The document discusses best practices for recruiting a diverse range of volunteers. It addresses scenarios involving applicants with disabilities and outlines considerations like conducting risk assessments, making reasonable adjustments to accommodate disabilities, and following principles of equal treatment. Volunteers are not covered by equality legislation but organizations should uphold its principles. Interviewing volunteers based on their suitability and asking about any needed adjustments is recommended.

1. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruiting a Diverse Range of
Volunteers
Sharon Jones & Sophie Heywood

2. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Agenda
• Capture Expectations
• Break out Session
• Volunteering and legislation
• Recruitment Best Practice
• Q and A
• Close

3. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruitment Scenarios
• You have advertised a volunteer
administrator role in a local office, a
candidates application states that they are
unable to walk and are a wheelchair user.
Having viewed their application you see that
they meet all the requirements of the role……

4. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruitment Scenarios
1) Would you interview them?
2) Do you think you need to ask any questions about
their disability, if so, what are these questions?
3) The applicants experience suggests they are more
than capable of fulfilling the role, what do you need to take
into account when proceeding with their application?

5. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruitment Scenarios
• You have received an application for an office based
role, the applicant is partially sighted and has a guide
dog. The applicant is suited for the role, however, a
work colleague based in the same office has an
allergy to dogs. What would you do?

6. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruitment Scenarios
• You have arranged to interview a potential volunteer
for a role. At the interview you learn that although the
application suggest relevant experience the applicant
does not have the skills you are looking for. The
applicant has autism, although he considers it
controlled. How will you proceed with the application?

7. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Volunteering and Legislation
• Volunteers are not specifically covered by equality
legislation. However it is morally correct for
organisations to uphold the principles of equality such
as:
 Discrimination based on sex or gender
 Discrimination based on ethnicity

8. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Volunteering and Legislation
• There is no legal requirement for a charitable
organisation to accommodate a potential volunteer
who has a disability.
• What a charitable organisation should consider is
'reasonable adjustments'

9. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
What is a reasonable
adjustment?
 Adjusting the height of a desk or chair
 Seating a volunteer in an area which allows easy access and
regress from the building if required
 Having a personal evacuation plan
 Assigning a buddy to work alongside the volunteer
 Offering enlarged print for visually impaired volunteers

10. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
What is not a reasonable
adjustment?
X Undertaking building works to widen doorways
X Ordering specialist equipment for example telephones or
computer screens
X Providing transportation arrangements to and from the
volunteers workplace

11. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Recruitment Best Practice
• Interview potential volunteers considering their suitability for the role.
• You can ask questions around a disability, it is perfectly reasonable to
ask if we need to make any adjustments
• Always carry out a risk assessment, organisations tend to have a range
of risk assessments
• Carry out an additional fire risk assessment
• Your applicant may not be suitable for the role you are interviewing
them for, you can seek alternatives.
• Consider if the volunteer will be working alone for any period of time, if
so, carry out a lone working risk assessment
• Have robust risk assessments in place
• Provide quality training to your recruiting managers, including
recruitment, ongoing management and problem solving

12. Oct 1, 2013
Rhif elusen gof. 226227
Reg charity no. 226227
Questions
• Thank you for attending this workshop.