I think we need to be very clear here . Is it widening public participation we are looking at or the idea of using volunteer labour to replace professionals. One is acceptable the other is not. It is very important to remember that volunteers are volunteers they can walk away from the job at any time and quite rightly refuse to do anything they do not want to do. As soon as any form of enumeration for work ( expenses above and beyond the normal travel) or a contract be it verbal or other wise kicks in they are employees. This is very dodgy ground as in some cases they have all the rights of employees and I believe in other sectors volunteers have been involved in industrial tribunals .
In theory public participation should involve the use of more professionals to provide the level of training and supervision needed to allow volunteers to participate .
The commercial sector is not the place for volunteers if you have dead lines and professional standards to meet you cannot rely on a work force who have a perfect right to walk away at any stage. I think the Southport Group and the IFA need to be very clear what they have in mind and go and talk to some of the big charities who use volunteers all the time. I think there are a lot of issues they have not thought through. Same with the Government the BIg Society is a non starter without paid professionals to mange volunteers and the understanding that volunteers are not employees and cannot be bound by contractual obligations without invoking employment law ( unless of course decades of employment reform are about to be thrown over)
I will go away and read the various links and see if they actually know what they planning to do
In theory public participation should involve the use of more professionals to provide the level of training and supervision needed to allow volunteers to participate .
The commercial sector is not the place for volunteers if you have dead lines and professional standards to meet you cannot rely on a work force who have a perfect right to walk away at any stage. I think the Southport Group and the IFA need to be very clear what they have in mind and go and talk to some of the big charities who use volunteers all the time. I think there are a lot of issues they have not thought through. Same with the Government the BIg Society is a non starter without paid professionals to mange volunteers and the understanding that volunteers are not employees and cannot be bound by contractual obligations without invoking employment law ( unless of course decades of employment reform are about to be thrown over)
I will go away and read the various links and see if they actually know what they planning to do