Below is a word document of this articles contents:
The following guidance covers:
1. Purpose, scope and benefits of Support & Supervision
2. The role of the Volunteer Manager within support & supervision
3. What does a support & supervision meeting look like
4. How do I document a meeting?
5. How do I record the support & supervision meetings on Go Assemble?
6. How often should one-on-one meetings take place?
7. Addressing issues within a support and supervision meeting
8. Further policies and procedures for reference
9. Investing in Volunteers – Quality Area 5 standards for supporting volunteers
Additional documents:
Appendix 1: Volunteer One to One Volunteer Managers Conversation Guide
Appendix 2: Volunteer’s One to One Conversation Guide
Please read in conjunction with the Support & Supervision Policy Draft Version 1 Dated 02/10/2024
1. Purpose, Scope and Benefits of Support & Supervision Meetings
Purpose
Support and supervision meetings are an integral part of volunteering with SSAFA. The purpose of support and supervision is: for volunteers to feel valued, supported and safeguarded by SSAFA, with the joint aim of providing a positive volunteering experience and enabling delivery of high-quality services to beneficiaries.
Scope
Volunteer support and supervision meetings are planned one-on-one conversations, ad hoc check in conversations and group support. This guidance does not cover clinical supervision, and separate guidance will be available for those roles that require clinical supervision. Every SSAFA volunteer must be provided the benefit of a named volunteer manager to support them within their volunteering role. The role of the volunteer manager is to host regular volunteer support and supervision meetings. These meetings will be referred to as 1-1s and Check ins.
Benefits
When implemented brief check-ins provide a wealth of benefits to the volunteer and the organisation. One-on-one meetings and group support take the guesswork out of volunteering relationships. When you know your people well, you can access unfiltered feedback that you can use to make informed, forward-thinking decisions.
The benefits of volunteer support and supervision meetings include:
Strong relationships between volunteer managers and their teams.
The volunteering relationship is based on mutual benefit and trust. One-one-one communication lets your team know that their insights and concerns are appreciated and taken into consideration. Within this time, volunteers can relay their progress, discuss any well-being or delivery needs, identify future possibilities, and align expectations
An opportunity to deliver meaningful, personalised feedback.
Volunteers - like everyone else – want to feel valued and appreciated. One-on-one meetings offer the ideal opportunity for letting your team know how they’re doing, and what you expect from them moving forward. People volunteer to make a difference; this is an opportunity to share the impact of the difference that they are making.
Our shared SSAFA values come to life.
Support and supervision meetings provide the opportunity to understand volunteers on an individual level. They enable you, as a volunteer manager, to apply SSAFA values of understanding, fairness, commitment, and courage.
Understanding: To understand the motivations and needs of the volunteer to create meaningful, manageable and mutually beneficial volunteering opportunities.
Fairness: Volunteers in every role feel valued and supported.
Commitment: To enable two-way feedback. To actively listen and adapt where necessary to provide a positive volunteering experience and enable delivery of high- quality services to beneficiaries.
Courage: To be honest and address support needs and concerns promptly and collaboratively, keeping volunteers and beneficiaries safe.
2. The role of the Volunteer Manager within support and supervision
A Volunteer Manager is the person who is responsible for the day-to-day support of a volunteer. They may be called by different role titles throughout SSAFA; however, their responsibility is to support volunteers who report to them. The commitment of our volunteer managers is central to SSAFA’s success in retaining and valuing volunteers.
Under SSAFA’s commitment to valuing volunteers, and as listed with the Volunteer Code of Conduct Policy, all volunteers must have an identified volunteer manager or named point of contact.
Volunteer Managers are supported through good practice advice from the regional Volunteer Development Manager and Volunteer Managers Training.
3. What does a volunteer support and supervision meeting look like?
Supporting and supervising is about enabling the volunteer to do their role to the best of their ability, safely and to the satisfaction of the organisation. It also provides the opportunity to recognise a volunteer’s contribution and say thank you.
As a minimum and depending on the role each SSAFA volunteer should be provided an annual 1-1 support meeting. The annual 1-1 meeting is an opportunity to reflect and review. The meeting is a two-way discussion, enabling both the volunteer and volunteer manager to listen and give feedback.
During the meeting you should be prepared to discuss the following with the volunteer (see Appendix 1 for a conversation guide template where you can make notes):
Volunteer Wellbeing:
What emotional impact has the role had on the volunteer? Do they know how to manage their own wellbeing? Is the time they give to the role manageable? Ensuring that the volunteer is not taking on too much and volunteering fits around other commitments. Reminder to take breaks and take time for themselves. More information on wellbeing is available.
Volunteering Role:
Roles, responsibilities, challenges and boundaries – is there clear understanding and expectations between the volunteer and volunteer manager?
Learning & Personal Development:
Learning & personal development – up to date with mandatory training, any further training they feel they would benefit from for the role.
Keeping Safe when Volunteering:
Keeping safe – do they know how to keep themselves, beneficiaries and personal data safe? Any areas of concern to discuss or remind them to do i.e. do not store personal data. Do they know how to raise a safeguarding concern?
Volunteer Recognition
Rewards & recognition – any feedback to share from you or others. Any internal or external awards you would like to nominate the volunteer for?
4. How do I document the meeting?
During the 1-1 meeting make notes and agree any actions that you as a volunteer manager or the volunteer themselves may be required to take. This should then be shared with the volunteer after the meeting to confirm what was agreed. The conversation guide template (Appendix 1) has a section to make notes and record any further training and development needs, any other areas discussed, or points raised by the volunteer and a record of any issues raised. This document can be uploaded to the touchpoint in Assemble for future reference. The notes can then be stored securely in a private SharePoint folder or deleted once uploaded to Go Assemble. Paper copies must be destroyed.
