Volunteers’ Code of Conduct
Transient Workers Count Too expects our volunteers to act with utmost integrity. Below is our Code of Conduct which all volunteers have to sign up to before starting off:
Commitment and responsibility
1.1 Volunteers’ primary responsibility is to provide aid and assistance to clients in a manner as directed by the management of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), and to promote the objectives of TWC2 by way of non-client activities such as communication, research, fundraising or administrative work.
1.2 Volunteers shall not abandon any commitment they have made to participate in or assist with any task, without making utmost efforts to ensure that the service to be provided or task to be performed will continue to be provided or performed by another, replacing, volunteer.
1.3 Volunteers shall keep their supervisors informed about any significant observation they make or news that they receive while in the course of attending to a client or volunteering at an event, where such observation or news may be relevant to TWC2 or a client’s case.
1.4 Where documentation of a case or activity is part of the task, volunteers shall do so promptly and with accuracy and completeness.
1.5 Where a task involves handling money, volunteers shall do so in full accordance with the rules and instructions set out by TWC2 management. Volunteers shall act with integrity and accountability.
Respecting the autonomy of clients
2.1 Volunteers are to regard clients as individuals with their own emotions, needs, wants and feelings and with a right to their own autonomy. Clients should be free to make their own decisions.
2.2 Volunteers have an obligation to provide as much information as they can to clients to enable clients to make informed decisions.
2.3 In discharging duties, volunteers shall not be partial or judgemental.
2.4 Volunteers shall respect the privacy and confidentiality of clients and their case details except where informed consent from the client or his authorised representative has been given. Even so, volunteers shall not use such information about clients and their case details in any way that is prejudicial to their interests.
Competence
3.1 Volunteers should be aware of their own scope of competence, and not act in any matter or with respect to any client where their own competence is insufficient.
3.2 Where volunteers’ competence is insufficient for undertaking a task or responding to an enquiry, volunteers should refer the matter or client to staff members or other volunteers of TWC2 who have the necessary competence. At the same time, volunteers themselves should seek to acquire the needed competence.
Appropriate conduct and conflicts of interest
4.1 Volunteers should not engage in physical contact with clients when such contact is unwarranted or when there is implicit or explicit objection from clients. Where physical contact is unavoidable in the course of client services, volunteers are to ensure that clear, appropriate and culturally-sensitive boundaries to such contact are set and observed.
4.2 Volunteers should not develop emotional or physical relationships with clients. Should these emerge, or should a client indicate an interest in such a relationship, a volunteer should promptly inform his supervisor and make arrangements to discharge himself, in an orderly way, from providing services to this client.
4.3 Volunteers should not solicit or accept any payment, whether in money or in kind, from clients in the course of performing their TWC2 duties. Should a client offer a gift, donation or compensation, such will be received as a gift, donation or compensation to TWC2, and not to the volunteer personally. Gifts, donations or compensation of substantial quantity or value, when offered, must be referred to TWC2 management for a decision about acceptance.
4.4 Volunteers should not use derogatory language in their written or verbal communication to or about clients. Volunteers should use accurate and respectful language in all communication to and about clients.
4.5 Volunteers should not admix their other projects, activities or goals with activities they perform on behalf of TWC2. Information provided by clients to TWC2 should not be used for any non-TWC2 purpose unless this has been approved by the volunteer’s supervisor.
4.6 Volunteers should not take advantage of their contacts and relationships with clients to further their business, religious, political or personal interests.
General
5.1 At no time should volunteers act in any way that risks bringing disrepute to TWC2.
5.2 When a volunteer is no longer actively volunteering with TWC2, the volunteer shall always make this clear to clients and contacts.
5.3 When a volunteer is no longer actively volunteering with TWC2, all information the volunteer has about clients and their cases should be returned to TWC2 or, if so directed by the volunteer’s supervisor, deleted. All other confidential information about TWC2 that the volunteer has received in the course of volunteering, and all materials and objects belonging to TWC2 shall also be returned or, if so directed by the volunteer’s supervisor, deleted or destroyed.