Volunteer
behaviours policy
Volunteers are the lifeline to ConfiDental, they provide a valuable service to callers.
This policy document is intended to outline how volunteers are recruited, supported, what is expected of our volunteers online, and disciplinary procedures.
We appreciate you all very much, without you the Charity would not function, however, we need conformity to achieve the goals of the Charity, which is to help, listen and signpost dentists who may be in distress. You are all independent professionals and we would like you to use this policy document as guidance to make the best judgements in the situations you find yourselves in.
For the purpose of this document a volunteer is anyone who provides a service for the charity “ConfiDental”. This includes but not limited to call handlers, fundraisers, supporters, sponsors, signposted resource providers and trustees.
This document contains the following
1) Social media behaviour
2) Phone helpline behaviour
3) Recruitment, training, and guidance
4) Grievances, Complaints, and disciplinary protocol
If there are any queries relating to this policy document, please raise these with the trustees for clarification.
1) Social media behaviour
Social media is part of all our lives whether we like it or not. As a Charity we use social media to spread the message that we are there to help dentists. However, social media can often exacerbate anxiety and mental health issues, and as a Charity we need to be aware of this. Care must be taken by all of us not to add to the negative side of social media. As Charity trustees or volunteers we all have our part to play, we ask everyone who is associated with ConfiDental to act responsibly on social media, and not to associate the Charity name with any disputes, self-promotion, prejudicial or discriminatory comments, or any other content which would not be in line with our Charity objectives.
ConfiDental uses a variety of social media platforms to spread the message of its work, and to provide a private platform for ConfiDental Volunteers to share experiences and support each other. These include but may not be limited to:
1) Public ConfiDental Facebook page
2) Public ConfiDental Instagram page
3) Public ConfiDental Twitter page
4) Private ConfiDental volunteers Facebook page
The words ‘public social media’ is used throughout this document, ‘Public’ is defined as any social media platform which has open access to the wider public, or access to many dental professionals. This can include private social media groups which are aimed at dental professionals.
Below are points which we would like you to consider when acting responsibly on social media. These points are intended to act as a guide, and we ask all our volunteers to use their professional judgment when implementing them. We are not social media police, and do not want to interfere with your rights to freedom of speech. Our aim is to protect the Charity’s name, reputation and continue to work for the good of the dental profession and its mental health.
1) We want to encourage use of social media to promote ConfiDental as a service to help other dentists who might be experiencing distress.
2) When using the Private ConfiDental volunteers Facebook page, we want to encourage support for other volunteers and for people to share call experiences. This will provide a good learning platform for existing and new volunteers to the service.
3) Please refrain from any form of self-promotion on either Private ConfiDental volunteers Facebook page, or the Public ConfiDental Facebook page.
4) Please refrain from independently posting on any of the Public ConfiDental social media platforms unless prior approval has been sought from the ConfiDental Trustees. This also includes replying to comments.
5) Your role as a ConfiDental Volunteer must remain largely confidential on public social media platforms. This is in line with our Charity purpose, to ensure that callers feel their calls are being answered by dentists they do not know. Widespread knowledge of volunteers would undermine the confidential nature of our Charity. Points to note:
a. This does not affect your right to reveal your volunteer identity privately as you wish.
b. This point is aimed primarily for public social media posting.
6) People may wish to promote ConfiDental on their personal or public social media accounts, but their identity as a volunteer must not be explicitly revealed or inferred, as much as practical. This is the due to the reasons outlined in point 5.
7) When making a posting about the actions of other volunteers or trustees, please be kind. ConfiDental is a service centered on empathy and understanding of others. Bullying or harassment have no place within ConfiDental and will not be tolerated.
8) Please always remember when posting on any social media that you must be careful to respect GDPR and not reveal names or contact details of others within ConfiDental including other volunteers, trustees, supporters, sponsors or signposted resource providers which should be protected. Remember also that ConfiDental is confidential.
2) Phone Helpline behaviour
As with the social media behaviour policy, this is intended to act as guidance to help volunteers act in a way which achieves conformity.
Below are points for consideration when talking to callers:
1) Please only answer calls when it is appropriate for you to do so. Remember, a call may last for some time and involve some delicate discussion. An example of an inappropriate time would be if you were in a busy, noisy environment with limited time.
2) Remember you are there to listen and signpost, do not feel you need to solve the caller’s problems, solving the problems you see may not be the problems in reality.
3) Volunteers will never reveal their identity and will always preserve their anonymity. if you wish to use a name, use an alias (a made-up name). This is to protect you and the caller.
