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Policy Booklet

2013/2014

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Contents

• Health & Safety

• Public Safeguarding

• Employee Safeguarding

• Volunteering

• Governance & Board

• Quality Assurance

• Equal Opportunities

• Finance & Value for Money

• Environmental

• Complaints

• Disciplinary

Reviewed: January 2014

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Health & Safety 1 – STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY

In line with the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and with the “Pan-London

safeguarding adults policy and procedure” North London Cares’ (NL Cares Limited) statement

of general policy is:

• To provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities;

• To consult with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety;

• To provide and maintain safe plant and equipment;

• To ensure safe handling and use of substances;

• To provide information, instruction, training and supervision for employees;

• To ensure all employees are competent to perform their tasks, and to give them adequate

training;

• To prevent accidents and cases of work related ill health;

• To maintain safe and healthy conditions for all employees and participants;

• To review and revise this policy as necessary at regular intervals.

The Chief Executive, as a designated competent person, will serve as the appointed Health and

Safety Manager for the full period of his or her tenure, overseeing this policy. The chief executive is responsible for coordinating health and safety activities. In his or her absence the next most senior employee will be responsible. The Health and Safety “What You Need to Know” poster is displayed

clearly in North London Cares’ head office at all times, alongside a standard HSE First Aid Kit.

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2 – ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES

The Board of Directors and trustees has overall responsibility for health and safety, and in

particular for:

• Ensuring that adequate resources are available to implement the Health and Safety Policy;

• Ensuring health and safety performance is regularly reviewed;

• Monitoring the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Policy;

• Reviewing the Policy as appropriate.

• Identifying and prioritising safety issues;

• Identifying training requirements for employees;

• Reviewing safety records, including accidents and incidents;

• Agreeing changes in working practices if required;

• Reviewing the implications of any changes in health and safety legislation and making

changes where required.

2.2 CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Executive is responsible for:

• Supporting the implementation of North London Cares’ Health and Safety Policy;

• Co-operating at all times with the board and other employees for the implementation of, and adherence to, the Health and Safety Policy and procedures;

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• Supporting other employees by ensuring that all members of staff are aware of their

responsibilities and have received appropriate training to undertake their work safely;

• Documenting accidents where they occur and investigating them further where necessary;

• Ensuring that safe systems of work are implemented;

• Monitoring premises and work equipment, reporting faults where necessary;

• Ensuring that hazards and risk are investigated and plans to mitigate those risks and hazards implemented;

• Completing a full Risk Assessment, to be reviewed annually;

The chief executive is also responsible for coordinating health and safety activities and acting

as the primary source of health and safety advice within North London Cares. They play a

fundamental role in all day-to-day aspects of health and safety. These responsibilities

specifically include:

• Coordinating North London Cares’ Risk Assessment;

• Administrating the accident investigation and reporting procedure, including by recording all accidents in the Accident Book.

• Liaising with the board, North London Cares’ insurers and other external bodies including

lawyers where necessary;

• Identifying health and safety training needs including for Emergency First Aid;

• Providing or sourcing health and safety training;

• Providing Health and Safety Induction training to new staff and keeping records;

• Identifying any changes in legislation or HSE guidance, updating and implementing as necessary;

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• Identifying equipment which requires maintenance and applying resources to ensure safety

where necessary;

• Assessing risks from all substances hazardous to health;

• Monitoring and reviewing this Health and Safety Policy;

• Sourcing additional specialist health and safety assistance when necessary;

• Sharing with all employees the following:

- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Poster;

- A copy of North London Cares’ Health and Safety Policy Statement of Intent;

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;

• Ensuring all sites North London Cares works on, including the central office, have adequate fire procedures and trained first aid officers present at all times and being responsible for fire

evacuation and emergency procedures;

• Managing the condition of floors and walking routes, including by ensuring:

- Every floor and surface is suitable for the purpose for which it is used;

- Surfaces are checked regularly to prevent slips, trips and falls (obstructions must be cleared

immediately);

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;

2.3 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

All employees have a legal duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others that may be affected by their acts or omissions and to co-operate with management to achieve a healthy

and safe workplace and environment for older neighbours and young volunteers to participate

safely. In particular employees will:

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• Co-operate with the chief executive on all health and safety matters;

• Take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of others;

• Not intentionally or recklessly interfere with, or misuse, anything provided to safeguard their health and safety;

• Report all health and safety concerns to the chief executive and advise the chief executive of

any safety hazards and deficiencies in the safety arrangements;

• Assist with the completion of the Risk Assessment and reviews as required;

• Make use of all safety equipment provided;

• Ensure a clean and tidy workplace is maintained.

2.4 HEALTH

Alongside his or her general responsibilities the Chief Executive is also responsible for:

• Complying with RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences

Regulations 1995) regulations and keeping records regarding ill health at work and monitoring;

• Monitoring the effectiveness of measures to address stress complying with Management of

Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;

• Processing and monitoring fatigue or stress if identified under the Health and Safety (Display

Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992;

2.5 FIRE

The Chief Executive is also responsible for ensuring fire safety. Responsibilities include:

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• Undertaking and recording the details of regular fire drills in premises used regularly by North

London Cares’ employees and participants;

• Ensuring that all staff, participants and visitors vacate the premises in an orderly manner and

assemble at the designated assembly point(s);

• Taking temporary control of any fire evacuation situation until relieved of their task by an incident controller of the Fire Brigade;

• Ensuring that in the event of fire, their prime responsibility is for the safety of human life

including their own.

2.6 FIRST AID

All staff must have emergency first aid training, and are responsible for:

• Ensuring that a first aid box is available to hand at every North London Cares’ hosted event

for which they are responsible, and is appropriately stocked and maintained in a clean and tidy condition;

• Recording all treatments for which they are responsible in the Accident Book - this will

include specific details of the injury or other reason for treatment;

3. ARRANGEMENTS (SYSTEMS & PROCEDURES)

This part of the policy deals with the practical arrangements by which this Health and Safety Policy

will be implemented.

1. Overall and final responsibility for health and safety is that of the Board of Directors and

Trustees.

2. Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the policy is put into practice is the Chief Executive’s.

3. All employees must:

• Co-operate with managers on health and safety matters;

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• Not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety;

• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety;

• Report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate person (as detailed in this policy statement).

Arrangements – Health and safety risks arising from work activities:

• Risk assessments will be undertaken by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements – Consultation with employees

• Consultation with employees is provided by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements – Safe handling and use of substances

• The Chief Executive is responsible for identifying substances in need of COSHH assessment.

Arrangements – information, instruction and supervision

• Health and safety advice is available from the Chief Executive. The Health and Safety Law

poster is shared and stored in the North London Cares shared drive.

Arrangements – Supervision of young workers/trainees

• The Chief Executive will offer support, training and advice.

Arrangements – Competency for tasks and training

• The Chief Executive is responsible for induction training for all employees.

Arrangements – Accidents, first aid and work-related ill health

• The Chief Executive is responsible for investigating work-related absences, and for

monitoring and recording accidents and emergencies.

Arrangements – Emergency procedures: fire and evacuation

• The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and implemented correctly.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013

Review Date: December 2014

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Public Safeguarding 1. INTRODUCTION North London Cares is a community organisation which aims to tackle the enduring social problems

connected to isolation, elderliness, loneliness and disadvantage within the London boroughs of

Camden and Islington. We do this by harnessing the untapped time, energy and goodwill of local

young professionals, who may themselves feel disconnected from their communities. Our purpose is

to broker the type of lasting human relationships and social connections that might not naturally

occur, but which make a real difference to people’s lives.

We have developed this safeguarding policy in order to ensure that all individuals and groups

working with or through North London Cares are protected from any circumstances that may cause

emotional, physical, psychological or any other type of harm, and to ensure everyone who interacts

with North London Cares, particularly our clients and volunteers, is cared for in a responsible and

sensitive manner. More information on how volunteers should interact can be found in the Volunteer

Handbook, which will be provided electronically to all new volunteers from autumn 2013.

The policy has been developed to reflect the values and procedures in the “Pan-London

safeguarding adults policy”.

