This document outlines the accountability and responsibilities for both Sheffield Hallam Student's Union and any organisation that partners with us and recruits volunteers using our service. It ensures that a commitment is made to ensuring good practice when working with students. 

Sheffield Hallam Students' Union agrees to:

  • Provide a free and professional brokerage service
  • Support you to recruit volunteers for your voluntary group, charitable organisation, statutory body, social enterprise or other not-for-profit organisation
  • Notify you via email when a student has expressed an interest in your opportunity
  • Provide a staff contact to assist you with recruitment
  • Provide on-going support to student volunteers, giving them the opportunity for feedback and assistance in solving any issues
  • Where appropriate, provide any guidance to the organisation that may result in more interest from student volunteers
  • Invite you to recruitment fairs
  • Contact you regularly throughout the year.

Partner organisations agree to:

  • Provide volunteering opportunities which are appropriate for students that fit alongside their studies
  • Contact any interested students within 7 working days of receiving their application
  • Keep an up-to-date record of any volunteers with you from Sheffield Hallam and monitor their hours
  • Provide a named supervisor for the volunteer
  • Cover expenses for volunteers (travel, and a meal where applicable) if your organisation has paid staff. If your organisation is unable to cover expenses, please contact volunteering@shu.ac.uk before registering. 
  • Inform students of the support services available to them both from yourselves and from Sheffield Hallam Student's Union Volunteering
  • Maintain on-going communication with Sheffield Hallam Student's Union regarding volunteer recruitment and applications
  • Keep Sheffield Hallam Student's Union up to date with any changes in the role as it is advertised on our website
  • Take responsibility for recruiting volunteers. Sheffield Hallam cannot guarantee a student's credibility for a particular role. In special circumstances and by prior arrangement, we can have an informal chat with students before you meet them but ultimately the decision is yours
  • Have a health and safety policy (or have a health and safety statement in your volunteering policy), and make sure the appropriate risk assessments are carried out
  • Provide an adequate induction for new volunteers and full training as necessary 
  • Have an equal opportunities statement or policy (or equal opportunities statement in your volunteering policy) 
  • Have an up-to-date GDPR policy (or a GDPR statement in your volunteering policy)
  • Have up-to-date liability insurance, and keep the copy held on your provider account up-to-date.
  • Provide any policy and insurance documents requested when creating your provider account - you will be asked to upload a volunteering policy when creating your account. Where you do not have a GDPR policy, health and safety policy or equal opportunities policy, these areas must be addressed in your volunteering policy. 
  • If any issues or problems arise, discuss this with Sheffield Hallam Student's Union as soon as possible to mutually determine the action to be taken from both organisations
  • Undertake DBS checks, and provide safeguarding briefing where applicable
  • Follow your own safeguarding policy but inform Sheffield Hallam Student's Union as soon as possible if a safeguarding issue arises
  • Ensure that all staff supporting students from Sheffield Hallam are aware of this agreement and follow it in practice. If there is a change of staff, it is your responsibility to pass this information on or to ask them to get in touch with us