Safety and safeguarding

NHSCVR is a fully approved NHS volunteer service, ensuring that all our activities meet the highest standards of quality and safety. ID checks are carried out for all volunteers. All roles require ID checking with a passport/driving licence and some roles require additional checks e.g. a DBS check.

Please see our DBS checking page for more information. This approach is in line with Home Office guidance around eligibility for DBS checks.

The safeguarding of people and volunteers is paramount. Royal Voluntary Service have a safeguarding framework to support Volunteer Responders.

This includes:

• A trained Safeguarding Team working 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week picking up concerns.
• All volunteers have an identification page within the app which they must show to the person they are supporting.
• A volunteer agreement which details expected behaviours of volunteers.
• A volunteer Problem Solving Team to help with low-level volunteer concerns or issues.
• A process for removal and/or banning of volunteers or people from the service for inappropriate conduct or behaviour. If you have a concern about a volunteer please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382.

Safeguarding concerns can be raised by calling the Support Team on 0808 196 3382, who will pass the information to the Safeguarding Team.

Royal Voluntary Service’s Liability Insurance Policy covers up to 2 million volunteers. They will only accept liability if the volunteers are following the guidelines and boundaries that have been set.

Any volunteer engaged in an active task under this scheme will be able to evidence this by showing you their ID on the Volunteer Responders app on their mobile phone, where you can see that they are actively carrying out an assigned task.

All volunteers will receive a Getting You Started Guide appropriate to the roles they sign up to. As part of the terms and conditions of volunteering, driving volunteers are asked to declare that their vehicle is roadworthy as outlined by UK law, has a valid MOT certificate and is taxed for use on the roads and that they have a valid driving licence.

Volunteers using their own car for voluntary purposes to support others should check the information on the Association of British Assurers website before undertaking any driving activity as you may not be insured, the information includes a list of insurers who do not charge extra for volunteer driving.  

Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

All volunteers are invited to a Welcome Webinar and receive access to 'Getting You Started Guides' for each activity they sign up for. After they begin volunteering, they can attend role-specific webinars for additional guidance and support from the NHSCVR team and ‘Buddy’ volunteers.

Volunteers also have access to videos, detailed FAQs, and a Skills Bank, ensuring they have clear, specific, and comprehensive guidance to provide safe support.