Resources for managing your volunteers

Involving volunteers in criminal justice

Clinks produces case studies that promote and support good practice in Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise work with volunteers. The case studies below showcase organisations who use volunteers successfully. We have chosen to focus particularly on how they recruit and retain volunteers.

2013

Our 2013 case studies focussed on three organisations: 

• Restore Support Network
• The Footprints Project
• Kainos Community

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2012

Our 2012 case studies focussed on four organisations:

• Nilaari 
• Signpost & Rite Direkshon 
• The Evolve Project at WomenCentre Calderdale & Kirklees 
• Women MATTA 

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2013 

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2012

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Evaluating the impact made by volunteers

Clinks have developed a set of evaluation tools for volunteering projects run by VCSE organisations working in the Criminal Justice System.

Alongside the evaluation tools, you'll find a set of analysis spreadsheets which will help you to enter, analyse and present the quantitative and qualitative data gathered using the tools.

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What works about the volunteering relationship?

In the course of our work on volunteering and mentoring, we have conducted in-depth interviews about the impact of volunteering with 54 people: service users, staff from statutory and VCSE organisations, and volunteers themselves, including peer volunteers.

This publication shares some of the insights we have gained from this work. VCSE organisations may find the information it contains useful to support funding applications; statutory and private sector organisations will find that it makes the case for volunteer involvement in their work.

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Managing Volunteers (2010)

Demonstrating Effectiveness (2010)

This guide aims to support organisations working with offenders and ex-offenders to demonstrate their effectiveness. The guide goes through the different steps that need to be considered when planning to demonstrate effectiveness with a particular focus on when volunteers are contributing to the delivery of a service.

Volunteer peer support (2012)

The purpose of this guide is to support Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and other agencies and stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System to deliver quality peer-to-peer services for people in custody, those released from prison and people serving community sentences.

Service User Involvement (2010)

Written by service users, this guide provides a structured and accessible introduction to involving offenders and ex-offenders in your work, including examples of good practice, checklists and signposting to further information and support.

Setting up a Project (2010)

This helps support organisations who are setting up a mentoring or befriending project to work with offenders and ex-offenders. The guide goes through the different elements that need to be considered when planning for a new service and gives interesting case studies of organisations working with offenders and ex-offenders.

Quality Standards (2010)

The purpose of this guide is to help support organisations working with offenders and exoffenders to gain an external quality standard for their work with offenders, ex-offenders, or their families. This guide explains what external quality standards are, why you would consider getting one, and then goes through the quality standards that are currently available and allows the reader to select which one is best for their organisation.

Trustees and board members (2012)

This Clinks guide has been written in response to requests from trustees of our member organisations. These trustees and board members were looking for basic information about the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and links to good practice around the roles and responsibilities taken on by trustees.

Volunteering in prison [October 2013, London]

Does your organisation work with offenders in prisons? Would you like to learn how to support and train staff and volunteers working with offenders in prisons?

If so, we'd like to invite you to our popular day's training [9th October, London] designed to support trainers and/or volunteer co-ordinators, managing and supporting volunteers and mentors. Find out more here

Volunteering with offenders in the community [November 2013, London]

Does your organisation work with offenders in the community?  Would you like to learn how to support and train staff and volunteers working with offenders in the community?

If so, come to our two day training course [13th & 14th November, London] and learn how to manage and support your volunteers and mentors. The course explores the Criminal Justice System from a practitioner and user perspective, looks at handling difficult situations, and examines the role of volunteers and the skills and qualities required. Find out more here