Volunteering magazine, Issue 103, January 2005
www.volunteering.org.uk/magazine
This week Doctor Stuart answers a question on safeguarding volunteers who work closely with clients.
Q: Our volunteers make visits to clients’ homes, and we want to make sure they aren’t put at any risk. Do you have any guidance on how we can help them stay safe?
A: Assessing risk in this situation is tricky, as it’s usually not practical for the coordinator to check every home their volunteers will be visiting. The most sensible thing to do is for the coordinator to do a generic assessment, covering all the aspects involved in visiting someone: travelling to and from the site, for example. They would then brief the volunteer on things to look out for in their specific situation. This doesn’t mean asking volunteers to go round somebody’s house with a checklist, but they do need to be aware of potential hazards.
It’s a good idea to discuss with volunteers the things they need to be wary of on visits. Volunteers can overstep boundaries in an attempt to be helpful, so at induction it’s important to clarify what’s acceptable, and to explain why certain things aren’t allowed. Some organisations don’t allow volunteers to smoke in people’s homes, most don’t allow volunteers to administer clients’ medication, and there are often rules around accepting gifts. Volunteers also need to know that if they feel very uncomfortable, or a client is behaving unacceptably, they can leave. Specifics will vary, but it’s important for the organisation to be clear about what it will and won’t accept, so that volunteers and clients know where they stand.
Volunteers should let someone know where they are going to be and when they expect to be back. Ideally the coordinator would have a note of the visiting schedule, but at the very least a friend or family member should be kept informed. If the volunteer has a mobile phone, you can advise them to ring their contact person on arrival at the client’s home, and then to ring again to say they’re leaving. (This has the added value of making the client aware that somebody knows where they are.) At induction, discuss personal safety issues and work out strategies for staying out of danger. Sometimes really simple things, like having a street map or checking bus routes beforehand , can be really helpful. You can download some useful guidance sheets on personal safety from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website: www.suzylamplugh.org
If you have any problems or queries, why not email Dr Stuart on information@volunteeringengland.org or
contact the Information Line on 0800 028 3304
