Volunteer Handbook

VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK

Duke of Burgundy © Jim Higham

Hello and welcome

Thank you for choosing to volunteer with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and for supporting us in our mission to get more people on nature’s side and create more space for wildlife to thrive. Volunteers are an essential part of our team; we simply couldn’t do what we do without you!

The scope for volunteering with us is enormous and far exceeds what people imagine would be involved in running a wildlife charity.

As well as helping us to protect wildlife habitats for the future by assisting with practical conservation tasks, our volunteers support our education centres, engagement projects and walks and talks programme, provide specialist skills for ecological surveys, and help with vital administration work in our offices.

We hope that in return you enjoy your time with us, meet new people and develop new skills. Thank you again for offering your time, energy, and skills; it is very much appreciated.

Debbie Tann, Chief Executive

Section 1 Background

1.1 About the Trust

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is the leading nature conservation charity in the two counties. For more than 60 years, we have protected local wildlife and inspired people to love nature. We manage over 60 nature reserves, are supported by more than 27,000 members and over 1,000 volunteers.

Our Vision is for a wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Our Mission is to get more people on nature’s side and create more space for wildlife to thrive.

Our strategy is built around three high-level goals:

• Nature in Recovery – at least 30% of our land and sea is protected and managed for nature’s recovery by 2030.

• People taking Action – at least 1 in 4 people are inspired and empowered to take action for nature’s recovery, and support for the Trust grows year on year.

• Nature as a Solution – restoring nature helps us tackle issues like climate change, pollution and flooding, which reduces the pressure on wildlife everywhere and helps nature to recover.

1.2 Purpose of the volunteer handbook.

The purpose of this handbook is to provide volunteers with information on the Trust’s responsibilities to volunteers and outline ways of working with them. It tells you what you can expect from us and what we in turn expect from you. As well as outlining what you need to know when you start volunteering with us, we also hope it will provide a useful reference document for you to refer to as you continue to volunteer.

Volunteers

20,106

1,240 Hours given

9,789

Biscuits eaten

Section 2 Volunteering for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

2.1 Volunteer Registration

We have tried to keep our paperwork to a minimum. When you begin your volunteering with us, we will ask you to complete a volunteer registration form. This has been carefully thought out so that we keep the information we gather from you to a minimum and only collect what we need for insurances purposes or to be able to contact you. This information is kept on our database and is not passed onto third parties. It is important to let us know any changes in your details as soon as possible.

Why do we ask what we ask on our registration forms?

Contact details: So we can keep you informed and updated should activities change.

Date of birth: As a volunteer you are covered by our insurances to undertake agreed tasks. Our insurance has limitations for staff and volunteers on certain tasks such as driving and power tool use. Asking for your date of birth enables us to ensure we stay within our insurer’s guidelines.

Emergency contacts: In case you are involved in an accident whilst volunteering. We ask for two contacts to be sure we can get hold of someone as quickly as possible. We ask that you keep us up to date if these details change.

Medical details: In case there is anything we might need to know that will affect you in your role. All information is treated confidentially and access to this information is restricted.

Photography consent: We often take photos of activities on our reserves so we can demonstrate to funders and others how projects are progressing. We might also use photos on our social media sites to raise awareness of volunteer projects. Some volunteers also like to take before and after photos on projects they work on so they can show friends, future employers and others what they have achieved. We ask you to give consent for this, but you can choose to opt out and not be photographed.

References: We generally only ask for references for certain types of volunteer roles (e.g., working with children and vulnerable adults directly or handling sensitive data and finances). If we require references from you, we will discuss this with you when you register as a volunteer.

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS): if you are likely to be working with young people or adults at risk on a regular basis, we ask you to fill out the relevant section of the Registration Form to allow us to carry out an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. This primarily applies to our Education Volunteers but may be required in other instances too. More information will be provided if this is applicable to you.

Other forms we may ask you to complete:

Parental consent forms: if you are a young volunteer (16 or 17) we also require a parental consent form from your parent or legal guardian.

Driver Registration form: if you are going to be driving as part of your role (not just commuting to the site of volunteering) we will also need a driver declaration form from you.

2.2 Volunteer Induction

On the first day that you volunteer with us you will be provided with a staff contact who will be responsible for your safety and wellbeing while you are with us and for guiding and advising you in your role and the tasks you might undertake. They will provide an induction that is specific to your role. At the very least, the induction will include information about the scope of your role, health and safety information including personal protective equipment required for your role, an introduction to the facilities or site, and a chance to meet others you will work with. This is also your chance to ask any questions you may have about the Trust and any further questions you may have about the volunteer role.

2.3 Supervision and support

Following your induction to the Trust, the amount of ongoing supervision and support you are offered will vary depending upon your needs and the needs of the role. At any time, you can take the opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and discuss the work you are involved in with your staff contact. For practical conservation volunteers this may only require an open discussion over the tea break. For voluntary wardens a phone call may do. Others will find regular one-to-one meetings with their staff contact of use. The way this is organised is intentionally flexible and up to you and your staff contact to discuss and agree.

