Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities
Congratulations on choosing to volunteer your time and assistance!
As a volunteer you have particular rights and responsibilities, which you should understand before you begin volunteering.
Rights
As a volunteer you have the following rights:
- to be able to say no if you aren't comfortable with, or haven't agreed to, something
- to be supported in your activities
- to have a clear understanding of your role e.g. be provided a job description
- to be given the appropriate guidance/training etc. if necessary to carry out your job
- to be consulted on things that affect you and your work
- to have a safe working environment (including being covered by insurance)
- to be given access to organisation policies and procedures
Responsibilities
As a volunteer you have the following responsibilities:
- to be reliable and on time
- to carry out any tasks you have agreed to
- to be trustworthy, respectful, and non-judgmental
- to maintain confidentiality
- to ask for support and/or training as necessary
Police Checks
Most organisations require volunteers to undergo a Police Check to ensure the suitability of volunteers for the role they are wanting to undertake. This is not a difficult process and many organisations can support volunteers to undertake this. It is important to note that it can take around 4 weeks to get the results of this check.
See the Tasmania Police website (external link) for more information.