4) Do not self-promote or signpost callers to organisations which you have any financial interest. This would be considered a conflict of interest.
5) Please avoid entering into heated discussions with a caller. If this is unavoidable, please try and diffuse the situation from the outset.
6) If at any point you feel uncomfortable on a call, please do not hesitate to politely end the call. Using call ending tactics which have been discussed in your training. Your mental wellbeing is as important as the callers.
7) If at any point the caller identifies the volunteer as someone they may know, and the volunteer is alerted to this. It is important that the volunteer gives the caller the choice of ending the call and calling back to speak with another volunteer.
8) ConfIDental is a totally confidential listening and signposting service. Volunteers will maintain anonymity and not disclose their identity to callers. Volunteers will never call a caller back if the caller discloses their number.
9) If a volunteer considers a caller at imminent risk of harm they will follow the guidance outlined in the safeguarding policy,
10) It is the responsibility of the volunteer to ensure their voicemail is switched off before the start of a call session.
11) The volunteer will ensure they are in a safe space where confidentiality can be maintained before answering a call. If this is not possible then the volunteer will not accept the call.
12) All data collected including any notes must be treated as confidential and disposed of appropriately.
13) ConfiDental will ensure that all supplied equipment is fit for purpose and adequately maintained.
3) Recruitment and training,
1) The volunteers may be appointed by trustees from both requests and invitations.
2) The recruitment process will ensure they share core values of the charity and are willing to provide a service within the remit of ConfiDental.
3) Following recruitment, appropriate training will be provided to the volunteers along with an induction from one or more of the trustees. The induction will include discussion of their role, policies and what is expected of them.
4) No volunteer is expected to start taking calls without training and induction.
5) The volunteers will be supported throughout their time with the charity.
6) There will be opportunities for current volunteers to participate in ongoing training provided by ConfiDental. If a training need is highlighted, ConfiDental will do it’s best to deliver appropriate training. The training will, in the most part, be formally organised with as much being verifiable CPD as possible. Some training may be peer discussion or support sessions.
7) It is not compulsory to attend organised refresher training sessions but it will be expected that volunteers ensure they have sufficient current training to carry out their roles.
8) Volunteers are required also to submit an online log sheet giving brief details of the call to the administrator.
4) Grievances, Complaints and disciplinary
The volunteers and trustees are expected to behave and act in line with the guidance provided. This can be found, but not limited to, this volunteer policy document. The following points are to aid both trustees and volunteers deal with non-compliance.
1) Any volunteer can raise any grievance or complaint towards another volunteer or trustee at any time if they believe that their conduct has not been appropriate or their behaviour towards them is not acceptable.
2) This can be done formally or informally and should be brought to the attention of one of the trustees.
3) If there is an informal grievance or complaint towards a volunteer or trustee, the trustees would encourage resolution via dialogue and mediation if required.
4) If a formal grievance or complaint has been raised, this should be done in writing by email to one of the trustees. The trustee will initiate an investigation with aid of 2 other trustees . They will speak to both parties with an aim to deliver a final decision.
5) If either party is not happy with the final decision, they may appeal. This must be done in writing by email, no later than 7 days after the final decision.
6) The appeal will be investigated and deliberated by remaining 3 trustees.
7) An independent mediation may be sought if trustees feel that it is appropriate.
8) An independent mediator will be appointed by the trustees to consider any such appeal.
9) If a complaint/ grievance is against a trustee, similar procedure will follow with accused trustee recusing themselves of any investigations.
10) A disciplinary procedure will commence if a volunteer or trustee is found to have behaved inappropriately or not within the guidance set out by the Charity in this document.
11) The volunteer or trustee will be notified by trustees that the disciplinary procedure has begun, and how this will be conducted. This may be a face to face meeting, similar online meeting, or email exchange.
12) If the reason for the disciplinary was that due to inappropriate online activity, on one of the ConfiDental social media platforms, the trustees reserve the right to temporarily restrict access to that platform for the volunteer or trustee. The volunteer or trustee may also be suspended from the call handling rota until the investigation has been concluded. This restriction will be reviewed within 30 days by the trustees and may be continued or lifted at such times at the discretion of the trustees.
13) During the investigation process, the trustees may seek evidence and explanations from the volunteer or trustee, and/or other volunteers or trustees.
14) A decision then shall be taken by trustees, collectively, to either reprimand or require further training. The trustees reserve the right to remove the volunteer or trustee from the Charity.