Terms of Use

1. Introduction

The purpose of this policy is to guide volunteering in the Department of Social Services.

A Department of Social Services chapter is expected to raise, educate, empower and assign volunteers to the communities that it serves or where necessary in locations outside their community; agreed upon with relevant authorities.

Defining volunteering and volunteers

A Department of Social Services volunteer is a person who carries out volunteering activities for a Department of Social Services Team/Group or Chapter, occasionally or regularly and has signed up formally as a member of the Department of Social Services through our official channels.

Volunteers are willing members of this outreach and humanitarian organization who provide relief to communities and areas of disasters. The activities of the Department of Social Services are carried out by people motivated by free will, and not by a desire for material or financial gain, or by external social, economic, or political pressure.

Protecting and supporting volunteers

Department of Social Services Chapters have been designed with systems, policies, and procedures to ensure adequate supervision, support, and encouragement for the volunteers. Platforms for volunteering include onsite, hands-on service, online volunteering, consultancy services, corporate and financial support.

Adequate information, training, monitoring, evaluation, and feedback will be provided to volunteer teams and Department of Social Services chapters to ensure they are sufficiently prepared for the various projects and initiatives.

In certain circumstances, volunteers may themselves be vulnerable and Department of Social Services Chapters ensure that their needs for assistance and protection are given due attention as much as is reasonably practicable. Where risks outweigh benefits, the Department of Social Services projects should be suspended for the safety of the volunteers and the beneficiaries.

The Department of Social Services will provide its volunteers with access to learning and personal development opportunities so as to help them to better undertake their agreed tasks or roles, as well as to motivate them to grow their skills and capacity and undertake future roles within the Department of Social Services.

Recognize volunteers and their achievements

The Department of Social Services Office and National Chapters recognize that volunteers have a significant stake in the organization. They take formal and informal opportunities to appreciate, individually and collectively, the work of volunteers and its impact.

Department of Social Services National Chapters encourage volunteers to participate in its decision-making and in designing and improving the work in which they are involved. A volunteer has the right to become a member of the Department of Social Services National Chapter as long as they consent to the guiding principles of the Department of Social Services.

Promote volunteers and volunteering

Department of Social Services National Chapters are permitted to work with governments and their regulatory bodies, the corporate sector, and other partners to promote an enabling environment for volunteering in their countries of domicile in line with guidelines from the Department of Social Services Board and HQ Office.

Agree to volunteer rights and responsibilities

The Department of Social Services provides volunteers with guidance and rules that set out the rights and responsibilities of both the National Chapter and its volunteers as contained in the policies. All Department of Social Services volunteers are expected to act, at all times, in accordance with the Guiding Principles. Volunteers are expected to respect the regulations on the use of the Department of Social Services Logo, and prevent its misuse. They should make themselves available to the National Chapter in case of emergency, according to their skills and abilities.

In working with vulnerable people, volunteers are expected to strive for the highest standards of quality in the services that they deliver. They fulfill their duties without discrimination, responding to the needs of vulnerable people in a compassionate and respectful manner. They respect the confidentiality of those whom they assist.

They are expected to follow the laid down procedures and agree to be bound by the policies and principles that affect all Department of Social Services-related projects.