2.4 Communicating with you

Your staff contact is the first port of call, in terms of keeping you up to date with everyday volunteer and Trust activities. If you have any questions at all, please do ask. The volunteering pages on the website are also full of useful information and are where you will find our latest volunteering opportunities. You can also find up to date information on volunteering, the Trust and many of our projects on social media.

2.5 Roles and Responsibilities

Each role will entail different tasks and carry different responsibilities. These are outlined in the role description relevant to your role Your staff contact will go through these with you when you start.

2.6 Insurance

You are insured by the Trust for your volunteering work if the work has been agreed by the Trust, you have followed our policies and procedures, and any other instructions or guidance we have given. Please note personal equipment and belongings are not insured. Personal equipment must not be used for Trust work.

2.7 Expenses

Many volunteers forego expenses as part of their contribution to the Trust’s work. We are very grateful to those who do this, but it is the Trust’s policy to reimburse approved out of pocket travel expenses where these are claimed.

• Mileage: Currently the Trust policy is to pay 45p per mile for approved travel to and from your place of volunteering though this is subject to a wider Trust review on expenses. All mileage you are approved to claim for needs to be recorded on a mileage claim form available from your staff contact.

• Travel expenses: To reclaim the cost of public transport you will also need to complete an expenses claim form. Please retain tickets or receipts to attach with your claim. Regrettably we cannot reimburse travel unless we have receipts or tickets.

Mileage and expenses forms are normally completed monthly. These should be given to your staff contact to be signed. It is the responsibility of your staff contact to forward forms to the Trust Finance Department for payment. Payment will be made via BACS. You will be required to complete a BACS form. Payment may take up to 3 weeks. If this causes a difficulty, please arrange to claim your expenses more frequently. No other payment can be given.

Please ensure that claims are submitted no less frequently than every quarter as the Trust reserves the right to refuse payment of expenses that are older than 3 months.

2.8 Training, learning, and development

For most roles, you will receive relevant ‘on-the-job’ training from Trust staff. Following this someone will continue to be on hand to give you further support, advice, and help. If you are unsure about what you are doing, please ask. For some roles, external or more formal training may be required. This may be discussed during your induction or as your volunteering continues.

Some training is organised centrally by the Trust such as first aid, and water safety training. This may mean travelling to a centre or site other than the one where you ordinarily volunteer but it does mean you may get to meet other volunteers from other areas of the Trust. Places on these courses are always limited so if you have been offered a place and then find you are unable to attend, please contact the HR & Volunteering Assistant on 01489 774400, or email: volunteerenquiries@hiwwt.org. uk to let them know. We recognise things come up last minute but please aim to give at least 48 hours’ notice that you are dropping out so we can try to reallocate your place.

During your volunteering, if you feel you need further training to fulfil your role, please speak with your staff contact. Where training is specialised, it means it can be quite expensive. In most cases the Trust has limited funding for training, and we may need to ask you for a contribution towards costs. This will be discussed with you should this situation arise.

2.9 Code of conduct for the Trust

As a volunteer you are an important ambassador for the Trust and as such you are informally representing the Trust to the public. We know that you will act professionally when you are volunteering with us and we ask you to be aware that members of the public may see you as the public face of the Trust. We have a code of conduct for volunteers which outlines our expectations and echoes many of the requirements for our staff.

As you spend more time with us you will learn about the Trust and may feel confident talking to people about the basics of what we do but it is important that you have been given the right information about your role for you to be able to do this. If you are unsure, you should refer any questions to a relevant member of Trust staff. While you are volunteering with us, we request that you will:

• act with honesty, integrity, and impartiality

• not misuse your position of trust and responsibility as a Trust volunteer

• deal with the public fairly, politely, and sensitively referring queries to Trust staff where appropriate

• not make public statements on conservation issues or comment on planning matters.

• refer all media enquiries to Trust staff who themselves may need to gain approval from a senior member of staff and follow procedures and guidelines before responding

• not be involved in any activity that could bring the Trust’s name into disrepute.

If you do not follow the responsibilities set out in this code of conduct the Trust retains the right to end or suspend your volunteering with us with or without warning depending on the nature of the reason for ending/suspending. We will always explain the rationale behind our reasoning and give you the opportunity to respond.

If the Trust acts in a way that does not uphold this code of conduct, you can tell us about it and expect us to take action to put things right and to let you know what action we have taken.

2.10 Problem solving

We aim to make all volunteering experiences positive and enjoyable, but we recognise that problems may arise from time to time. You might be unhappy about your experience, or a complaint may be made about an individual. Sometimes complaints are in relation to breaches of policy or procedure. We encourage due process in resolving problems. The first thing you should do is to talk to your staff contact who will arrange a meeting of those involved away from the immediate task. Most issues can be resolved in this way. If the matter is directly about your staff contact, please contact the Trusts HR & Volunteering Assistant via volunteerenquiries@hiwwt.org.uk who will advise you on your next steps based on the Trust’s grievance policy.

2.11 Feedback and moving on

Your feedback is valuable to us. If at any time you feel that any aspect of your involvement with us as a volunteer could have been dealt with better, please let us know so we can make improvements. You can do this by contacting volunteerenquiries@hiwwt.org.uk. From time to time, we send out volunteer surveys asking how we are doing. Your help in returning these to us and your honesty in being critical where necessary is appreciated.

We also like to promote the fantastic work of our volunteers so are always looking for volunteer testimonials and case studies for our website or social media sites. If you would like to provide some information, then please contact us via volunteerenquiries@hiwwt.org.uk and someone will contact you about it.

You can stop volunteering whenever you need to. We understand that circumstances change and that you may decide to move on. If you decide to cease volunteering with us, please let us know by telling your staff contact who may suggest an exit interview if appropriate. It would be very helpful to us if you also tell us the reason you are leaving, positive or negative or something else.

Section 3 Policies and Procedures

3.1 Introduction

Like all large organisations the Trust has a range of policies and procedures to ensure we work effectively, fairly, and consistently. Apart from those policies that relate specifically to staff (such as pay, leave, pensions etc.) all our policies also apply to volunteers depending upon what role they undertake. In most cases you will be introduced to policies as they affect you and you may request to see any of them at any time. An overview of the key policies relevant to you is below.

3.2 Health and Safety

The Trust has both a legal and a moral obligation to provide and maintain working conditions, equipment and procedures which are safe and will not adversely affect the health of our staff and volunteers. We must also provide the information, training and supervision required to achieve this. In most cases there will be risks specific to your volunteering role, such as the use of hand tools. A risk assessment will have been undertaken by Trust staff and this will be discussed with you individually as part of your induction, and again before undertaking a task as part of a group briefing.

To prevent accidents, we will identify appropriate training and personal protective equipment to reduce or remove the risk. We also ensure adequate first aid cover is available.

You will be required to read and sign our Health & Safety Policy Statement when you begin volunteering with the Trust, and each time it is updated. Our full health and safety policy is available on request.

3.2.1 Your Health and Safety Responsibilities

All volunteers must recognise and accept their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and carry out their duties accordingly. Volunteers must comply with any measures aimed at protecting their own and others’ safety, and work safely at all times.

If you have any concerns relating to Health and Safety, you must inform your staff contact immediately. You must provide us with details of any medical conditions relevant to your role and provide emergency contact details as requested on the volunteer registration form. You should also let us know if these details change.

All accidents and near misses, however minor they might appear, should be recorded and submitted to your staff contact. All our centres and reserves have access to an accident report form, your staff contact will be able to provide you with one. Finally, if you observe anything that you think might be unsafe or you are involved in or see an accident or near miss you must report it to us.

3.3 Safeguarding (working with children, young people and adults at risk

The Trust works with children, young people and adults at risk on a regular basis. As such we are required to have a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy in place for all staff and volunteers working with children or adults at risk. You will be asked to read this policy and sign a declaration to say you have done so. If you will be working with children or adults at risk, you will also need to complete appropriate safeguarding training. You may also be asked to provide two referees who can comment on your suitability for the role and to undertake a DBS check. Guidance on this will be provided should your role require it.

3.4 Loneworking

We try to avoid asking people to volunteer alone wherever possible. However, certain tasks can be difficult to do otherwise such as volunteer wardening or stock checking. You should always plan ahead for when you might have to volunteer alone and talk with your staff contact to agree a procedure for reporting in. If it is a regular part of the role, we will have risk assessed it in detail and discussed the implications and relevant procedures with you in advance but please ask staff if you have any questions.

3.5 Equal opportunities

The Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, religion, disability, financial, family or other personal disadvantage; or any other factor unrelated to a person’s ability to carry out their volunteer role. This applies to the selection of volunteers, carrying out your role, and to training and development opportunities. We will not accept such discrimination by staff or volunteers. We have a full policy outlining our commitment to equal opportunities which is available on request.

3.6 Confidentiality

As a Trust volunteer you may become aware of information which is of a confidential nature. This might be about protected species, new projects, financial or personnel information. We expect you to respect this confidentiality and to check with us if you are unsure about the status of any information you are party to.

3.7 Data Protection

Data protection law applies to personal data whether it is stored electronically or in a retrievable paper format. Your role might involve access to our databases or filing systems or to individual pieces of personal data such as home telephone numbers and emails. You will be shown how we process, store and use this data if it is relevant to your role and, if relevant, we will train you in use ofdatabase software. In general, you should always treat personal data as confidential, to be used for specific purposes only and to be stored securely when not in use.