2. GOALS Our objective with this policy is to ensure we provide and promote a happy, social, fun, safe, secure

and welcoming environment for all, while also balancing the need for our volunteering opportunities

to remain short, fun, easy and accessible for those who wish to take part. We understand we are

dealing with a range of complex personal situations, and that the issues we are seeking to tackle are

sensitive. Every step in our various procedures is therefore designed to ensure the safety and

security of all participants, while also removing possible barriers to participation such as bureaucracy

and burdensome time commitments, or other unappealing requirements.

Our volunteers and older neighbours are likely to come into contact with one another in a range of

different ways as they build relationships. The most common forms of interaction, and ways our

volunteers and neighbours should behave, are to be found below. In case of emergency, Organisers should call 999 as soon as possible.

SITUATION APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR Social Clubs This is the most easily controlled type of

interaction North London Cares delivers.

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Volunteers are expected to participate in

supervised community centres or other

such locations as cafes, shops and

parks, spending time with and getting to

know their older neighbours. Each of

these activities is led by a member of

North London Cares staff or by an NLC

Organiser. These representatives will

always be trained, monitored and DBS

checked – with regular reviews of

suitability and capability undertaken.

Regular volunteers who are not trained

as NLC Organisers and who are not

themselves hosting an event will always

be monitored by the North London Cares

representative in the room. These

activities involve large groups of people –

both volunteers and older people – and

individuals are not left in one-to-one

situations. Emergency exit routes are

noted in case of fire.

Love Your Neighbour Often, our volunteers will enter the

homes of vulnerable people. In the first

instance, this will always happen with a

trained employee of the NLC team, but

after some time, interviews and DBS

checking, the volunteer will be allowed to

build his or her own relationship with the

older neighbour independently. These

interactions may include conversations

about sensitive issues, physical support

in getting out of the house, or discretion

in dealing with a vulnerable older person.

North London Cares does everything in

its power to ensure that all parties are

protected from any type of harm.

Specifically, we assess the older people

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gaining this type of support and make

decisions on whether they are suitable

and trustworthy be visited by the

volunteer(s). We do not place difficult

emotional or physical burdens on

volunteers. In return, we never allow a

relationship brokered by NLC to occur

unless we are confident that both

individuals will benefit from it, and that

neither is at risk. Volunteers who are

DBS checked and engaging in regular

one-to-one interactions with our older

neighbours will be allowed to request a

panic button alarm, which – if deemed

appropriate – will be paid for by the

charity. After some initial introductory

sessions, monitored in person by a North

London Cares employee, we allow the

relationship between the volunteer and

older person to “float” – i.e. we will no

longer require a North London Cares

monitor to be present. Once this is the

case, we ask volunteers to send a text

message or email each time they have

visited their older neighbour, with details

on arrival and departure time and an

update on the neighbour’s health and

wellbeing. This will be logged in North

London Cares’ systems and also allow

North London Cares to tweet about the

interaction for public record. After one

year of such a relationship, we will

interview the volunteer and the older

person separately to see how the

relationship is going. If all parties agree,

we will sign a “lifelong friendship

agreement” between North London

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Cares, the volunteer and the older

neighbour. This will set out terms for a

less formal relationship; it will absolve

North London Cares of formal duties to

the volunteer and older person and it will

ensure both remaining parties are aware

of their responsibilities to the other.

Concert Trips and other outings As with the Social Club activities, group

trips out – such as to concerts, shopping,

the cinema, etc – may involve risks.

These risks are minimised during the

planning process, and mitigated by North

London Cares staff. However, volunteers

and older neighbours participating in trips

are briefed by NLC employees on public

safety ahead of any trip. In particular,

special care is taken by the employee to

ensure road safety. Trips are planned

carefully to avoid dangerous crossings,

areas of high foot traffic where older

people may be frightened, and areas of

known high crime levels.

Summer Sessions Activities during the summer may include

participating in very light physical

exercise, such as Old Boys’ Walking

Football, or use of equipment such as

cooking facilities or electrical equipment.

All participants are briefed on the

dangers associated with such activities,

with precautions against harm taken (see

Risk Assessment, 2014). Activities

involving physical risk should only be led

by a First Aid trained member of North

London Cares' staff, and not a volunteer.

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Discussion Groups Discussion groups can be an enjoyable

way to enable volunteers and older

neighbours to get to know one another in

an informal way. To ensure this is always

the case, discussion topics are chosen

with care, and facilitated in a way that

avoids emotional challenges. Although

our aim is to promote frank and lively

debate, discussions involving politics,

religion or other contentious areas are

carefully managed to avoid offence or

upset.

*NOTE: Where and when appropriate – for example in the “floating” of individual relationships where at least

one party may be considered vulnerable – North London Cares will always seek to comply with

government recommendations for CRB/DBS checking procedures.

4. SAFEGUARDING PROCESS

North London Cares has a duty of care to all the people who take part in our activities. Although we

know we can never fully protect every individual we work with from risk, we take very seriously our

responsibility to do everything in our power to avoid physical, emotional, psychological or other

distress.

In many cases, we will broker interactions between complete strangers in groups. These interactions

may occur on a doorstep, on the phone, in public spaces such as community centres or cafes, or

through other organised institutions such as care homes or other partner organisations. In such

instances, a fully Criminal Records Bureau-checked and trusted North London Cares lead will aim to

ensure the wellbeing of all participants, the monitoring of the interactions between clients and

volunteers and the ensuring of probity.

Under our Love Your Neighbour scheme, North London Cares’ volunteers will be entering the homes

of their older neighbours to, for example, clean windows, to move furniture, or just to have a

conversation to help tackle loneliness. In those instances, where there is interaction between clients

and volunteers in a private location, without the monitoring of a fully-Criminal Records Bureau

checked member of staff, volunteers must themselves be fully and appropriately Criminal Records

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Bureau-checked to help ensure probity at all times. Where appropriate, North London Cares will

support applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks through our partner organisation, Care

Check.

North London Cares’ guarantee is that we will never recruit or mobilise individuals or groups likely to

abuse or cause any harm to our clients, and we always take due care to ensure such potentially

harmful interactions are avoided at all times, through various additional reference checks as well as

by building trusting relationships with stakeholders over time. In addition, North London Cares will

make appropriate assessments on volunteers’ personal and professional ability to work with the

individuals with whom they are placed. We will use the time necessary to match volunteers to

individuals or group events to assess applicants’ judgement in various situations, and apply their

skills and time accordingly and appropriately to relevant situations. We reserve the right to reject an

application to volunteer with North London Cares based on these assessments. The process by

which we recruit, mobilise and monitor all our participants is as follows:

4.1 VOLUNTEERS New volunteers undergo various stages of interviewing and background checking before they are

allowed to participate in our programmes:

1 When a volunteer signs up through North London Cares’ website to get involved in our

programmes, our central staff will respond with a welcome email, requesting a short telephone

interview with the volunteer as soon as possible thereafter.

2 During this interview, our staff will seek to get a clearer idea about the background of the

volunteer and his or her motivations. The volunteer will be asked about his or her job, why

they want to get involved with North London Cares, where they live, how they first found out

about North London Cares and some other general informal questions. If the volunteer

appears fit to participate in our activities, the staff member will begin to talk about when they

might be able to join an event.

3 At this point, volunteers who seem positively motivated, reliable, chatty and genuinely

motivated by the work of North London Cares will advance to the Digital Safeguarding and

Screening process (see p.9, below).

4 Appropriate volunteers are invited to participate in North London Cares’ Social Clubs as their

first involvement, before participating in any other activity. These are easy to run group events

in which our central staff can get a good sense of the volunteer’s character, sensitivity, and

ability to relate to older people in a safe group environment.

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5 Volunteers who excel in Social Club settings, and who would like to engage in a deeper

involvement by working one-to-one with an older neighbour, are encouraged to do so if they

are deemed to be good candidates to do so. The volunteer will be matched to an older

individual who lives close to them, but also who shared personality traits and interests, so far

as this is possible.

6 During the period and process in which a volunteer is matched with an older neighbour, North

London Cares central staff will undertake a CRB check for the volunteer. These checks are

provided by Care Check: North London Cares is responsible for ensuring all the requisite

documentation is checked and approved in accordance with Care Check’s regulations.

