• You should receive a role description detailing what is and isn’t expected of you as a volunteer, who is responsible for you and where your volunteering will take place which should be agreeable to you
• You should have access to the organisation’s volunteer policy which details your rights and responsibilities and may contain details of insurance cover, health and safety and training opportunities
• You should receive your induction informing you of the organisation’s procedures and will probably receive your role description and be shown the volunteer policy here
• You should receive on-going support, training and advice and have the opportunity to talk about your role and any problems

What expenses can I get?

• Volunteers are usually able to claim money back for any out-of-pocket expenses
• Each organisation will offer you different kinds of expenses
• The most common are for travel and food
• You will need to check with the organisation what they offer as expenses are based on the funding available to them

Will I need a Criminal Records Bureau check?

• You may do, depending on the type of work you do and the people you will be volunteering with
• The organisation will sort this for you
• Having a criminal record does not exclude you from volunteering

Will it affect my benefits?

• Volunteering can help bridge the gap between unemployment and paid work giving you new skills and experience
• If you are unemployed your benefits should not be affected by any voluntary work you do as long as you are still available for work
• You must not receive anything above your entitled expenses
• Volunteering should not affect Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Disability Living Allowance, Disability Working Allowance or Jobseekers Allowance
• You should inform Job Centre Plus or Benefits Agency that you are volunteering
• More information on claiming benefits when volunteering is available on our benefits page

What can be expected from me?

• Organisations can look for particular characteristics such as being honest, reliable and friendly
• They may ask for some basic skills such being a good listener, having good communication or numerical skills
• You could be required to hold a specific qualification such as an A level or a certificate
• You may need experience or awareness of a particular topic or group in society in order to work better in your role
• It will be decided between you and the organisation how many hours you volunteer, but you can offer as many or as few hours as you feel you can. Your hours can be flexible to fit around your needs, but you should show commitment to your organisation and inform them if you cannot attend when you said you would
• You will be expected to carry out your duties to the best of your abilities and follow the organisation’s rules and guidelines
• Usually all that is required of you is covered in the induction and you may be asked to sign a volunteers' agreement that is devised between you and the organisation
• There may be a delay before you can start your volunteering as the organisation may need to check your references, CRB or plan induction training

What should I be looking for?

All organisations are different and will support volunteers in different ways. Whilst vinvolved can ensure everything is in place it might be useful to use this checklist to help you find the right organisation for you:

• Do they reimburse out-of-pocket expenses? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• What is the application process? How long will this take? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• What support and development do they offer?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• What is expected of you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Where and with who will you be working? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Other considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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