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Volunteering guidance and useful resources 

There are several useful guides and resources available for organisations utilising volunteers, some of which are listed below:

Publications

• Criminal Records Bureau Checks: Guidance for Volunteering [PDF, 197KB, 23 pages]
  OTS guidance to help organisations that use volunteers to be clear about when they do and don’t need to carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on volunteers.
• Volunteers and the Law [external website]
  A readable guide to legal issues for volunteer managers published by Volunteering England and part funded by the OTS.
• Risk Toolkit: How to take care of risk in volunteering: a guide for organisations [external website]
  A comprehensive guide to risk management in relation to volunteers.
• Train to Gain and the Third Sector [PDF, external website]
  A document outlining opportunities for the third sector to access support for training and developing paid staff and volunteers.

Websites

• Volunteering England [external website]
  One of the OTS's Strategic Partners, Volunteering England works to support and increase the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England.
• V [external website]
  V is an independent charity launched in May 2006 to deliver a step change in the quality, quantity and diversity of volunteering opportunities available to young people aged 16-25 in England.
• Mentoring and Befriending Foundation [external website]
  The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (MBF) provides guidance and support to organisations and practitioners involved in mentoring and befriending. As the national strategic body, MBF also works to influence policy and practice in the sector and across government.
• Commission on the Future of Volunteering [external website]
  The Commission on the Future of Volunteering is an independent body established to develop a long-term vision for volunteering in England.