7 A North London Cares employee may begin to make introductions between the volunteer and

the older neighbour during the CRB processing period, but should always be present and

should not leave the two participants alone.

8 Once a CRB check has been successfully obtained, and we have established that all parties

are happy for a relationship to continue to progress, North London Cares may begin to “float”

relationships between the volunteer and the older neighbour.

9 As noted on pages 4-5, these floated relationships will be monitored by North London Cares’

central team – with text messages required each time the volunteer interacts with the older

neighbour letting us know the time of arrival and departure. This information will be recorded

centrally.

4.2 SUPER VOLUNTEERS In autumn 2013 North London Cares will begin training some of our most committed volunteers under

our “Super Volunteers” programme. This project will enable us to offer different tiers of volunteering

to those who want to become more involved, and enable us to double our output from 100 to 200

events per year in 2014 by unleashing the extra time and energy of 20 of our best recruits.

As with our employees is equally important to North London Cares that we train and safeguard our

Super Volunteers to a standard under which they feel and remain safe, secure, happy and supported

in discharging their 5 activities each per year. To ensure that we can deliver on this pledge we will:

• Require Super Volunteers to sign an agreement committing them to hosting 5 events each per

year and to handling and administering any data, buildings or other content which belongs to

North London Cares or our partners securely and sensitively.

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• Guarantee all Super Volunteers 2 full training sessions before they run an event for North

London Cares without supervision, and another review session after they have delivered 2 of

their 5 events.

• Develop individually tailored timetables for all volunteers to deliver events within agreed

timeframes.

• Require all Super Volunteers to text us their arrival and departure times at all activity venues,

as well as a one paragraph report on the quality of the event and any problems or issues

which may have arisen within 24 hours, along with a photograph.

• Volunteers may only apply to become Super Volunteers after they have attended at least 3

regular North London Cares activities.

4.3 OLDER NEIGHBOURS As well as ensuring our older neighbours are protected from the risks associated with close

interaction with a volunteer whom they may never previously have met, North London Cares aims to

protect our young professional volunteers from emotional, psychological, physical or other harm that

they may be exposed to by interacting with their older neighbours. In addition, therefore, to applying

the above processes to the recruitment of new volunteers at all times, North London Cares also

works hard to ensure our older neighbours are not putting our volunteers at risk. In particular, this is

done by always meeting and holding a conversation with the older neighbour, ideally in that person’s

home, to ensure they are not threatening or unstable, before suggesting a match with a younger

volunteer. If North London Cares or our employees feel there is the potential for danger by matching

a volunteer to an individual, we reserve the right not to deal with that individual older neighbour.

4.4 DIGITAL SAFEGUARDNG AND SCREENING POLICY

North London Cares applies a unique digital safeguarding and screening policy to every volunteer

as a standard part of our recruitment process. This policy has been specifically designed to open

access to volunteering to young professionals who may previously have found getting involved in

volunteering projects overly bureaucratic. Camden Council, as part of its Innovation and

Development funding, has backed this policy. It compels North London Cares to ensure volunteers

are appropriate to work with vulnerable adults by undertaking the following:

1 To the extent possible, checking the accuracy and validity of employment email addresses for

all new volunteers by “Googling” all contact details provided.

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2 Checking the social media profiles of all new volunteers, including, where applicable,

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other platforms – to ensure volunteers are who they say they

are and are appropriate and referenced to get involved.

3 Cross-referencing all social media presences to ensure new volunteers have a consistent

social media profile.

4 Speaking on the telephone with each new volunteer before they participate, to find out as

much information as possible, including about their motivations for getting involved in North

London Cares’ projects, and making a judgement on their appropriateness for participation.

Each of these stages should be recorded in a checklist document as they are completed in order to

provide extra protection for North London Cares in case of emergency or crisis – for instance

Facebook profile checked; Email checked; Linkedin Checked; name Googled, etc. This information

should be stored in the main volunteer database alongside the names and other details of individual

volunteers.

5. FURTHER TRAINING Individuals who are interested in volunteering on a regular basis will be offered the opportunity to

attend training sessions, and will be supported with references and professional development

support, as well as social opportunities and free Criminal Records Bureau checks where required or

appropriate.

6. DATA PROTECTION All data obtained by North London Cares’ staff and volunteers is subject to the Data Protection Act.

No data will be shared with any organisation unless there is express written permission to do so.

7. OTHER REQUIREMENTS Where North London Cares works with children, the elderly or other vulnerable people, volunteers will

be informed of various additional responsibilities and requirements, including: Health and Safety

procedures; best practice guidelines; recognising signs of abuse or neglect and the means by which

those can be properly recorded or reported; equal opportunities; and building and maintaining trust,

etc. This will be included in the Volunteer Handbook. 8. INSURANCE North London Cares has obtained full public liabilities insurance for the above work, and for events

concerned with that work, through a major national insurance provider specialising in charities and

social enterprise insurance.

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9. PROCESSES AND POLICY The following policy has been devised in consultation with volunteers, employees and the board and

chief executive of the North London Cares board to ensure the effective, efficient and complete

advertised service is provided by North London Cares to its older neighbours, volunteers, funders

and other partners.

1) When a new referral is received, a member of North London Cares’ team will immediately

enter the neighbour’s details into Charity Log. As much relevant detail should be entered as possible.

2) A telephone conversation with the older neighbour will be made by a member of the North London Cares team to establish exactly what type of help they need and to arrange a time for

an initial assessment visit.

3) Any new or relevant information on the neighbour will be recorded in the Love Your

Neighbour spreadsheet stored in the shared folders, including as much detail as possible on the neighbour’s specific needs.

4) An assessment visit to the older neighbour by a member of North London Cares’ staff will be

arranged and completed as soon as possible within two weeks. If required and to safeguard employees, two members of staff may visit at the same time.

5) During the assessment visit the North London Cares employee will ensure that the older neighbour understands what North London Cares is, what to expect from interactions, and

that they are comfortable with any likely future arrangement that may transpire. Time will also be taken to talk to the older person to find out their interests, needs, and the sort of volunteer

they might like to be matched with. Details such as whether the neighbour would prefer a male or female volunteer, for example, will be recorded. This helps when considering which

volunteer might be most suitable.

6) Specifically, the North London Cares employee will make sure that the older neighbour, and the organisation which has made the referral, understand that North London Cares interactions are based on voluntary arrangements and that volunteers have limitations on

their time, and that as a small organisation North London Cares cannot guarantee that we will meet their requirements. The employee will also explain that it may take a little time to find a

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suitable volunteer. Regular updates will be provided to the neighbour while North London

Cares seeks a suitable volunteer.

7) The North London Cares employee will then agree a mutually convenient time to introduce a

volunteer to the older person. To ensure as much safety and security as possible volunteers will already have been through the North London Cares digital safeguarding and screening

process; in addition they will also ideally have experience of North London Cares, and North London Cares will have built trust over time, as a result of several engagements and

interactions through our Social Clubs project. In the first instance a North London Cares employee will accompany the volunteer on as many visits as is necessary to ensure that all

parties are comfortable with a prospective “befriending” arrangement, familiar with each other’s needs and happy to go ahead unsupported.

8) When those guarantees have been given by all parties concerned, a DBS check on the volunteer must be carried out and returned clear before any volunteer is permitted to meet

with an older person unaccompanied.

9) Each new relationship brokered by North London Cares will be reviewed after 6 weeks. If both the volunteer and the older neighbour are happy with the person they have been

matched with and the arrangement agreed, they will be encouraged to continue to meet and to develop a friendship through routinely timed interactions, without the accompaniment of a

North London Cares volunteer. Volunteers are required to inform a North London Cares employee before each visit they make to their older neighbour for a further 12 weeks (16

weeks in total).

10) If North London Cares has made an introduction but it later transpires that the older person,

for whatever reason, cannot or will not be supported by North London Cares’ methods, a new referral will be made to a relevant third party, for example to local authority Adult Social

Services, Age UK or Mind, who are in a better position to offer long term support. Love Your Neighbour records will be kept updated at all times. It is the role of the North London Cares

employee to make a judgement on this: if a referred older neighbours has needs which North London Cares volunteers are unable to support, it is not fair on either party to try to force a

relationship where another organisation may be better equipped to help. If this course of action is taken, a full explanation is to be added to the Love Your Neighbour database.

