1. Know precisely what you want your volunteers to do - and make sure it is appropriate. Volunteers can act as escorts on a bus, support play workers, run a toy library, act as buddies for children on a hospital ward or befriend a computer system. But you want volunteers to complement your staff, not replace them. Work out how. Don't recruit until you know exactly what you are offering.
2. Identify what skills, characteristics, work experience and other qualities might be handy in your volunteers. People who work in human resources call this a "person spec". For some reason, organisations can seem reluctant to do this for volunteers. Maybe it seems a bit picky to start making too many demands on people who are offering their time and efforts for free. However, the clearer you are at the start of the process, the more you will be able to offer your volunteers a quality experience of working in children's services.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
