Ex-offenders, offenders and prisoners as volunteers

You may also want to consult the protection and safeguarding core theme of the Good Practice Bank.

Overview

Many people with past convictions worry that they will not be able to volunteer.

In fact, very few people are banned from working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults. Individuals who are banned will usually know that they are banned.

It is therefore important to offer a fair recruitment process to all individuals. Nacro and Volunteering England have developed a guide to ‘Involving ex-offenders in volunteering’, which may help organisations with their recruitment decisions.

Member only information sheet: Recruiting volunteers with criminal records (125.4Kb)

Criminal record checks

Only organisations that work with children and/or vulnerable adults are allowed to ask potential staff and volunteers about spent convictions. Additionally, they are only entitled to apply for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check if the role is an ‘eligible position’.

• Free information sheet: An introduction to CRB checks (55.6Kb)
• Member only information sheet: Screening volunteers (48.6Kb)
• Directgov | Introduction to criminal record checks

Further information

• Clinks works to strengthen and develop partnerships between voluntary and community-based organisations and the Prison and Probation Services in England and Wales.

Volunteering England and the organisations that contribute example documents to the Good Practice Bank accept no responsibility for how they are used. They are presented as examples of good practice, but it is every volunteer-involving organisation's responsibility to ensure that their volunteers are safe, and that policies and procedures meet legal requirements.