Policiy Consideration To Protect Volunteers With Criminal Records

Voluntary Sector Consortia Consultation

Checking and Barring Lizzie SaundersVolunteer Centre

Manager

Common Sense Approach

• Relevance of Offence • Rational Risk Assessment – Replicate• Fairness and transparency• Knowledge transparency confidentiality • Where is the decision made?• To whom do these rules apply?

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

• How can you tell?• Who do you need to ask?• How will you record your decision making

process? • What processes are there in place to

safeguard the volunteer?• Do these relate to and match those which

apply to paid staff and service users?

Convicted, Contrite, Forgiven

• How to manage volunteers with convictions – demonstrative, practical measures

• Charity’s reputation • Service users • Community views • Who needs to know?

Keeping Records

• Live action updates? • Useful progress markers?• Shared information?• Trial period• Informing the volunteer • Referral back to Volunteer Centre

What’s missing?