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11) Relationships and interactions brokered by North London Cares will be reviewed after 6

weeks, 12 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. After one year of a successful relationship, and an informal review has been completed by North London Cares taking into account the updated

needs of both parties, the volunteer and older neighbour may become “lifelong friends”, and are free to visit one another without further management from North London Cares.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013

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Employee Safeguarding 1. INTRODUCTION

North London Cares’ employees, along with our volunteers, are our most valuable asset and resource. It is through them that we will achieve our vision of recruiting young professionals to

support their older and isolated neighbours with practical help and new social connections.

We appreciate, however, that working for North London Cares may often be testing. Because of the nature of our work, dealing with isolation, deprivation and hundreds of older people with various

social needs, our regular activities may be emotionally, physically or even psychologically demanding. Moreover, tasks will sometimes be repetitive and employees may be required to work

long hours as well as regular evenings and weekends.

Given this, it remains the special responsibility of North London Cares – primarily the chief executive, with the support of the Board – to ensure that employees feel and remain safe and

valued, and that they are at ease and in control of the various difficult situations in which they may find themselves in the delivery of our vision.

This policy sets out the basis of that support and safeguarding. While it is not exhaustive it seeks to

provide a framework under which our employees can discharge their work to the best of their abilities while remaining protected from harm, undue accusation, or excessive professional or emotional burden – and with strong support to help them achieve their goals.

We hope the tools laid out below will help us to develop a happy, safe and valued team, thriving in a

unique professional setting and helping North London Cares to achieve our vision and grow over time.

2. TYPES OF SITUATION

In order to achieve our objectives, North London Cares aspires to being as responsive to local need as we can. We cannot, therefore, predict or plot all of the situations members of our team may find

themselves in. However, we can plan for various situations that may provide particular challenges, and state appropriate responses for each such eventuality.

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SITUATION APPROPRIATE RESPONSE

Working alone and/or after dark This is the most common situation that North London Cares staff will

find themselves in. To militate against any risk attached to it, employees

should ideally have one volunteer at every such event who is known and

trusted by the organisation, who is willing to stay on site until close-up

and support the locking up of the venue where required. Staff should

keep in regular contact throughout the evening event with other staff

members and/or members of the board, ideally by text message, to

convey that the event is going successfully. As stated above, Super

Volunteers should submit arrival and departure times and a one paragraph report, with a photograph, of their

event. At the end of the night, the employee(s) should let colleagues

know that he/she has arrived home safely. This is an important practice,

and should be done routinely for Social Club events and individual

Love Your Neighbour interactions. It is especially important in private

locations such as a neighbour’s home. Unless unavoidable,

employees should not work entirely alone at night, without the support of

volunteers known and trusted by the organisation.

Working alone with older people Wherever possible, to protect our staff and volunteers, interactions

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should occur between at least two

individuals and the older person. This provides security from fear and

accusation. However, we know that this is not always realistic or even

desirable. Therefore, to protect employees and volunteers from

nefarious possibility, no individual interaction should occur between a

staff member, volunteer or super volunteer until after a CRB check has been secured for that person. Each

individual interaction with an older person should then be recorded in

the North London Cares “Comprehensive Interactions”

spreadsheet, and – wherever possible – tweeted about and

photographed for public record. This record is particularly important for

individual interactions, whether they occur between a volunteer and an

older neighbour or between an employee and an older neighbour.

Notes of unusual behaviour or agitation should be recorded in this

document too – as should be anything that may provide evidence

in defence against accusation. In addition, notes of regular behaviour should also be made: the more

comprehensive our records, the more likely we are to be able to protect our

employees in case of an accusation. If an accusation is made, it is the

employee’s responsibility to raise it

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with the Chief Executive as soon as

possible. After making an initial assessment, the Chief Executive will

confer with the board before seeking advice from other partners, e.g. local

authorities, project funder, or the police if appropriate. An immediate

statement should be taken from the North London Cares employee as

soon as possible by the board plus an independent witness. Legal advice will be sought as required. As stated

elsewhere in this document, however, after one year of such

interactions, a review and agreement will be reached whereby a volunteer

becomes a “lifelong friend” meaning North London Cares is no longer

responsible for their interactions.

Escorting immobile adults This can be a challenging but

important activity. Even relatively mobile older adults can be slow and

uncertain in public. Employees in this situation should be careful to plan

their route beforehand and know where crossings are. They should be

careful to avoid cracked pavements and must always wait for the

appropriate signal to cross roads, even if they appear clear. If the

neighbour shows signs of panic, they should be taken home at the earliest

opportunity and a further assessment on the need for medical attention made. If they are happy to, a cab

may be called to help people get

  26  

home and paid for under North

London Cares expenses. Volunteers should be made aware of the risks of

participating in dealing with extremely vulnerable or immobile

older people. If it becomes necessary and numbers of neighbours demand

it, North London Cares will pay for full wheelchair training for our core

staff.

Dealing with finance or sensitive

documents

Occasionally, North London Cares

staff will have access to neighbours’ bills, statements or other sensitive

documents – for example, to assist with reducing expenditure, for identification or to make referrals to

statutory bodies. These items should be handled with utmost care. If they

are required for any significant period of time, they should be stored under

padlock in the North London Cares office. Employees must deal with

such documents with professionalism, discretion and

responsibility. Employees and volunteers may not pass these

documents or any information contained therein to third parties

under any circumstances.

Working with equipment North London Cares employees may

regularly be asked to accompany volunteers to a support session

which requires the use of equipment – for example, trowels, spades,

secateurs, sheers or lawn mowers for gardening; computers, projectors,

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large screens and stands for film

events (which may also require transportation from place to place);

or even knives, barbeques and more such heavy-duty equipment at major

outdoor or cookery events. Heavy-duty machinery should not be

handled without prior instruction from a professional. Employees should

receive training with other company-owned equipment, including projectors and other equipment for

films. Gardening and other activities are undertaken at the employee’s

own risk and all necessary caution should therefore be taken to avoid

accident or injury.

Door-knocking Door-knocking is one of the key ways

in which North London Cares identifies isolation in our target

boroughs. From time to time, we may also be required to make it an even

more central part of our work, for example during Winter Warmer

projects or special projects which require face-to-face contact with

hundreds of older people. When this occurs, North London Cares will do

its best to source accurate data of where older people live from local

partners, in order to avoid inefficiency. On the doorstep,

employees should be courteous, honest, polite, friendly and confident. In our organisational experience,

many older people value a quick

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knock at the door and brief

conversation, particularly when it is for no other reason than to check up

on them. Although it can be a tiring experience, it can also be very

rewarding. However, there are small risks associated with knocking on

strangers’ doors. Therefore, employees (and volunteers) should

not, if possible, go alone – and teams or twos of people should stay as close together as possible even on

familiar streets and estates. Employees enter a stranger’s home

at their own risk – while this can be a nice way to get to know a neighbour

or make a human connection, it self-evidently may also be a little risky.

Where possible, employees and volunteers should only enter a

stranger’s home in twos.

Odd-jobs North London Cares is not

responsible for the quality of the handy work that our volunteers or

employees may deliver in the home – for example putting up a shelf. We do

not offer a professional handyman service. Rather, we offer the

connection of local young professionals to offer support for

their neighbours who might need it – but where the personal interaction

provides the biggest value added. North London Cares employees should therefore be careful to stress

that the service our volunteers

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provide is informal, local and casual –

and not assume responsibility for the perfection of small jobs around the

home. As per the above, handling equipment should be done with

caution and care to avoid accident or injury. Employees should seek advice

if they are unsure.

Escorting older or isolated people

out on social trips.

Occasionally, North London Cares

employees will be (jointly) responsible for medium-sized groups, including

those with physical difficulties and mental health issues such as

Alzheimer’s, on walkabouts or social activities on the streets or in public – such as picnics, trips or street

parties. These activities require the greatest level of volunteer support.