Compliance with Data Protection
To ensure that we are not recording or documenting any sensitive personal data on the volunteer, or a beneficiary please be guided by the following and keep notes more as a general summary of the discussion. We need to have justification to collect, store and use this type of personal information. The special categories include health, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or trade union membership. Please remember that all volunteers have a right to access personal information that we hold about them
Here are some examples and considerations for how you record that information in your notes, ensuring you share your notes afterwards with the volunteer and they are aware that these are stored privately in Go Assemble.
| Information Shared | Type of Data | Recording in your Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer informs you that they have had a recent cancer diagnosis | Sensitive data in the special category | We discussed Joe’s recent health diagnosis. |
| Volunteer shares that they are a lesbian | Sensitive data in the special category | No need to record this information as not relevant to Joe’s 1-1 |
| Volunteer details that they have had a marriage breakdown and going through a divorce | Information | Discussed Joe’s personal situation |
5. How do I record the support & supervision meetings on Go Assemble?
The 1-1 meetings will be recorded on Go Assemble as a Touchpoint for monitoring purposes and any check-ins and group meetings can be recorded if required by the service area or for your own records.
To enable us to report on the types and frequencies of meetings we will record meetings in the standard format:
| Type of Meeting | Assemble Touch Point | Recording Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Check in conversation |
Touch Point: Individual Meeting Subject: Check-in |
Optional |
| Annual one to one meeting |
Touch Point: Individual Meeting Subject: 1-1 |
Required |
| Group Support Meeting |
Touch Point: Group Meeting Subject: Your Service Area i.e. Casework, GHH Housing Support, Mentoring North East |
Optional |
How to record an individual 1-1 on Go Assemble
Step 1
Go to the user details, select add touchpoint and individual meeting. Please note that volunteers do not see touchpoints only system users can see these.
Step 2
Enter the date, time of meeting and the duration. In the subject enter 1-1, add some comments and attach your meeting notes. Set the touchpoint to private so that only you can view this touchpoint. Set a reminder for when the next meeting needs to be arranged to receive a reminder to organise the next one to one meeting.
Step 3
After you add an individual meeting touchpoint, you can then send a copy of the notes to the volunteer via the send message option. You can also add this as a touchpoint and then set the touchpoint to private.
How to record group meeting touch points for all attendees
To add a touchpoint to all those who attended a group meeting go to My Team and select all those who attended and then add a touchpoint. This will add it to each of those volunteers you have selected and you won’t have to add it individually.
How to pull a touch point report
Volunteer Managers can run reports filtered on the different touchpoints to get an overview of the individual and group meetings that have been organized and attended. You can filter Individual and Group Meetings. This can be filtered by Team and Time Range which can also be customized.
6. How often should one-to-one meetings take place?
There is no one single answer as the need of volunteers will vary. As a guideline, it would be beneficial for an active volunteer to have regular support check ins with their Volunteer Manager and we would mandate an annual one to one conversation as in the Support & Supervision Policy. The minimum frequency and type of support and supervision is outlined in the relevant service areas support framework which should be followed by the Volunteer Manager in that area. Please refer to the support framework for the service area and volunteer roles that you are responsible for.
7. Addressing issues within a one-to-one meeting or during a check in conversation
It is important to address any issues that arise from volunteering during the one-to-one meetings or if brought up at a check in. Doing so as early as possible will hopefully avoid problems escalating. Regular one to one meeting will enable conversations to take place in a timely manner.
How an initial issue is addressed is important. Often this may be the first time that the volunteer becomes aware that there may be a problem. Issues should be addressed sensitively, but also directly and with clarity. Please note that you should not wait until a 1-1 to deal with a concern or complaint
Preparing before the 1-1 to address an issue:
- Be very clear what the issue is and how it impacts beneficiaries, the wider team, the service, the volunteer and/or the organisation.
- Clarify how the issue conflicts with SSAFA’s policies and procedures, for example the Volunteer Code of Conduct, BRAVE standards and SSAFA Regulations. Speak to your Volunteer Development Manager if you are unsure.
- Be prepared to say what your expectations are and what will happen if the issue is not resolved.
During the meeting:
- Keep focused and do not get side-tracked. Addressing issues can be challenging but doing so as early as possible will hopefully avoid the issue escalating or being repeated.
- Clearly explain the issue and the impact on beneficiaries, the wider team, the service, the volunteer and/or the organisation.
- Allow the volunteer opportunity to respond. Actively listen and seek to understand their opinion.
- Seek to find a shared agreement on how to address the issue (if appropriate). This will require you sharing what your expectations are and if necessary, what will happen if the issue is not resolved.
- Remember to be kind
After the meeting:
If there was shared agreement in the meeting, then share this in a follow up email with the volunteer.
If there was not shared agreement in the meeting: notify your Manager or Head of Service or consult with the Volunteer Development Manager for advice. Depending on the nature of the issue escalation may be required to a concern or complaint.
8. Further policies should be considered
1) Escalation as a concern or complaint - Complaints Policy
For volunteering good practice advice contact your Volunteer Development Manager.
9. Investing in Volunteers Standard – Quality Area 5 Supporting Volunteers
Volunteers feel supported at all times, that they are a part of the organisation and that their contribution makes a difference
5.1 Volunteers feel appropriately supported in their role and able to discuss all aspects of their volunteering
5.2 Volunteers and everyone in the organisation who comes into contact with volunteers are clear about the scope of volunteer roles and what volunteers can expect from the organisation
5.3 Volunteers have the opportunity to discuss how they are doing
5.4 Volunteers have opportunities to express their views and ideas and to be involved in relevant decision making
5.5 Volunteers feel there is good communication between themselves and the organisation
5.6 There are systems for volunteers to have a positive and managed exit