We all know that the way we work and provide services is likely to change for the foreseeable future. More services will be delivered online or by telephone, whilst remote working will mean more meetings will take place virtually. This is a significant change for many people and will require a period of adjustment.

Meanwhile we are seeing an upsurge in community volunteering, ranging from informal offers of support organised through Facebook groups, to Local Authority organised schemes. This is likely to increase as people come to terms with potentially being unable to work for weeks or even months.

Whilst this type of community-action is to be welcomed, it also brings with it challenges relating to safeguarding and management.

The following videos provide a brief guide on several issues which you may need to consider when volunteering or taking on volunteers.

Firstly, learn about safeguarding and how to make sure vulnerable service users are protected, along with those volunteering themselves, here.

Tips for volunteers and how to keep themselves and others safe can be found here.

Information on telephone befriending, how to set boundaries and make this work for both volunteers and services users is available here.

Advice for organisations about taking on and supporting volunteers can be found here.

Finally, a guide for organisations using video conferencing for the first time can be found here.