Employees should be diligent in planning routes (taking the easiest

route possible, avoiding main roads), numbers of older neighbours and

accessibility. Volunteers should be assigned to look after older people at

a 1:2 ratio to ensure maximum support for slow or vulnerable

people. In summertime, water should be carried at all times in case of over-

heating or dehydration. Partners such as Lenox House Care Home and Age

UK should be consulted for advice wherever possible, and if working in

partnership with such a local group should also send members of staff to support the group.

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In order to assure safeguarding as diligently as possible, North London Cares’ employees should

stay in constant contact with other employees or members of the board whenever they are alone with a potentially vulnerable older neighbour, and particularly where these interactions might occur

in someone’s private home. Such contacts can be made by telephone, text message, email or other digital communications – but should be regular. In addition, wherever it is possible or plausible, first

meetings with older neighbours should occur in neutral venues such as a local café or library.

3. TRAINING

North London Cares is a young, dynamic organisation at the beginning of our development in the

local and national voluntary and community sector. We therefore require our people to be committed, self-motivating, independent, creative, hard working, focused and have a hunger to

learn and improve as professionals on the job and with minimal management. This takes a special type of person with a special type of dedication, and we will always seek to value and reward that

vigour in various ways. In addition, North London Cares employees will be offered ongoing support, guidance, connection

and motivation to achieve to the best of their ability, to reflect the organisation well, and to develop professionally and personally during their tenure. Although this will not often manifest itself through

structured graduate-style training programmes, we will seek to offer access to training and professional development courses wherever possible, as well as to share our networks as

individuals and an organisation.

This training may include: understanding the organisation, growing in confidence, fundraising training, volunteer management training, and other courses which relate to the relevant post of the

employee. We will seek to offer two days per year of such professional development training, as well as various support mechanisms outlined below.

4. FIRST AID

North London Cares works with many vulnerable people. Our older neighbours with whom we have regular contact may have severe mental or physical health requirements that may require special

awareness, sympathy, treatment, or emergency first aid. It is important that our employees are at a minimum emergency first aid trained. Therefore, North London Cares employees have all received

full emergency first aid training through the British Red Cross.

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5. PASTORAL SUPPORT

As well as the practical professional support we can offer to ensure our employees are safeguarded and properly prepared for challenging situations, we want to provide North London Cares

employees with a trusted support network on whom they can rely – to test out ideas, to act as a sounding board, and to offer support whenever it is felt needed.

North London Cares will therefore provide all employees with:

• Access to an informal support network of trusted friends of the organisation – including

experienced campaigners, small charity workers, entrepreneurs and small business people who have trodden similar paths – above and beyond the regular governance and advisory

boards;

• Monthly meetings with the Chief Executive of North London Cares, who will offer professional guidance and management whenever required;

• Flexibility and understanding on time off, time off in lieu, evening and weekend working,

holiday and other leave;

• Extra support in times of special emotional or psychological challenge or bereavement (for

example in case of death or serious illness of a popular user); other therapeutic provisions such as counselling or flexible working (at the discretion of the chief executive).

6. RIGHT TO REQUEST HELP

Because of the nature of our work and our mission, North London Cares’ employees may regularly be required to visit individual older people alone. As noted above, these interactions should, where

possible, initially occur on neutral public ground. However, interactions may commonly occur in the home of an older person, in a care home, in a hospital or elsewhere. It is important to North London

Cares that employees undertake these interactions with the best possible support from the organisation.

As stated elsewhere in this policy framework, employees may request the additional support of

other employees, including the chief executive and NL Cares governance board, in meeting these duties, without repercussions or questions. In particular, this includes the right for female employees

to ask for support from a male colleague – for example accompaniment to meet a service user in

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twos, rather than alone; a request to transfer an individual case to another employee; a request to

refer an individual service user to statutory services if appropriate.

This “right to request help” policy should be seen as standard across the organisation. All employees have the right to raise concerns, discomforts, questions or any other matter related to

safety, security, safeguarding, emotional or psychological wellbeing with the chief executive or board members without reprisal.

In addition, North London Cares will provide panic button alarms to members of staff who request them. Although it will not be the default policy of the charity that all employees carry the alarms

while alone with an individual, employees have the right to carry them, and to ask that they be paid for by the charity, should they desire.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013

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Governance & Board North London Cares is a company limited by guarantee (no. 07737818) and a registered charity (no.

1153137). We therefore have numerous statutory responsibilities as regulated by Companies House and The Charity Commission. Our board of Directors/Trustees are responsible for ensuring that

those duties are met.

As well as ensuring that all North London Cares’ legal responsibilities are met, the board, in partnership with the chief executive, is tasked with devising and agreeing the strategies and plans

that will help us meet our overall mission as a company and a charity.

It is vital, therefore, that the board, and any sub-committees or secondary boards, adhere to certain guidelines in their establishment, composition, conduct and practice. These guidelines are set out

below.

1. GOVERNANCE BOARD

North London Cares’ board of Directors/Trustees consists of a number of professionals with a

breadth of experience relevant to meeting North London Cares’ objectives and legal responsibilities. Board members will serve as both directors of the company limited by guarantee and trustees of the

charity simultaneously, ensuring all relevant rules as set by the regulators are adhered to.

1.1 SIZE OF BOARD

For a balance of efficiency and accountability, the board shall comprise no fewer than 3

directors/trustees at any time, and not more than 8. These board members shall all serve in a

voluntary capacity, and agree to meet the Director Responsibilities set out below, in addition to

those required by the national regulators.

1.2 BOARD SKILLS

At all times the board shall consist of a balance of personal and professional skills, experience and

expertise in order to help North London Cares meet its objectives. Those may include:

• Charity delivery;

• Business development and management consultancy;

• Strategy;

• Finance and accounting (which topic must always appear on meeting agendas);

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• Legal;

• Fundraising;

• Local expertise and contacts;

• Adult social care;

• Local government, commissioning and procurement.

Skills on the board shall be reviewed annually to ensure a balance of required skills.

1.3 BOARD MEETINGS and QUORUM

Board members shall meet at least four times a year to agree the direction and work to be

undertaken by North London Cares, and to review progress, policies and finance. At any time a

quorum of 50% of the total current size of the board must be present to agree actions. If a quorum

cannot be convened the board may still meet but may not make major strategic, financial, delivery or fundraising decisions and may not vote to agree decisions unless authorised by the remainder of the board in absentia to do so (or unless an absent board member has previously agreed in writing

any decisions to be made). The board may choose to meet more regularly than quarterly, depending

on the priorities and requirements of the organisation. Minutes must be taken at each standard

and extraordinary meeting of the board and stored in North London Cares’ registered office and shared drives.

1.4 BOARD APPOINTMENTS

At any time the board may agree to increase or reduce its size, so long as it remains within the

range above. In appointing new members to the Board of Directors/Trustees there must be a

majority agreement among existing board members that the proposed candidate(s) is (are)

appropriate and will bring value, skill, knowledge, experience and relevant networks to North London Cares, and will serve as a diligent representative of North London Cares.

Existing board members must recruit new members with care and due diligence. The chief

executive and chair must meet candidate board members, review their experience, and assess

their skills and likely contributions; additional board members should be consulted on appointments

and, where possible, meet prospective board members before appointments are made. Strengths

and weaknesses should be discussed, and appointments must be voted for by a majority of the

board. Ideally, candidates for the Board of Directors/Trustees should be involved with North London Cares in an advisory capacity before appointment to the governance board so that a fair

assessment can be made of commitment and potential. New board members will be subject to a six-month probation period and 12-month review to ensure they are meeting the above standards.

  35  

1.5 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Board members are required to declare directorships, governance positions, professional

statuses and any other information that may be deemed relevant. Potential conflicts of interest

should be avoided. Therefore, no board member shall serve simultaneously on the board of North London Cares and other charities working exclusively in north London on the recruitment of young

professional volunteers in support of local older people. Further, no board member shall serve simultaneously on the board of North London Cares and any other company likely to buy or sell

products or services from North London Cares (apart from sister organisations of North London Cares). Any and all potential conflicts of interest should be stated during the recruitment process. If

a conflict of interest arises on a point of discussion within a board meeting upon which the board is due to vote or make a decision, the conflicted party should leave the room for the period of that

discussion, and it may be decided by the remainder of the board that an abstention is necessary.

