Guiding Principles of the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre

Our understanding of volunteering is that:·  

Volunteering is always a matter of choice and is done of the person’s own free will and without force.·  

Volunteering is a valid way for people to participate in the activities of their community.·

Volunteering benefits both the community and the volunteer and gives people a sense of belonging to and ownership of their local community.·

Volunteering is a way for individuals and groups to address human, environmental and social needs. ·    

Voluntary work is always unpaid.

 

We believe that:·        

Volunteers should always be treated with respect and dignity.·     

Everyone should have an equal opportunity to volunteer.·    

Volunteering should respect the ethos, rights, dignity and culture of others.·    

Everyone should have a positive experience of volunteering.·      

Volunteering should be a win- win situation for both the volunteer and the organisation.  

Therefore, we are committed to:·     

Promoting the value of volunteering to all sectors of our local community.·        

Offering a service that will be inclusive, accessible and high quality.·   

Serving as best we can every volunteer who accesses our service and ensuring that volunteers are the focus of our work.·       

Resourcing and supporting volunteers to make informed choices about volunteering, by maintaining relevant, up-to-date information on volunteering opportunities.·       

Developing new opportunities and projects involving volunteers in their local community· 

Referring volunteers to a wide range of community and voluntary projects across all sectors of the community.·       

Working with organisations so that they can achieve best practice principles in volunteer management.·     

Ensuring that volunteers do not replace paid workers nor constitute a threat to the job security  of paid workers.·      

Promoting the principles of equity and participation within the volunteering and community sector.·       

Raising the profile of volunteering with organisations, businesses, government and the community in general. 

 
Public Complaints Policy

We are always delighted to get feedback on the service we offer particularly if you feel we could do better. If you have a complaint about the service you received, please call the manager on 01-2040885 or follow the complaints policy below.

Public Complaints Policy COUNTY WICKLOW VOLUNTEER CENTRE LTD is an independent organisation committed to the promotion, development and support of volunteer participation in the local area.  County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd recognises that we may make mistakes from time to time, and that people may feel that the service they receive from us, or tried to receive from us is unsatisfactory. In order to improve our services we actively encourage feedback, both positive and negative, on all aspects of our policy and operations. If an individual or organisation chooses to make a formal complaint, we will deal with this as quickly and fairly as possible and put things right where appropriate.  Procedures 12.1. General principles 12.1.1. ScopeThe purpose of this document is to set out for all parties concerned the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd code of practice for dealing with formal complaints.  (It cannot be used as an alternative or additional complaints mechanism to the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd grievance and disciplinary procedures, which deal with the relationship between County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd staff and Board and management committee).  12.2 ResponsibilityThe County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd Manager, and Board are responsible for ensuring that the policy and the procedures in this document are implemented efficiently and effectively. All other staff and volunteers are expected to facilitate this process.  12.3 EligibilityAnyone using or trying to use County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd’s services can make a complaint. This includes potential, current and past volunteers, and not-for-profit organizations or anyone interacting with the service in any capacity. County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd does not respond to anonymous or abusive complaints.   12.4 Treatment of complaintsCounty Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd takes all complaints seriously. Each complaint is treated equally, sensitively and in confidence. All complaints are handled with an open mind and investigated without prejudice. Complaints are dealt with promptly in an attempt to resolve them as quickly as possible. All complainants will receive a written explanation of the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd response to their criticism.  12.5. Complaints method 12.5.1 First stepComplaints should be made in writing and addressed to the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd manager at Unit 2, Carlisle House, Adelaide Road, Bray, County Wicklow. The manager will respond to the complaint within five working days of its receipt. If the complaint requires further investigation, the complainant will be made aware of this.  12.5.2. Second stepIf the complainant is unhappy with the reply they receive, or if the original complaint is actually about the behaviour or conduct of the COUNTY WICKLOW VOLUNTEER CENTRE LTD manager, an appeal can be made in writing to the Chair of the County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd board at the above address. The chair of the Board will let the complainant know in writing, within five working days of receiving the letter of complaint, that the complaint is being investigated further and that it will be presented to the next meeting of the Board.   12.6. Monitoring and evaluation 12.6.1 County Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd complaintsCounty Wicklow Volunteer Centre Ltd monitors and evaluates any complaints about the organisation on a regular basis and seeks to make on-going improvements.  12.7 FeedbackConstructive feedback on this document is always welcome and will be considered by the manager and Board.  12.8 ReviewThis document will be reviewed by the Board on an annual basis. 

 

 
Funding

The County Wicklow Volunteer Centre (which incorporates Bray Volunteer Bureau, Arklow Volunteer Centre and Wicklow Volunteer Centre) is funded by:

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Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs,

 

 

 

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                          Bray  Area Partnership  Ltd,

 

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                          County Wicklow Partnership Ltd

 

 

 

 

                      Bray Town Council  and Arklow Town Council

 

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We would like to thank our funders for their continuing support.

 
Opening hours and contact details

The County Wicklow Volunteer Centre has three part-time offices located in Bray, Arklow and Wicklow. Opening hours for offices are as follows:

Bray  - 01 2040885  - Mon-Wed inclusive - 9.00 am to 4.45 pm and Thurs-Friday - 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Arklow - 0402 91519 - Monday and Wednesday  9.00am to 4.45 pm

 Wicklow - 0404 25430 - Tuesday and Thursday  9.00am to 4.45 pm 

 We can always be contacted by email on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  for Bray and district and other areas of the county, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for Arklow and district and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  for Wicklow town and district, or log-on to out web-site at www.volunteerwicklow.ie  to register online as a volunteer or a group and see our many current volunteering opportunities.

We are always delighted to hear from volunteers and groups across the county and will do everything in our power to meet with you to discuss your volunteering needs. For further information or to discuss how we might help you, please contact Leah on 01 2040885.

 

 

 
What do we do for volunteers?

We Provide

  • A database of volunteering opportunities in the voluntary and community sector so that you can choose the volunteering opportunity that best suits you.

 

Information On

  • The how,why and where of volunteering
  • Your rights and obligations as a volunteer
  • Best practice in volunteering
  • A Step-by-Step Guide to Volunteering
  • Information on Volunteering and Social Welfare Benefits

Support

  • On going support and advice 

If you are interested in the services we offer,

Why not give us a call on 01-2040885 or 0404 25430 or 0402 91519

email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 


 
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