New resource to support the management of volunteers in the care sector

Not-for-profit care providers have a tradition of recruiting volunteers, and as the Care Act comes into force volunteer contributions will be invaluable in helping to implement new models of care.

TLAP partner organisations, The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) and National Care Forum (NCF) launch a volunteer management toolkit today. The toolkit complements existing resources by addressing key questions raised by frontline service managers.

• Where and how can we find volunteers with the right skills and values?
• What support do volunteers require?
• How do we go about demonstrating the impact and value of volunteering within our services?

Launching the report Rhidian Hughes, VODG chief executive, said:

"Never has it been more important to support frontline managers to build the capability and capacity of volunteers in the sector. Our intention has been to produce a practical resource that will make a strong contribution to sector development".

Des Kelly, NCF executive director said:

"Not-for-profit care providers have a long and established tradition of working with volunteers to add value to the support services they provide. As the Care Act is implemented and new models of care and support services emerge the contribution volunteers can make will be increasingly important. Our guide will help managers with this vital task".

The development of the VODG/NCF volunteer management toolkit has been supported by Volunteering Matters and Sue Ryder through the Department of Health's voluntary sector strategic partner programme. The next steps for VODG and NCF are to run a series of regional workshops for care providers.