County Kildare LEADER Partnership

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership is a not for profit Local Development Company organisation which is responsible for the delivery of a range of rural development, social inclusion, enterprise and community development initiatives in County Kildare. To support the delivery of these programmes County Kildare LEADER Partnership welcomes the involvement in the Company of volunteers in a variety of roles including:

 

  • Membership of the Board of Directors and its sub committees
  • Membership of Advisory Councils and project steering groups
  • Facilitation
  • Mentoring
  • Trainers

 

Mission Statement:

County Kildare LEADER Partnership will facilitate individuals and communities to participate fully in social, economic and cultural activity by supporting a vibrant and inclusive society in County Kildare.

 

Values

In setting about its work County Kildare LEADER Partnership strives to adopt a person-centred approach that is caring, inclusive and empowering and recognises that in order to be effective any work that is undertaken with stakeholders in County Kildare is achieved through cooperation and collaboration.

 

  • A people centred approach
  • Inclusivity
  • Empowerment
  • Caring
  • Collaboration
  • Innovation and risk taking

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership values the involvement of volunteers in its work because they represent the interests, needs and resources of the communities that the Company has been established to serve.

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership benefits from the time, skills energy and experience of volunteers in all aspects of its work. In recognition of the role that the volunteer plays County Kildare LEADER Partnership is committed to ensuring that its policies and procedures provide support to the voluntary role of individuals within the Company.

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership values diversity and is therefore committed to ensuring equality of access and equality of treatment for our volunteers in our policies and practices.

 

Recruitment & Selection

County Kildare LEADER Partnership implements a fair, effective and open system in the recruitment and selection of volunteers and treats all information collected in this process confidential. The objective of the recruitment processes is to assess whether the volunteer’s skills, qualities and needs match the voluntary opportunities available within County Kildare LEADER Partnership from time to time.

Depending on the volunteer role, the selection process may vary from an election process in the case of Board members to a recruitment process in the case of voluntary opportunities within specific programmes.

Additional measures may be implemented depending on the nature of the volunteer role and Garda Vetting is conducted where appropriate.

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership will also endeavour to make recruitment and selection materials available in a format accessible to any individual or group, upon request.

 

Management

The General / Social Inclusion Manager is responsible for the overall management of volunteer involvement, including overseeing the implementation of this policy and dealing with any complaint or grievance relating to volunteers. Designated staff members are responsible for providing support and supervision, identifying training requirements, counter-signing expense claims etc. Staff will be provided with appropriate training in the management, supervision, support and training of volunteers.

 

County Kildare LEADER Partnership provides suitable workspace, equipment and resources for volunteers in order to fulfil their roles.

 

Volunteer Roles

All volunteers are provided with a written role description, outlining the purpose, tasks and main requirements of the role. This role is reviewed on a regular agreed basis with the volunteer’s supervisor.

 

Insurance

Volunteers with County Kildare LEADER Partnership are covered by the company’s public liability and personal accident insurance. Volunteers using their own vehicles in connection with their voluntary work must inform their own insurance company to ensure adequate and continued cover.

 

Out of Pocket Expenses

Depending on the conditions and funding of specific programmes County Kildare LEADER Partnership may reimburse volunteers for out of pocket vouched expenses. In such cases a standard expense claim form must be completed, accompanied by receipts of expenses incurred. Expense claim forms must be verified by the project coordinator and approved by the General / Social Inclusion Manager.

 

 

Letter of Welcome

All volunteers are provided with a written letter of welcome, which outlines the expectations of both the volunteer and County Kildare LEADER Partnership. Volunteers will be asked to sign a Volunteer Agreement Form which clarifies the expectations of both the volunteer and the organisation in relation to the time commitment, attendance, training, the availability of out of pocket expenses, confidentiality and also the organisations policies and procedures. In addition, the volunteer will be asked to sign a form providing their personal details (this is for use only in case of emergency) This agreement may be reviewed at any time with the consent of the volunteer and the volunteer supervisor, including during the initial review meeting and at the end of the trial period.

 

Induction

All volunteers are provided with an induction upon commencement of their voluntary work. The induction provides background information on County Kildare LEADER Partnership, its structures and procedures; describes the volunteer role and the relationship with relevant County Kildare LEADER Partnership staff and outlines how the volunteer will be supported. During the induction period volunteers will be provided with written information on organisational policy and codes of practice and will be given an opportunity to clarify any issues with the Volunteer Supervisor.  Further training maybe offered to enhance their role and work, but this is subject to funding.

 

Trial Period

All volunteer placements are subject to a trial period, the length of which depends on the nature and hours of the voluntary work. During this period volunteers are given additional support and a review meeting is held at the end of the trial period to ensure that all parties are satisfied with the arrangement. The Company may decide to extend the trail period.

 

 

Support & Supervision

All volunteers are allocated a named member of staff as their supervisor. At the end of a successful trial period the volunteer and the supervisor will decide on the frequency of ongoing support and supervision sessions.

 

 

Training (not applicable to elected volunteers)

Volunteers may be offered training appropriate to their role (both in house and external). Volunteers will be expected to participate in such training and failure to attend such training will result in termination of your volunteering.

 

Given the nature of our company and our commitment to assisting people in reaching their potential, from time to time you may be offered the opportunity to avail of other training organised by the company at the discretion of the General / Social Inclusion Manager and the Board of Directors.

 

 

Confidentiality

County Kildare LEADER Partnership respects the volunteer’s right to privacy and confidentiality. All written information provided by you will be kept in a safe place and may only be accessed in accordance with GDPR, the Company Data Protection Policy and the Privacy Statement for the project or programme that you have engaged with. Similarly, County Kildare LEADER Partnership expects volunteers to maintain the confidentiality of all privileged information to which they are exposed. This expectation will remain in place once you have finished volunteering with County Kildare LEADER Partnership.

 

Complaints

County Kildare LEADER Partnership recognises the importance of established procedures for dealing with complaints and/or challenges that may occur while volunteering. Any minor complaints made about volunteers or by volunteers will be dealt with in the first instance through the support and supervision process.

 

In the case of more serious complaints County Kildare LEADER Partnership operates a formal complaints procedure, and in exceptional instances the volunteer may be asked to leave. Serious complaints include but are not limited to the following: gross misconduct, being under the influence of drugs (including alcohol), theft, misuse of equipment and materials, abuse of clients and co-workers, breaches of confidentiality, and repeated failure to abide by County Kildare LEADER Partnership policies and procedures. Where a criminal offence is suspected, the matter will be handed over to the Gardaí.

 

Volunteer recognition

County Kildare LEADER Partnership recognises the immense contribution that volunteers make to its organisation. The Company will formally acknowledge this contribution in an appropriate manner from time to time.

 

Revised July 2019