group where the majority of volunteers are parents, sharing out tasks between them:
Is the group a welcoming place for non-parent volunteers?
Are all out kids at the same school? Do we also tend to socialise together? – this can make it feel difficult for new people to ‘break in’
Have we good a good shared understanding of how we support each other to deal with our own children and manage their behaviour?

11. BEING INCLUSIVE Clear expenses policy
Offer support with residential costs etc.
Don’t recruit solely in own image
Appropriate publicity material
Flexible and varied roles
Supervised volunteering
Ready to re-examine own practice
BUT…our focus remains children & young people
Are our camps and residentials accessible to volunteers – is it reasonable to expect people to give up their annual leave, work jolly hard and pay for the privilege?

12. NEXT STEPS… If you’ve got an hour – quick fixes
Register with your volunteer centre – update your profile/adverts
Sit down with group leaders to discuss any vacancies
Publicise training opportunities from your local CVS
Research any employer-supported volunteering in you area
Contact your Trade Union branch or Trades Council

13. NEXT STEPS… Longer projects – setting up processes
Agree a process for handling enquiries from potential volunteers
Compile an induction checklist for new helpers
Do a skills audit with your district’s existing volunteers
Plan a training day
Run the Working Together programme

14. NEXT STEPS… In an ideal world – best practice
Schedule ‘annual review’ discussions with volunteers
Conduct exit interviews
Think about ways to recognise the contribution of your volunteers
Join a local forum, e.g. Volunteer Co-ordinators network
Use ‘Follow the Trail’ to evaluate your impact
Share your successes with other groups and distircts

15. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS