Legal issues and volunteering

This Core Theme of the Good Practice Bank should help you to find information about laws or rules which relate to volunteer involvement. However, please note that these documents are only intended as a summary of relevant issues and legal advice should still always be sought where appropriate.

Volunteers and the law

Volunteers and the law is a readable guide to legal issues for volunteer managers. This publication is the first of its kind dedicated to volunteering. Valuable for large and small organisations alike, Volunteers and the Law covers all the main areas of concern, including

• expenses
• benefits
• criminal record checks
• health and safety
• data protection
• avoiding creating employment contracts

Relevant sections of the Good Practice Bank

• Dealing with problems, complaints and disputes
• Equality and diversity
• Ex-offenders, offenders and prisoners as volunteers
• Expenses and state benefits
• Health and safety
• Insurance
• Job substitution and internships
• Protection and safeguarding

Information sheets

• Free Accepting volunteers from outside the UK (44.1Kb)
• Free An introduction to CRB checks (55.6Kb)
• Members Only Avoiding creating employment contracts (52.7Kb)
• Members Only Copyright and volunteers (41.8Kb)
• Members Only Data protection and volunteers (43.3Kb)
• Members Only Health and safety for volunteers (97.2Kb)
• Members Only Insurance for volunteers (40.5Kb)
• Members Only Recruiting volunteers with criminal records (125.5Kb)
• Members Only Screening volunteers (48.6Kb)
• Members only Visas and volunteering (42.5Kb)
• Members Only Volunteer drivers (52Kb)
• Members Only Volunteer expenses (52.1Kb)
• Free Volunteering and state benefits (50Kb)
• Free Who is allowed to volunteer? (59.9Kb)