THE GROWING COMMUNITY TOOLKIT

Policies and procedures

You don’t need lots of complicated policies and procedures to run a community group, but you probably need a few. Good reasons for having a policy or procedure include:

  1. It’s a legal requirement
  2. It helps you think about how your group operates; puts things things in writing so everyone knows what’s been agreed and helps avoid problems.
  3. Sometimes funders will require policies in place for a group to be eligible. Often these relate to safeguarding and equality.

One of the best resources locally to research policies is the Brighton Resource Centre. Although their phone and email advice line is only available to organisations in Brighton and Hove, they have an extensive website with plenty of free information. They have a good range of example policies.

We’ve highlighted some of the policies a small community group might need. The best type of policy is one that’s useful and relevant – so we don’t recommend simply copying and pasting example policies, but rather talking through each with your group, to ensure the policy makes sense, and is realistic. Policies should also be regularly reviewed and updated.

Data Protection

Data protection is probably the policy most likely to get people groaning and grumbling! But it’s actually rooted in common sense and respect for privacy, and following a few simple rules helps create an atmosphere of trust with your volunteers and networks.

Below are the basic principles from the Brighton Resource Centre. Their website gives a good, jargon-free explanation of what you need to know, as well as example policies. Key points to consider are:

  1. Make sure you understand what personal data is.
  2. Only collect, store or use personal data if your group needs to do so for a clear, specific purpose.
  3. Only collect, store and use the minimum amount of data you need for your purpose. Don’t keep extra data if you don’t know why you need it, and don’t keep data that is no longer needed for a clear purpose.
  4. Make sure the personal data you hold is accurate and kept up to date.
  5. Make sure people know how to contact you if they want you to remove their data from your records.
  6. Tell people what data you have about them if they ask you to, and remove it if requested.
  7. Store data securely.
  8. Be clear whether data belongs to your group or to you personally. Just because you have access to contact details held by the group, doesn’t mean they are your personal contacts.

Photographs and videos also count as personal data, and again, the Brighton Resource Centre has comprehensive advice on this. There’s a good example of wording to use on a consent form from the Trussel Trust. And for photographs or images of children, there’s a downloadable template from the NSPCC.

Safeguarding:

If your group works with children or vulnerable adults you may need policies on safeguarding and some volunteers may also need DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks. See below for DBS. Being able to include children and vulnerable adults is incredibly rewarding so it’s worth putting this into place if you can. 

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

If your group works with children or vulnerable adults, some of your volunteers may need a DBS check. The rules aren’t straightforward, and differ for children and adults. We’ve experienced examples of volunteers being asked to provide a DBS check when it wasn’t required, and examples of incorrect advice being given about whether or not checks are needed. We therefore strongly recommend getting your advice directly from the DBS (see below).

There are different levels of DBS check, and community groups will normally need to go via an ‘Umbrella’ body to get one (usually a private company). The DBS itself is a government body, and won’t charge for volunteers. However, the ‘Umbrella’ body will usually charge an admin fee. All registered Umbrella bodies are listed on the DBS website here. Two of our local community groups have used the service offered by Community Action Suffolk, but please do your own research and make your own choice.

We recommend getting your advice direct from the DBS Regional Outreach Service:

  • The DBS Regional Outreach Service runs free, regular online workshops and this is a good place to start. (The workshops book up quickly, but our experience is that if you join the waiting list, people drop out and you’ll get a place)
  • There’s also lots of information on the DBS Regional Outreach Service website.
  • You can also contact the South East Advisor directly via their website (link above) if you have specific questions or concerns. We found them very helpful.

Equality, diversity and volunteering

All community groups want our members to be happy, feel safe and to enjoy being part of the group. An equality and diversity policy can help people from all backgrounds feel welcomed, and can help your group recruit volunteers from all parts of your community. A volunteering policy sets out what a volunteer can expect from the group, what the group offers to the volunteer, and what to do when things go wrong. You might want to put in place separate equality and diversity, and volunteering policies. You could write a single policy encompassing both. You might not want either. What’s important is that the policies work for you.

Equality and Diversity policy:

The Brighton Resource Centre has a good section on planning and writing an equality and diversity policy for small groups.

Volunteering policy:

A volunteering policy sets out what volunteers can expect from the group (training, induction, payment of expenses etc); and what the group expects of volunteers (regular commitment, adherence to health and safety etc). It can be useful to have a volunteering policy to help welcome new members. It should cover the important information but not be so formal as to put volunteers off.

