Assessing the impact of volunteering in the NHS
IVR has been commissioned to undertake an impact assessment of volunteering within the NHS. We will work with eight case study organisations, using the Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit, to calculate the value of volunteering to the NHS itself, the volunteers, patients and the wider community. It is intended that the project will provide evidence to senior managers, boards and trustees of the value of volunteering. The impact assessment is underway, and is expected to be completed by March 2008.
Evaluation of the Diana Award
The Diana Award recognises, celebrates and honours young people who inspire others in their schools, communities and societies. IVR has been commissioned byt the Award to carry out an evaluation of the Diana Awareness Project, which has sought to raise awareness of the Award and the number of range of young people being nominated. The evaluation is exploring the Award's status and profile, its impact on Award holders, and increasing the number of Award holders. The project will consult with Award holders, schools that have nominated strudents for the Award, and other key stakeholder organisations.
For further information, please contact: Nick.Ockenden@volunteeringengland.org.uk
Action Research of Groundwork's New Horizons Project
Groundwork UK has launched the New Horizons programme to engage young (16-25 year old) ex-offenders in volunteering opportunities and so inspire them to make a lasting change. The work is being focused on four Groundwork Trusts in England. IVR has been commissioned to carry out a piece of Action Research over 18 months to evaluate the New Horizons programme. Amongst other things, any relationship between volunteering and levels of offending will be explored.
For further information, please contact: nick.ockenden@volunteeringengland.org.uk
Implementing the Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit
IVR are providing training, support and advice on volunteering impact assessment to 19 projects in receipt of funding from the Department of Health's Opportunities for Volunteering scheme. The projects are focused on developing the involvement of service users as volunteers and IVR has provided them with training on how to use IVRs Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit and designed tools specifically for their projects. For more information please contact joanna.machin@volunteeringengland.org
National Trust Working Holidays
IVR have been commissioned by the National Trust to measure and assess the impact of their Working Holidays Programme. This project will be ongoing until July 2008. For further information about this project please contact Joanna.machin@volunteeringengland.org
Natural England: environmental volunteering in the North East of England
IVR has been commissioned by Natural England to undertake a piece of research to explore current levels of volunteering in environmental organisations in the North East of England. As well as establishing the best available baseline information, this research will also analyse demand for participation and gaps in provision for volunteering with environmental organisations in the region.
For further information, please contact: nick.ockenden@volunteeringengland.org.uk
Review of the Crisis Volunteering Programme
IVR will be working with Crisis over a 11 month period in order to review their volunteering programme. The key aims of the research are to review the effectiveness of Crisis' volunteer programme, explore the impact of the programme on the volunteers, the organisation and its service users, and to provide recommendations for the future development of the volunteer programme.
For further information please contact:
angela.ellispaine@volunteeringengland.org.uk
Risk and Volunteering
Volunteering England has been commissioned by the Home Office to examine the issue of risk management within volunteer-involving organisations. The project, which will involve consultation with a range of stakeholders, including the volunteering sector, the insurance industry, and national and local government, aims to improve the way in which organisations manage the risks associated with the involvement of volunteers.
The project consists of six separate but integrated strands:
- Mapping Exercise
- On-Going Dialogue with Key Stakeholders
- Wider Consultation with the Volunteering Sector
- Enhancing Good Practice
- Contribution to Wider Debates on Risk and Insurance
- Ensuring Sustainability
As a result of this project, five reports have been published which are all available on the Volunteering England Risk web page: www.volunteering.org.uk/risk
Risk Toolkit - How to take care of risk in volunteering - A guide for organisations
A comprehensive guide to risk management in relation to volunteers.
On the Safe Side
Drawing on the latest research, literature, surveys and case studies, On the Safe Side gives a picture of the current state of play in the sector.
Cautionary Tales
Case studies of risk management in volunteer-involving organisations
Getting a grip
Risk, risk management and volunteering - A review of the literature
Reasonable Care?
Risk, risk management and volunteering in England - Results of surveys of organisations and individuals
VALUE project. New European project exploring links bet
Working with the University of Liverpool, IVR is co-leading a major new European project which seeks to explore and develop relationships between universities and adults in Europe. The VALUE (Volunteering and Lifelong Learning in Universities in Europe) project will involve sharing good practice about how adult volunteers can use their experience and skills to gain credit as part of university courses or link up with Higher Education institutions. It will produce a series of national reports, good practice resources, a new website, and a final networking conference in 2011. The VALUE project is a consortium of 18 partner organisations and universities from 12 different countries.
For more information, please contact nick.ockenden@volunteeringengland.org.
Volunteer Management Capacity Survey
This research explores the capacity of organisations to involve and manage volunteers and is the first national survey exploring these issues. It looks at the financial and human resources dedicated to volunteer management, the roles and positions of those managing volunteers, the take up of volunteer managment practices and the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The study involved a telephone survey of 1,248 voluntary and community sector organisations and 134 NHS organisations. The full report can be down loaded here. PDF
Summaries of the research are also available:
For further information about this project please contact: joanna.machin@volunteeringengland.org.uk