1.6 BOARD TERM LIMITS

Although there is no legal requirement on board term limits in either company or charity law, for the

purpose of longevity, continuity, transparency, and organisational development terms for

Directors/Trustees of North London Cares are set at four years from the date of appointment. All

board members are asked to complete at minimum a full four-year term, unless they are otherwise unable to do so or are removed by the rest of the board. Directors/Trustees may serve a maximum

of three full four-year terms on the board.

As of August 31st 2013 the Board of Directors/Trustees consists of:

• Josie Cluer (Chair) – appointed February, 2013.

• Nick Wigmore – appointed August, 2011.

• David Easton – appointed February, 2013.

• David Hayman – appointed September, 2013.

1.7 DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

North London Cares is an ambitious organisation seeking to create high quality support networks and social connections for older and isolated people in Camden and Islington, by recruiting young professionals to offer a little extra time, practical help, social connection and human companionship.

In addition to the statutory responsibilities that all company directors in the UK should meet, directors/trustees of NL Cares Limited should also pledge to a number of additional tasks to help

the organisation deliver the highest quality in a safe and trusted environment, to obtain sustainable funding, and to grow and improve the work we do over time.

  36  

As stipulated by the UK government, all NL Cares Limited directors must:

• Try to make the company a success, using their skills, experience and judgment;

• Follow the company’s rules, as shown in its articles of association;

• Make decisions for the benefit of the company as a whole, not any individual’s benefit;

• Tell other directors if any company activity may bring personal gain or financial benefit;

• Keep company records and, as a board and working with the Chief Executive, report any

changes to Companies House and HM Revenue & Customs;

• Make sure the company’s accounts, submitted annually, are a ‘true and fair view’ of the

business’ finances;

• Register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year to

HM Revenue & Customs;

Day to day, the Chief Executive of NL Cares Limited, working with our nominated accountant, funders and partners, is responsible for each of these activities. Directors will not be asked to take a hands-on role in the delivery of these actions.

However, the legal responsibility for NL Cares Limited’s proper regulation lies ultimately with the

directors of the company. Consequently, directors will be consulted on all major decisions, and advice will be sought on various smaller and strategic questions.

Directors of NL Cares Limited will also be asked to fulfil various other roles to help the

company/charity to achieve its vision. Directors of NL Cares Limited should therefore also:

• Attend Board meetings every three months wherever possible;

• Consider the views of the Chief Executive, Programme Coordinator and other staff and Board

members when making decisions;

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• Support the work of the Chief Executive, Volunteer Programme Coordinator and other staff

and Board members by making themselves as available as possible;

• Promote North London Cares through private conversations, social media activity, and

through any other actions where appropriate;

• Represent the board and the company in a manner befitting its growing reputation for ideas, delivery, trustworthiness and opportunity – including by conducting themselves well in public,

including on social media.

Where a clear majority of the board votes in favour, and where adequate discussion has been

afforded and minuted, Directors/Trustees may be removed from the board without warning

where it is to the benefit or advantage of the company/charity to do so. The decision of the board is final.

2. ADVISORY BOARD

In addition to the governance board, which is responsible for North London Cares’ reputation and legal duties, an advisory board shall assist with the creation and delivery of various strategies, plans,

projects and work streams. This advisory board does not carry any legal responsibility; rather, it is intended to be a support mechanism through which the charity can improve its expertise,

reputation, networks and public relations.

The advisory board is therefore an informal and non-constituted group, meeting from time to time rather than at regular intervals. It will consist of friends of the organisation with additional skills who

can help us meet our mission. Currently, that advisory group consists of:

• Samuel Coates – Digital Communications Professional

• Maya Wolfe-Robinson – Human Rights Journalist

• Donata Huggins – Third Sector Professional and Writer

• Oliver Hypolite-Bishop – Policy & Public Affairs Professional

• Andreia Rola – Charity Fundraising Professional

• Fash Sawwyer – Investment Strategy Professional

• Sam Hyde – Fundraising Professional

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Volunteering 1. INTRODUCTION

This policy sets out the broad principles for voluntary involvement through North London Cares and serves as a guide for everyone within the organisation – staff, board members, partners and

volunteers. The policy is endorsed by the board and will be reviewed annually to ensure that it remains appropriate to the needs of North London Cares, our volunteers, our funders, and the

neighbours and partners we collectively support. The policy is summarised alongside specific tips and pointers for volunteers in our Volunteer Handbook, which is available to all volunteers and

through our website, and which is reviewed every year.

2. COMMITMENT

North London Cares is a volunteer organisation. We can only do the work we do if local people are

willing to give their time, energy, professionalism and personal skills for the benefit of our neighbours. As an organisation, we therefore hugely value and admire the contribution our

volunteers make and, in return, we seek to provide as welcoming, professional and relevant an experience as we can.

Our intention is to expand the number of people participating in our communities in Camden and

Islington – to bridge communities and support older and isolated people in need of support. Our commitment to volunteers is therefore to making community participation as accessible, fun, social,

personal and rewarding as possible. We hope that everyone who participates in North London Cares’ projects will enjoy the experience, make new friends, and return on a regular basis.

3. PURPOSE

Our volunteers participate through various projects, programmes and campaigns to support our neighbours in need of a little extra support, time or companionship. North London Cares has

developed these programmes of activity specifically and strategically to help build trust and understanding in our neighbourhoods, and to facilitate interactions and relationships across communities that might not otherwise occur. We want our volunteers to leave feeling they have

learned something new about their neighbours. This means our projects are small, personal and relational.

4. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

North London Cares is taking a new approach to volunteer engagement: all our people are recruited through social, digital and corporate networks, rather than through street front presence. By working

  39  

this way, we hope to harness the power of the existing human trust and peer-to-peer

recommendations that are so important in our networked age.

Volunteers are invited to take on as much or as little as they can – whether that is supporting our staff to run projects, attending events twice every week, or just participating once a year. The

imperative to get involved will always come from the volunteer. While we do not ask for a specific long-term commitment in order to make participation as accessible as possible, we hope that in providing a positive experience volunteers will return to participate as often they like.

To encourage this retention, North London Cares participants will always be mobilised through

informal but professional communications with our employees, who aim to speak the language and use the networks and tools our volunteers prefer. Volunteers are eligible for references at the

discretion of North London Cares and will also be invited to regular social events where they can meet other like-minded people and discuss their involvement and other areas of shared interest.

5. VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND

Although volunteering through North London Cares is open to all, our specific mission is to recruit young professionals – people under 40 and normally without children, working in the media, law,

finance, communications, fashion, retail and marketing sectors, as well as students.

There are many reasons why we target those groups. Many are graduates from all over the country seeking roots in North London. Others want to get involved in their communities but find it difficult

to do so. Some of our people are extremely highly regarded professionally but would like to develop their personal confidence or local networks.

Our aim is to encourage that class of young professional to do more to participate in their local

communities. We want to bridge the gap between the reality of those busy professional lives and the needs of the local community. We will therefore never judge their motivations for getting

involved, which may be many and varied.

6. VOLUNTEER TASKS

The role of our central employees is to create a programme of accessible volunteering opportunities

in which people can get involved every week to support and interact with their older or isolated neighbours, and which are also attractive to those older people. We work on many projects at a

time, and most are ongoing over a period of months.

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These tasks will commonly be based on our two core programmes: Love Your Neighbour, in which

volunteers will be asked, either individually or in small teams, and often in private homes, to support individual older or isolated neighbours in need of practical support or companionship; and Social

Clubs, in which volunteers host group activities hooking on cultural exchanges in order to provide new activities and opportunities for older or isolated people to interact, discuss, share ideas and

enjoy time. Our creative Social Club projects so far have included:

• Film Nights

• Storytelling Nights

• Desert Island Disc Clubs

• Shared Histories Events

• Curry & Quiz Days

• Vintage Afternoon Tea Parties

• Street Parties

• Knit & Knatter socials

7. SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT

To protect our volunteers and our service users, and to facilitate easy interaction between groups and individuals, all projects built by North London Cares are currently supervised by a fully trained

member of staff at all times. Those employees do everything in their power to provide a relaxed, vibrant and natural atmosphere – and one in which everyone feels supported and valued. All

volunteers are carefully briefed on the actions required before the sessions begin, and all are encouraged and supported throughout the process and thanked and surveyed after their

volunteering experience. We are also conscious of our duty of care and responsibility to health and safety requirements (see below and other policies in this booklet).

