Volunteering Focus - 15 January

Happy New Year! (If we are still allowed to say that?).

I hope you had a wonderful festive break and the beginning of 2025 is going well for you all so far. We are excited to kick off 2025 with our annual volunteer fair – this year it will be held at UWS Paisley Students Union, Storie St. We have had an overwhelming response from groups requesting stalls at the fair and I am delighted to say we have filled all stallholder spaces.

Thank you to all groups who are coming along! If you have not reserved a stall and would like one, please get in touch with me and I can add you to the waiting list.


 

Renfrewshire Volunteer Managers Forum: Sharing Best Practices for Inclusive Volunteering

Join us on Wednesday, 12 February, from 10:00 to 12pm at Engage Renfrewshire. This forum is your chance to connect with fellow volunteer managers, exchange insights, and learn from inspiring approaches to Inclusive Volunteering Strategies. We’ll spotlight organisations that have successfully embraced inclusivity in their volunteer programs.
Whether you’re an experienced manager or just starting out, this event is a fantastic opportunity to gain practical ideas and showcase your own work. Spotlight sessions will feature diverse topics such as:

• Creating Accessible Volunteering Opportunities
• Engaging Diverse Demographics
• Overcoming Barriers to Inclusion
• Partnerships for Inclusion
• Measuring Success

Register now to secure your spot!

Renfrewshire Volunteer Managers Forum Tickets, Wed, Feb 12, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite
 
As a vital member of the Renfrewshire Volunteer Managers network – we value your input! To ensure that our future forums address the topics and challenges most relevant to you, we kindly ask you to take a few minutes to complete our survey. Your feedback is essential in shaping the content and focus of upcoming sessions, helping us deliver valuable and engaging discussions tailored to the network’s needs. Please see link below -
 
https://forms.office.com/e/VKaHwzL3NZ
 
Your voice matters, and your suggestions will directly influence the themes and structure of our events. Thank you for your time and for contributing to the success of our network. If you have any questions or additional suggestions, feel free to reach out to me directly.

Disclosure Scotland Publication - 2024 discounting and accredited bodies fee consultation analysis report

The Scottish Government conducted a consultation on Disclosure Scotland's fee structures, focusing on discounting, waivers, and accredited bodies. The consultation, which ran from March 5 to May 28, 2024, received 1,236 responses from individuals and organisations. You can read the report here - Disclosure Scotland fees - discounting waivers and accredited bodies: consultation analysis - gov.scot

Key Findings:

1. Fee Adjustments: Disclosure Scotland's fees have remained unchanged since 2011. To achieve full cost recovery, as mandated by the Public Sector Finance Manual, fee increases are necessary. The consultation sought input on the impact of these potential increases, though specific fee levels were not detailed.
2. Volunteer Fee Waivers: Currently, volunteers in Qualifying Voluntary Organisations (QVOs) benefit from a fee waiver for PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme disclosures. The proposal to transition from a full waiver to a discounted fee for volunteers raised concerns. Respondents feared this change might deter volunteer participation, especially among those involved in multiple organisations. Scouts Scotland highlighted the risk of reducing volunteer numbers and the potential negative impact on community engagement.
3. Discounts for Low-Income Individuals: The introduction of fee discounts for individuals receiving certain benefits, such as income-based jobseeker's allowance and universal credit, was generally supported. This measure aims to mitigate the financial burden on low-income individuals seeking employment in roles requiring disclosure checks.
4. Support for Care-Experienced Young People: Proposals to offer fee discounts to care-experienced young people aged 16 to 25 received positive feedback. This initiative is intended to support this vulnerable group in accessing employment and volunteering opportunities that require disclosure checks.
5. Accredited Body Fees: The consultation also addressed fees for organisations registered to receive disclosure information. While specific fee levels were not detailed, the need for adjustments to align with cost recovery principles was acknowledged.

Overall, the consultation highlighted the delicate balance between achieving full cost recovery for Disclosure Scotland and ensuring that fee structures do not deter volunteering and employment, particularly among vulnerable and low-income groups. The feedback gathered will inform future policy decisions to support both organisational sustainability and community engagement.
 

Team Kinetic – Launch of Digital in Volunteering toolkit

As you may know, late last year Team Kinetic launched the Digital in Volunteering Toolkit. Happy new year!

Part One of the Toolkit is out now and is all about helping you get ready to embrace digital in your role.

Download it via this link.

Parts two and three will be dropping this year so keep your eyes peeled!



The next masterclass is on Wednesday 5th February!

You can register for masterclasses via your system - Help & Support → Extra Training. Sign up and watch past training sessions using the link below – Training Archives - TeamKinetic

THRE - Third Sector Human Rights and Equalities is a new nationwide project led by GCVS in partnership with HTSI and EVOC

They are working with Scotland’s Third Sector Interface organisations (TSIs) to develop resources, training and networks to support third sector organisations towards taking a human rights and equalities first approach to their organisational development and delivery. They will also be working to give organisations and individuals the skills to become human rights and equalities champions, allowing the sector as a whole to better challenge inequalities and make a positive difference.
 
Volunteering - A Human Rights and Equalities First Approach
 
About this course

This half-day session explores, and will help you embed, a human rights and equalities approach to the development and culture of volunteer programmes and to volunteer recruitment.
The course will be especially relevant for you if you are responsible for a volunteering programme or you work with volunteers.

Sign up to a course here –
 
THRE - Third Sector Human Rights & Equalities Events - 7 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

Police Scotland are keen to inform you all that there are Special Constable volunteering opportunities available across Renfrewshire. Police Scotland will be running a series of online attraction events via MS Teams. These events are designed to inform interested parties on;
 

• What the Special Constable role is
• What the Special Constable can do
• The eligibility criteria
• The assessment process
• Commitments, expectations, and personal rewards

QR codes for up-and-coming events

23 January 2025 from 2pm                                      23 January 2025 from 6pm                                      25 January 2025 from 10am