National Association of 

Voluntary Services Managers

Volunteering England

• Volunteering England is a volunteer development agency which provides information on research, policy innovation, good practice and grant making in the involvement of volunteers.  In particular it is an excellent resource for volunteer management best practice.

Please note that some of the VE’s online services are by subscription only.

• Volunteering and the Law– this is an excellent document that covers topics such as: Paying expenses / Benefits / Criminal record checks / Health and safety / Data protection / Avoiding creating employment contracts. http://www.volunteering.org.uk/resources/publications/volunteersandthelaw

• Good practice Bank– this is where you can find Volunteering England’s guides to best practice, covering everything from how to write a volunteer policy to recruiting volunteers from overseas. http://www.volunteering.org.uk/resources/goodpracticebank/

• Volunteering Good Practice Guide – this was written specifically for Brighton and Hove but most documents are applicable to all NHS Trusts.  It is an excellent resource and a good source of sample documents. http://www.bh-impetus.org/volunteeringgoodpractice

• This is a National database listing volunteering opportunities. Any volunteer opportunities that you might have can be listed on this site (usually via your local Volunteer Centre). www.do-it.org.uk

• This is a National database listing volunteering opportunities for 16-25 year olds. www.vinspired.com

• News & useful info for charities/ volunteer organisations www.thirdsector.co.uk

• Information re the Disclosure and Barring Servicehttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service

• Information re visas & entitlement to volunteer in UK www.homeoffice.gov.uk/passports-and-immigration

• Social networking tool for volunteers and volunteer managers. www.ivo.org

• The Cabinet Office site – providing information on the implementation of any new voluntary or third sector projects.
  http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office

NHS / HEALTH VOLUNTEERING links

• Dept of Health Guidance for people working in healthcare sector www.dh.gov.uk

• NHS workforce & employment issues including guidance on how to carry out NHS Employment checks correctly. www.nhsemployers.org

• Department of Health Volunteering Strategy document – “Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care”http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113969

• Department of Health Volunteering in the NHS best practice document – “Volunteers across the NHS: Improving the patient experience and creating a patient-led service” http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4131041

• The NHS Litigation Authority provides information on insurance relating to volunteers and third party voluntary groups who use your Trust’s premises (for example Hospital Radio / League of Friends) http://www.nhsla.com/CoverForVolunteers/

• Guidance for people working in social care sector www.csip.org.uk

• Information regarding mental health sector www.rethink.org

• Information regarding mental health sector www.mind.org.uk/

• Working with the Elderly www.ageuk.org.uk/

• Information/factsheets to download re dementia www.alzheimers.org.uk

• Database of research (including volunteer programmes) from across the NHS. www.library.nhs.uk

TRAINING LINKS

• National Occupational Standards for Volunteer Managers (on which all accredited training is based). http://www.skillseffect.org.uk/products/national-occupational-standards/managing-volunteers/

• Volunteer Management Portal– this is a signposting tool for people managing volunteers providing a wide range of information on support, training and development opportunities. http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Projects+and+initiatives/About+the+Volunteer+Management+Programme

• Information on ATTEND (Formerly League of Hospital Friends) who are an accredited provider of training for VSMs. www.attend.org.uk

• Stepping Up Training provides accredited training for managers in the voluntary, community and statutory sectors, with a particular emphasis on volunteer management training. http://steppinguptraining.wordpress.com/