Community Groups are sometimes worried about what they will do if things go wrong – for example if there’s a personality clash, or problems between members. 99.9% of the time volunteers will enjoy being part of your group and most difficulties can be sorted out over a cup of tea. However, it’s worth thinking through with your group what you’d do if something were to go wrong. It’s easier to sort out a problem if there’s already an agreed process for dealing with complaints. Most of the time, conflicts can be sorted out through discussion or mediation. But in extreme circumstances you might want the ability to ask someone to leave if the conflict is impossible to resolve. 

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has a simple guide to what to include in a volunteering policy here.  

The NCVO also has guidance on what to do if things go wrong, and problem solving procedures. Much of this advice is for larger organisations, but can be adapted and scaled down for small community groups.

If things go really wrong, the Brighton and Hove Mediation Service may be able to help with an independent mediation service. The service includes Lewes District and you can contact them directly via their website.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety has had a bad rap in recent years, and is often associated with red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy. However, activities you can do quite happily on your own, at your own risk, or in your own garden (eg. taking a walk, picking up litter, pruning a tree) are a different thing when you’re doing them in a public place, as part of a group, and where you’re responsible for other people. A common sense and appropriate approach to health and safety will keep everyone safe without too much administrative burden. Below you’ll find information about insurance, risk assessment, safe systems of work and health and safety policy. There’s a good overview and introduction on the Brighton Resource Centre website – a good place to start.

Insurance

Do you need insurance, and what type of insurance do you need?

There’s a good section from the Brighton Resource Centre explaining public liability and employer’s insurance here.

  • If your group operates on public land, check with your local council first. For example, Seaford Town Council has a health and safety officer who can help with risk assessments and the council will often provide insurance for community groups operating in the town.
  • If you’re holding meetings or events at an indoor venue or community centre, you may be covered by the centre’s insurance – but make sure you check with them.
  • If you’re thinking about doing anything on a road verge in East Sussex, you’ll need to get in touch with East Sussex County Council. There is a lot of regulation around working on highways, and you may need additional qualifications and equipment.
  • If you have equipment (tools etc), buildings or sheds then consider whether these need to be insured as well.
  • Railway platforms have extensive health and safety requirements and you can find out more via the Sussex Community Rail Partnership website.

If you need insurance, it’s worth shopping around, and asking questions to make sure your activities are covered. Zurich does a policy specifically for community groups which is competitively priced. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) provides both Employers’ and Public Liability Insurance as well as Sheds, Equipment, Cups and Trophies insurance via NFU Mutual. The Conservation Volunteers also has an insurance offer for their members (you have to join their network, but membership is free). However, the cost might not be any lower than if you get your insurance directly from a broker or company. 

Risk assessment, Safe Systems of Work and Health and Safety Policy

Risk Assessment: Even though people tend to grumble a bit when health and safety or risk assessment is mentioned, done properly, a risk assessment is an essential tool to keep everyone safe. If you’re getting insurance, you’ll need a risk assessment.

It’s useful to look at examples of risk assessments used by other, similar groups. But don’t just copy an example and put your group’s name to it as that would not satisfy the law and would not protect you and your fellow volunteers. You must think about the specific hazards and controls your group needs. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has two useful examples which are a good place to start: an example for an event here, and an example for a community garden here. You can also download a blank example template from the Health and Safety Executive. If you’re a community group in Seaford, you can contact their Health and Safety Officer who may be able to help, depending on your activities.

A risk assessment should be a live, active document which is used and reviewed regularly. If something does go wrong, and you need to claim on your insurance, you’ll need evidence that you’ve done a risk assessment before your event or activity. Zurich Insurance recommend having a quick get together with your volunteers at the start of each event to run through and sign off your risk assessment. This doesn’t have to be a long or formal process.

Safe Systems of Work: In some cases, it may be useful to have a safe system of work alongside your risk assessment. A Safe System of Work (or SSoW) is a set of procedures designed to make a specific task as safe as possible. Typically it will take the form of a detailed step-by-step guide, taking into account the people, equipment and materials involved. For example, Trees for Seaford uses a Safe System of Work developed by Seaford Town Council for planting trees on roads.  

Health and Safety Policy: If you already have a risk assessment, then you might ask if you need a health and safety policy as well. There’s a good overview on the Brighton Resource Centre as well as example templates. You’re probably already talking about and taking decisions on how to keep people safe. (For example, having trained first aiders present, postponing or cancelling outdoor events if there’s extreme bad weather). So it makes sense to have these decisions written down. Think of your Health and Safety Policy as your general arrangements that apply to all activities, whereas your risk assessment applies to specific activities and events.

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