In the autumn of 2013 North London Cares will begin a programme of recruiting, training and

support “Super Volunteers”, as described above. These volunteers will be recruited from our most enthusiastic volunteers, who have often sought to offer more time and commitment. They will be

trained to host events under the North London Cares banner themselves, to run parts of the volunteer database themselves, to manage, invite and inspire other volunteers to support their

events, to create digital media content, to work with partners and to ensure safety, security and successful activities – five times a year. We have received funding from the Bulldog Trust to

complete this work over three years, and will train and manage 60 volunteers during that time.

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In order to ensure our data protection responsibilities are met, we will ask all Super Volunteers to

sign a Non Disclosure Agreement stipulating that all shared data is the property of North London Cares and must not be shared with any other individual or organisation by the volunteer.

8. RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

While the confidence of people North London Cares supports may often vary, it is imperative that volunteers appreciate that the organisation works with some very isolated and vulnerable

individuals. Our objective is to connect these isolated people to local volunteers who are friendly, compassionate, understanding, patient, honest and responsive to the needs of all the individuals

they encounter through our programmes. We therefore expect our volunteers to be sensitive to the needs of the people we support, and to act in an appropriate fashion – and all volunteers are briefed and supported to act accordingly.

9. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

North London Cares is diligent in promoting equal opportunities for our neighbours and for our volunteers – and we have developed a full policy to support the promotion of otherwise

disadvantaged and disconnected people. Please see the full Equal Opportunities policy for more information.

10. INSURANCE

North London Cares’ insurance is provided by Tennyson Insurance Ltd, which is a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance PLC. Our insurance covers public and products liability, environmental clean up

and our various public events, which are licensed where required. North London Cares and NL Cares Ltd have been assessed as fit for service, and for this insurance policy, by the provider. We

will review the insurance annually at the time of renewal.

11. HEALTH AND SAFETY

North London Cares has a comprehensive Health and Safety policy – and we carry out regular risk

assessments on our various projects. All our employees are CRB-checked to ensure total probity at all times. Volunteers are never left alone with individual older or isolated neighbours until we can

trust that they will do so in an appropriate fashion.

In addition, North London Cares screens all volunteers before they are allowed to participate in our programmes. Much of this screening is done through digital and social media networks – including

by searching email addresses, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, and making a judgement on whether that individual is appropriate to participate in our projects. Please see our full safeguarding

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policy for details. North London Cares employees are also Emergency First Aid trained, having

completed a full day’s learning through the British Red Cross.

12. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

North London Cares has never received a complaint about our service, or the experience of our

volunteers, in two years. Many have commented in surveys that they have felt closer to their neighbours and more connected to the community as a result of their participation. However, should

we receive a complaint, we will treat it with all due seriousness. Any formally expressed complaint will be fully investigated and assessed by the chief executive, or governance board, and apologies

made where appropriate. Please see the full complaints procedure below as well as our website for more details.

13. CONFIDENTIALITY

To match people to volunteering opportunities through North London Cares’ networks, we may record any publicly available contact and social media details from our participants. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 we guarantee never to share personal details with any third party, commercial

or otherwise unless we have the individual’s written consent.

We reserve the right to refer to volunteers by name or social media username in our digital recruitment work, and to publish photographs through our digital channels of all participants who

attend our events. However, we will not refer to any of our volunteers by their full name, either in digital or traditional media, without the express prior consent of that volunteer.

14. SMOKING, ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

North London Cares, our partners and stakeholders, will not tolerate smoking, consumption of alcohol or substance abuse during our programmes, projects, volunteering opportunities or any

other aspect of our professional work. We ask that volunteers refrain from smoking for the duration of their volunteering session, though short breaks may be provided at the discretion of staff.

Volunteers who arrive to a project intoxicated will be asked to leave immediately. These measures are to protect our service users and other volunteers, and to ensure we provide as professional an

experience for others as possible.

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15. EXPENSES

North London Cares does not meet volunteer expenses except in exceptional circumstances. Unfortunately, we are therefore unable to reimburse volunteers for travel costs, food, refreshments,

clothing, petrol or other expenses, in relation to work with North London Cares or otherwise.  

If volunteers would like to support North London Cares' central administration by supporting office employees, we will cover all direct organisational costs they may incur – such as for postage,

packaging, office supplies, equipment, etc. However, we are unable to cover lunch, travel or any other personal costs, even in those circumstances.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013

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Quality Assurance Given North London Cares’ mission of connecting potentially vulnerable people with professional

volunteers with high expectations, we have a special duty to provide a high quality of service to all

our neighbours; and a high quality, enjoyable volunteer experience for everybody who gives up their time to participate with the organisation. We are committed to continuous organisational

improvement and we have established a Quality Management System that offers a framework for measuring and improving our performance.

That system requires:

• Regular gathering and evaluation of volunteer and neighbour feedback (including evaluation

of delivery programmes, events and interactions, as well as a regular surveys of all users);

• Real time processing of evaluation forms, feedback opportunities and complaints;

• Training and development for our employees and, where possible or expedient, our

volunteers;

• A commitment to processing and settling complaints (see Complaints policy) within a

maximum of ten working days;

• A commitment to processing all sign ups, enquiries, bookings, referrals and enrolments a

maximum of within three working days. These procedures may be reviewed regularly in consultation with volunteers, neighbours, funders,

partners and all other stakeholders. Though the Chief Executive, reporting to the Board, has ultimate responsibility for quality, all employees have a responsibility and contractual obligation within their

own areas of work to ensure that quality is embedded within the culture of the organisation, handed down to all volunteer participants.

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Equal Opportunities North London Cares is committed to supporting and encouraging diversity and equal opportunity for

all through every aspect of our work. Within the parameters of our mission of recruiting “young professionals” to work with their “older neighbours”, we will therefore make no consideration,

prejudice or judgement whatsoever, in any area of our work, based on gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, social background, religion, belief or disability.

We will adhere to this commitment through every aspect of our work – from how we support people

in communities through our core programmes and delivery of work, to recruiting and mobilising volunteers. We will also apply these values to our dealings with third party organisations and the

process of decision-making through which we hire and manage employees.

North London Cares will make every effort to ensure that all relationships are administered with respect, decency and impartiality wherever required. Reflecting the central values of North London

Cares we will seek to open access and opportunities through employment to people for whom they may previously have been limited.

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Finance & Value for Money

North London Cares is committed to financial sustainability and obtaining the best value for money

for the organisation, our partners, funders and the people who participate in our programmes. Our

guarantee to all stakeholders is to be as financially prudent and efficient as we can. We are

also committed to maintaining the highest levels of transparency, scrutiny and credibility in our expenditure. To ensure we uphold those responsibilities we are committed to the following general

principles:

• Running a balanced budget every year – North London Cares is committed to generating at

least as much income as it spends in every financial year. We will never run a deficit unless it

becomes an organisational imperative to do so.

• Adhering to a strategic reserves policy – North London Cares is committed to growth and

financial sustainability but in order to mitigate against potential unanticipated shocks beyond

our control we will seek to hold reserves of at least three months’ projected expenditure in

the bank at all times (£30,000 at the time of agreeing the policy). In addition, we will seek

to retain 15%-20% of all annual income as strategic reserves year on year. This target is

based on achieving income over expenditure of 30% in Year One and 27% in Year Two. This policy will ensure that, in case of crisis or wind-up, all North London Cares’ commitments to

employees, creditors, funders and participants can be met.

• Meeting financial commitments – In addition to holding three months’ projected

expenditure in reserve, North London Cares will also seek to have at least an additional three

months’ expenditure projection in banked cash on hand at all times. This will help ensure all financial responsibilities are met on an operational basis, as well as in the event of a crisis or

funding shortfall.

• Maximising growth potential – North London Cares is committed to growing in the short

term to ensure we support as many people in the communities we serve as possible. All

major finance decisions to support that growth/investment potential will be agreed by the

board and based on sound projections and guaranteed income streams (rather than from

reserves).

