Flexible days needed for young volunteers

The Morgan Inquiry into young adult volunteering published its report on Monday which said employers should provide a flexible day off to encourage volunteering, as well as create an industry standard award scheme to recognise skills gained through volunteering.

Derek Twine, chief executive of the Scout Association, said it was encouraging that the importance of volunteering had been recognised.

"While we ensure that our volunteer programme is as flexible as possible, existing Scout Leaders would benefit hugely from a few extra hours throughout the year," he said. "We would also hope that these recommendations would encourage people who don't think they have the time to get involved with volunteering."

The inquiry was led by Baroness Sally Morgan of Huyton with a cross-party panel of MPs and other experts taking part. Baroness Morgan said that, despite a positive press, there were often barriers in getting involved in volunteering.