Organisations of any size will need policies and procedures in place. Not all organisations will need all of the policies and procedures mentioned on this page. What we will go through is not meant to be an exhaustive list, just a starting point for you to consider.
- A policy is a principle or a rule that will help to guide your organisation toward a particular outcome - it generally outlines an organisations approach to a particular issue
- A procedure usually follows on from a policy and can be a separate document or part of a policy - it looks at how you will put your policy into practice
Essential policies
It's important that community groups and organisations have certain policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of the staff, volunteers and the general public.
Confidentiality Policy
Confidentiality means respecting someone's privacy and abstaining from sharing personal or potentially sensitive information about an individual, especially if that information has been shared in confidence.
Having a confidentiality policy in place ensures that employees and volunteers have clear guidelines around if, when and how information can and should be shared.
Conflict of Interest Policy
A conflict of interest policy is intended to help ensure that when actual or potential conflicts of interest arise, the organisation has a process in place under which the affected individual will advise the governing body about all the relevant facts concerning the situation.
Conflict can not only change the group dynamics, it can reduce productivity and motivation. Employees and volunteers may avoid other staff or places of work.
Data Protection / General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Your data protection policy is the commitment you're making to protect data in accordance with the law. Your procedures show how you're going to achieve your aims and comply with the law.
Under the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, individuals and organisations that process personal data need to pay a data protection fee to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), unless they are exempt. Most not for profit organisations will be exempt and you can use the quick self-assessment tool (external link) on the ICO's website to check.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
DBS checks are designed to help organisations from public, private and VCSE sectors to maker safer recruitment decisions by identifying potential volunteers or employees who may be unsuitable for certain areas of work, especially those which may involve contact with children or other vulnerable people.
Equality and Diversity Policy
Good equality and diversity practices make sure that the services provided to people are fair and accessible to everyone.
They ensure that people are treated as equals, that people get the dignity and respect they deserve and that their differences are celebrated.
The purpose of an equal opportunities policy is to provide transparency and accountability to your organisation about what constitutes fair treatment and what is considered discrimination, abuse, and harassment. Your policy should address both direct and indirect discrimination.
Health and Safety Policy
This should not be a document that is used to stop your group from doing things, it is a set of guidelines that ensures you can carry out your activities safely and with the welfare of volunteers, staff, service users and the general public at the heart of everything you do.
Health and safety in a community group it is about working together as a group to make sure you have done everything you can to prevent avoidable accidents and protect people from getting hurt.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment normally goes hand in hand with your Health and Safety policy and is a way to identify any potential risk in carrying out your activities and identifying anything you have put in place to reduce these risks.
When you start thinking about health and safety, it's easy to become anxious about everything that could possibly go wrong. It is important to remember that people are used to taking risks in order to take part in interesting things. What you need to avoid is unnecessary risk.
So when someone comes along to a rugby training session for example, they could reasonably expect to get a minor injury in the course of playing the game. However, if you're using faulty equipment that causes injury, then this is something you could easily avoid while still running a good training session. Always check equipment is safe before the activity starts.
Remember HSE's 5 steps to assessing risk:
- Identify the hazards
- Assess the risks
- Control or mitigate the risks
- Record your findings
- Review regularly
Safeguarding Policy
Safeguarding refers to the processes of keeping people safe from abuse and promoting their wellbeing, where a child or adult is unable to protect themselves from abuse. Safeguarding usually refers to all children (up to 18 years old) and adults at risk.
All organisations have a moral and ethical (for some even a legal or contractual) responsibility to ensure the safety of others. There a range of support for community and voluntary sector groups to make sure they understand safeguarding and can take appropriate steps if necessary. Safeguarding support and guidance is available on the following websites:
Volunteer Policy
It is important that any organisation that recruits volunteers or has volunteers as part of their workforce, have the necessary policies in place to support both the volunteer and the organisation. Having a volunteer policy in place shows that you've thought about volunteering and that you care about your volunteer.
In your policy you should consider:
- Organisation overview
- Purpose
- Roles and responsibilities
- Recruitment, selection and matching
- Support and supervision
- Training and development
- Volunteers voice and recognition
- Problem solving.
View a template volunteer expenses form.
Other policies to consider
General
- Document Retention Policy
- Financial Management
- Financial Management and Control Policy
- Reserves Policy
- Fraud Policy
Personnel
- Absence and Sickness Policy
- Alcohol and Drugs Policy
- Bullying and Harassment Policy
- Disciplinary Policy
- Expenses Policy
- Lone Worker Policy
- Redundancy Policy
- Staff Development Policy
- Staff Recruitment Policy
- Violence in the Workplace Policy
- Work-Life Balance Policy
Volunteering
- Volunteer Expenses Policy
- Governance
- Trustee Code of Conduct
- Trustee Recruitment Policy
Ethics, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Comments, Compliments and Complaints Policy
- Whistle Blowing Policy