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• Quality of service – We are committed to obtaining and providing the best quality service we

can without undue expenditure and will make cost benefit analyses on all major spending.

It is the responsibility of the board, chief executive and all employees of the organisation to take consideration of the above commitments in all financial decision-making, and to consider prudence

at all stages. North London Cares will apply the same policy to engagements in employment, services, contracts, subscriptions and all other expenditures.

SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS

In addition to the above principles, all North London Cares employees and board members must agree to the following specific commitments:

• All employees will have access to cash cards and may spend up to £100 per transaction in

order to meet organisational delivery commitments previously agreed with the chief executive;

• As guidance, expenditure should be limited to a maximum: £30 per Social Club; £100 per

Lunch Club; £5 per Love Your Neighbour interaction; £10 for occasional taxis (only where

required by circumstance, never routinely). Additional expenditure above these guidelines but below £100 is at the discretion of staff members, reviewed by the chief executive monthly;

• Expenditure over £50 should be agreed by the Chief Executive in advance of purchase;

• All one off expenditures over £500 must be agree by the board in advance of purchase;

• All social expenditure on employee and volunteer social activities, such as major events,

lunches and meals out, must be agreed by the board in advance of purchase;

• All receipts and invoices must be kept and submitted to the chief executive for review and

submission to accountants and Companies House;

• Employee and Director/Trustee expenses connected to travel, delivery, equipment or other

costs associated with North London Cares will be covered by NL Cares Limited only and reimbursed to the relevant party within one month where claimed. These must be kept for submission to accountants and Companies House;

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• The chief executive will present the board with quarterly finance reports detailing income and

expenditure patterns, unusual spending and any other request which may be made to ensure financial probity during that quarter;

• The chief executive will review the basis of all grants, commissions and other income

quarterly and plan work streams accordingly, in order to ensure all funding commitments and

targets are met;

• The charity’s cashbook and bank statements will be randomly “spot check” reviewed by two

directors/trustees twice a year, to ensure probity, prudence and accuracy;

• North London Cares’ PayPal account should be randomly reviewed by two directors twice a

year, as this platform is particularly open to abuse.

• The charity’s appointed accountants should discuss the annual accounts with the board

before the are signed off and submitted to Companies House, every year.

Repeated failure by employees to adhere to this policy will result in disciplinary action in accordance with North London Cares’ disciplinary policy. This finance policy will be reviewed every 6 months.

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Environmental

North London Cares is committed to minimising the impact of our work on the environment. The strategy we have adopted to achieve this is:

• To minimise waste, evaluating operations and ensuring they are efficient and necessary;

• To minimise toxic emissions through the selection and usage of power;

• To actively promote recycling both internally and by all participants and stakeholders;

• To seek to minimise the environmental impact of our work in general;

• To meet or exceed the requirements of all environmental legislation relating to North London Cares.

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Complaints North London Cares always seeks to impress and enthuse all our neighbours, volunteers, partner

organisations, funders and other stakeholders with a professional, sensitive, trusted and deliverable programme of activities and interactions. We understand that without the support of those many

stakeholders we cannot achieve our mission of connecting people and building communities, and therefore endeavour to be the best in everything we do.

However, we appreciate that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. It is

therefore imperative that we have a formal process by which members of the public, funders, partners or other stakeholders can express their concerns and record complaints to the

organisation. More details about where to send complaints can be found on our website at http://www.northlondoncares.org.uk/complaints.

North London Cares takes all complaints very seriously and treats them as an opportunity to

improve our work. We will therefore always listen to and thank individuals or groups who may complain about our work. We will respond fully and conclusively to any complaints made to us about our work as soon as possible, and always within seven days of the complaint being made. We

will respond appropriately and accordingly to complaints made in writing, in person, by e-mail, by telephone or by social and digital media.

Our procedure will be to first apologise to the complainant, and then to seek to gather all the

relevant information and evidence regarding the complaint, from whichever parties may have been present. Where possible, we will hold a telephone or face-to-face conversation with the complainant

in order to establish the facts and offer to make amends. We will not seek to engage in lengthy debates about the causes of a particular complaint. Rather, we will seek to understand the situation

with empathy and sensitivity, in order to come to an acceptable resolution.

Any complaint made directly about an employee or Board member of North London Cares will be taken very seriously. If this occurs, disciplinary procedures contained in contracts of employment

and in our disciplinary policy will be applied, and the relevant course taken with the discretion of the chief executive and Board where required.

Complaints about volunteers will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately by a member of

North London Cares staff, including the chief executive where appropriate. These complaints may take various forms:

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• Informal or “off the cuff” comments will be acknowledged conversationally and dealt with by a member of staff if required, with justifications or explanations provided.

• Private and direct complaints will be heard fully by a member of staff, with due consideration

for the complaint made and justifications, explanations and informal apologies given if

necessary. No further action shall be taken.

• Telephone or written complaints will be investigated formally, with a short report written and

presented to the board if the issue is decided by the chief executive to be sufficiently serious.

Participants making this type of complaints will receive an answer within 10 working days, and a full apology if necessary.

If there is sufficient evidence that a volunteer has acted inappropriately, that individual will be struck

off the North London Cares volunteer database immediately and without warning, and will not be eligible to participate in future North London Cares programmes.

Complaints made by volunteers about the neighbours they spend time with will be investigated in

the same way. Where evidence is presented to suggest that a neighbour has acted inappropriately, that neighbour will not be invited to return to North London Cares events in future, nor will they be permitted to receive support from North London Cares centrally or from our volunteers. The reasons

for this will be explained in full.

There may be discretionary circumstances in which North London Cares does not choose to respond to a complaint at all. These circumstances may include:

• When someone pursues a complaint that we have already responded to reasonably;

• When a complaint is obviously abusive, prejudiced or unfounded;

• When a complainant is harassing a North London Cares employee, volunteer or neighbour;

• When a complainant is incoherent, illegible or aggressive;

• When a complainant is not specific or has clearly been sent to complain to other

organisations simultaneously as part of a coordinated campaign; or

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• When a complaint is anonymous or unsubstantiated.

If a complaint is made by any party and subsequently dropped, we will do all we can to move on from the situation without further investigation, action or residual feeling. However, it is our priority

to protect all North London Cares stakeholders according to our safeguarding policy and to ensure they are receiving a safe and enjoyable experience from our work. Discretion will therefore be

applied, and the decision of the Chief Executive and Board is final.

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Disciplinary North London Cares’ most valuable asset is its people, particularly our valued employees, who are

the heart and soul of the organisation. Our goal is to ensure employees are made to feel welcome, valued, included, supported and encouraged to succeed. We will always seek to communicate

openly and effectively with employees. The chief executive and the board will in the first instance manage any issues that may arise informally, before considering disciplinary procedures. However,

in some circumstances, it may become necessary to enter formal disciplinary actions in the best interests of North London Cares.

A formal disciplinary action may be applied at any time during an employee’s employment with

North London Cares. It must always take one of the following forms:

• A verbal warning to the employee, including a clear explanation of the reasons for that

warning. This action will take place in response to minor offences, including but not exclusive

to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment, resources or the internet; breach

of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the verbal warning will be recorded and constitutes a

formal disciplinary action.

• A first written warning to the employee, setting out the reasons for that formal warning. This

action will take place in response to a first serious offence or repeated minor offences, including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for

work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment, resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or

appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the first written warning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.

• A second written warning to the employee, again setting out reasons for that formal

warning. This action will take place in response to a second serious offence or repeated

minor offences, including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of

equipment, resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the

second written warning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.

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• A final warning to the employee to take the form of a meeting with the board. This action is

the most serious disciplinary action and constitutes the final warning before dismissal. The meeting should be recorded in minutes. It must be made clear that the final warning meeting

is part of the formal disciplinary process.

Any of the above actions can be entered into at any time without the necessary engagement of the prior steps. However, there must be a minimum of three of the four stages, recorded and

understood, before dismissal can occur. At each stage, an employee may appeal in writing to the board, which will meet to discuss the action within three working days. The board will respond to

the employee’s grievance in writing within seven days. At each stage of formal disciplinary action the decision of the board is final.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013