Recruitment FAQs for volunteer managers

EU nationals are still able to volunteer in the UK if they have one of the following:

• Settled or pre-settled status
• A visa which doesn’t prevent them from volunteering

You can accept Asylum Seekers and Refugees as volunteers.  You can provide lunch, or other meals, for them whilst volunteering, and reimburse them for fares necessary for volunteering, even if this is on a route they would normally travel.

More information on Home Office policy on asylum seekers volunteering and undertaking voluntary work can be found in the Asylum Permission to Work and Volunteer.

NCVO have guidance on welcoming volunteers from overseas.

Sheffield Volunteer Centre have produced guidance on obtaining Disclosure and Barring checks for this group

Your volunteers should be covered under either Employer’s Liability Insurance or Public Liability Insurance.  For more information on insurance see our bite size recording: Insurance for small charity and voluntary groups.

Volunteer drivers require special insurance arrangements.  If they use their own vehicle for volunteer driving they must:

• contact their insurer to find out if they are covered by their regular motor insurance policy
• include their volunteer driving miles when declaring their annual mileage to your insurer
• If they use a voluntary organisation’s vehicle for volunteer driving they should be covered by the voluntary organisation’s insurance.

This is what the Government website says:

The legal distinction between an employee and a volunteer can be quite complex and we would not wish to give advice which might lay voluntary organisations open to prosecution for employing people illegally. Therefore, we strongly recommend that organisations seek independent legal advice for their specific volunteering activity.

NCVO’s Guidance is that these checks aren’t necessary for volunteers and the civil penalties only apply to employees.  Organisations working with volunteers need to consider their own situation and take advice if needed.

Most convictions and all reprimands, cautions and warnings are considered ‘spent’ after a period of time, and in most cases people have a legal right not to disclose them.  Whether you can ask will depend on the role and whether is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA).

For more detail see guidance from Unlock.

People in receipt of state benefits can volunteer without their benefits entitlement being affected.

See Government guidance Volunteering and claiming benefits.