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This Charter contains our statement of intent as we carry out our responsibilities to volunteers - there is another one specifically for placements. We publish it here in a desire to be accountable as to how we measure up to it - if you have any comments or suggestions do let us know.

Publicity

To present to Christians a true picture of the opportunities and demands on a volunteer during a Careforce year.

To draw attention to the real needs and challenges within the UK which a volunteer can help meet.

To teach by word and example the true nature of Christian service and the demands of being a disciple of Jesus in today's world.

Placements

To ensure that every Careforce placement is an evangelical church or organisation with clear spiritual aims and objectives and with a long term vision for their ministry.

To ensure every Careforce placement is in an area of genuine need (although not necessarily a UPA) and with a group of local Christians aiming to reach out in the name of Jesus to their own community.

To ensure that all Careforce placements have a role for a volunteer that is integral to their mission strategy and is clearly defined, reasonable and yet flexible to suit a volunteer's particular gifts.

To ensure that every Careforce placement provides for all practical matters for their volunteer including effective pastoral support.

Applications, Interviews and Placing

To be aware from the first moment of contact of Careforce's pastoral responsibility to those applying, including those for whom our programme is not right.

To process applications and to interview applicants fairly and prayerfully, seeking both to ascertain an applicant's suitability and gifts and giving them opportunity to express this for themselves, whilst also considering written Christian and academic references and relevant health matters.

To have an application system which treats with equal importance those from any background.

To place as volunteers only those who are committed Christians and who demonstrate the reality of their faith through their lives and in what they tell us. Also to be aware of the degree of maturity and matching inter-personal skills asked for by each placement.

To make placement matching decisions clearly and transparently, with integrity and in a prayerful manner. To communicate these decisions speedily to all involved.

To ensure volunteers visit their prospective placement in order to gain enough information to help them make a final decision in co-operation with the leaders on that placement.

Support

To maintain an active responsibility for all volunteers throughout their year and to act in partnership with the placement supervisors and under the direction of the Careforce Council.

To ensure all volunteers have clearly identified people for support on their placements. These to include, but not limited to, work supervisors to whom volunteers are responsible day by day and pastoral carers to encourage and to be trusted friends. To ensure volunteers meet regularly with each.

To encourage those volunteers not on church placements to find and get involved in fellowships local to their placements including, where possible, Sunday services and other church activities as their duties allow.

To encourage volunteers to maintain links with their own 'home' churches, and to encourage those churches to recognise and support the work of 'their' volunteer throughout the year, through prayer, communication, commissioning, and where possible a gift to Careforce.

To match all volunteers to a Careforce staff worker, who will visit them on placement at least twice a year, and be available to all volunteers for the whole year to provide support, correspondence, a listening ear and regular prayer.

To encourage and assist all volunteers to form area groups that will meet regularly to provide peer support for each other.

To put on two national conferences during the year for all volunteers, to provide Bible teaching, relevant practical advice, fellowship, inspiration and spiritual refreshment.

To provide other resources for all volunteers, including an audio library of useful teaching and praise.

To encourage volunteers to be aware of local opportunities for training and development relevant both to their work on placement and their future plans.

To help develop volunteers through their experiences, especially seeking genuine growth in their spiritual lives.

To assist all volunteers to discern their longer term plans/vocation and to give all volunteers the option of spending a second year with Careforce either on their existing placement or on another new placement.

Practical matters

Accommodation and Food - To ensure all volunteers have comfortable, stress-free accommodation and that full provision is made for a balanced diet of food.

Time off - To ensure all volunteers have regular time off, amounting to one day a week and at least one week's paid leave for every three months worked.

Financial matters - To ensure all volunteers receive the stipulated amount of living allowance each week and that no volunteer has to leave a year's placement with less money than they started due to the direct demands of the Careforce year.

Sponsorship - To invite all volunteers to raise some financial support for Careforce and to assist those able to do so with relevant literature and encouragement.

Insurance - To ensure all volunteers are insured for Public Liability and Personal Accident, either through Careforce or their placement.

Problems in Placements

To ensure that when problems arise for volunteers on placement, whether it be with 'staff' or 'clients', that there are procedures in place to aid both volunteers and supervisors to resolve such conflicts.

To ensure that before major decisions are made about a volunteer's future with a placement there has been full consultation with Careforce staff.