knowing your role

All Volunteers are required to agree and sign to this agreement prior to their match starting and then annually. Your branch should send you this to complete.

If you wish to complete this form, visit this link, fill it out, and when completed, it will automatically be emailed to your branch and yourself.

When you sign the agreement, you also agree to the Code of Conduct.

Volunteer Agreement

Please note the form below is a sample only, to complete the form, please go here

Big Brothers Big Sisters wants to provide the best conditions to encourage and support the development and safety of the young people/taiohi being mentored. This requires clarification of the role, boundaries and limitations of volunteer mentors/tuakana tūao. In this regard, volunteers/tūao are asked to agree to the following:

Description of Role

Volunteer Mentors/ Tuakana Tūao will:

be a friend to the Young Person/Taiohi, and maintain contact on a regular and consistent basis.
be a consistent and positive role model by modelling responsible behaviours such as reliability, respect, honesty, and a concern for the protection and wellbeing of young people/taiohi.

Duration and Contact

Volunteers/Tūao are required to commit to their mentoring relationship for a minimum period of 12 months from the start of a match.

Volunteers/Tūao are expected to maintain weekly contact with their Young Person/Taiohi for the first year except when they have extenuating circumstances or by arrangement with their Coordinator/Kairuruku.
In subsequent years, mentoring will remain regular but can be adjusted in its frequency by agreement with their Coordinator/Kairuruku and the Young Person/Taiohi and whānau.

School/Kura Based Mentoring

All mentoring sessions will take place on school/kura grounds, within school hours, during the school/kura term.
Volunteers/Tūao who have been in their relationship for at least 6 months may wish to regularly or sporadically have mentoring sessions out of school/kura hours. Before this occurs, the Volunteer/Tūao must contact their Coordinator/Kairuriku and complete a transition process.

Community/Hapori Based Mentoring

For the first 3 months of the mentoring match, no sessions shall take place in the Volunteers/Tūao home/whare.
No sessions are to take place in the Young Person/Taiohi home/whare without the Coordinator/Kairuruku consent.

Volunteer/Tūao Behaviour and Activities

Volunteers/Tūao are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct which is attached to this agreement.
Volunteers/Tūao will have access to a set of risk management analyses of activities in mentoring.
Volunteers/Tūao must consider the dangers involved in activities and where there is any doubt they should contact their Coordinator/Kairuruku. This is particularly when undertaking activities that are generally perceived as dangerous such as

o Use of firearms.

o Outdoor adventure pursuits including rock climbing, kayaking, tramping, boating.

o Transporting a child in a non-commercial aircraft.

o Trips outside the Branch Service Delivery area. Travel outside of Aotearoa New Zealand is not permitted.

Big Brothers Big Sisters has adopted The Code of Ethics for Youth Work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Where available, further training in ethics in Youth Work will be offered.

I have read and understoof the Code of Conduct and agree to adhere to it

I know how to access the Risk Analysis forms for mentoring activities

Social Media Policy

Social networking between Volunteers/Tūao and Young People/Taiohi is not permitted except by agreement with a Coordinator/Kairuruku.

I will not connect with my young person/taiohi or their family/whānau through any social networking; nor will I accept a “friend” invitation from my Young Person/Taiohi or any of their family/whānau without the agreement of a Coordinator/Kairuruku.

Supervision and Accountability

Each Volunteer/Tūao will be assigned a Coordinator/Kairuruku to provide accountability and support to the mentoring process. It requires commitment and openness from both the S Coordinator/Kairuruku and Volunteer/Tūao. Both parties commit to:

Supervision initiated by the Coordinator/Kairuruku monthly for the first year and quarterly from then on.
The Coordinator/Kairuruku will initiate and the contact will be phone, email or in-person.
The Coordinator/Kairuruku will keep case notes of the mentoring match.
The Volunteer/Tūao is encouraged to contact their Coordinator/Kairuruku at any other times for assistance, support or to report any incident or crisis.

If the Volunteer/Tūao makes no contact with programme staff for three consecutive months, the mentoring relationship may be suspended until any issues are resolved. If no further contact is made, the match will be closed.

Criminal checks

Prior to being matched, volunteers must give their consent to be police checked. To align with the Children’s Act 2014, the check will be done again every 2 years for the duration of the match. Volunteers/Tūao are expected to inform BBBS of any convictions, including any driving convictions that accrue demerit points, as well as any charges that may have been laid against the Volunteer for any offense.

I consent for the Programme Manager to do 2 yearly background checks.

Transportation

Volunteers are permitted to transport their Young Person/Taiohi, where the parent/caregiver/kaitiaki has given permission for this to happen. Tamariki aged 7 and under must travel in an approved child restraint (booster seat). From age 7-8, they should be in a child restraint if one is available. Volunteers/Tūao are expected to keep their car warranted and registered and their driver’s license current and inform BBBS if their license is revoked.

I confirm that my vehicle(s) used for mentoring has current WOF and Registration and that my drivers license is current and valid.

Confidentiality

Any information gathered concerning the Volunteer/Tūao including all contact details and criminal histories is kept on a secure database by Big Brothers Big Sisters. This information will not be passed on to any other agency except:

For school/kura based mentoring, contact details for the Volunteer/Tūao will be passed on to school staff kaimahi kura.
For community/hapori based mentoring, the Volunteer/Tūao will be required to give a contact phone number to the Parent/Caregiver/Kaitiaki (and address/kāinga noho in instances where they mentor in their own home/whare)

Volunteers/Tūao must not pass on any confidential information about a Young Person/Taiohi to any individual outside of Big Brothers Big Sisters without the Young Persons/Taiohi informed consent and their Coordinators/Kairuruku agreement. This includes information about the participation of the Young Person/Taiohi in the programme.

Limits of Confidentiality

If a Volunteer/Tūao receives information that a Young Person/Taiohi may be a danger to themselves, or to others, necessary steps must be taken to protect the appropriate individual. In each of the following situations, the Coordinators/Kairuruku must be contacted:

In the case of a potential suicide attempt or self-harm by the Young Person/Taiohi
In the case of the Young Person/Taiohi being violent towards others. Actual or threatened violence is a criminal act.
Where a Young Person/Taiohi communicates specific intent of an unlawful act, which will be committed.
Where a Young Person/Taiohi discloses, or the Volunteer/Tūao has serious concerns about abuse, sexual, physical or emotional, the Child Protection Policy details the appropriate process.
Where a Young Person/Taiohi reports their involvement in a criminal act.

Disputes and Grievances

If the Volunteer/Tūao considers they have a grievance they will follow the process detailed in the Complaints procedure:

Any disputes, which arise regarding this agreement, should be submitted to the Programme Manager in the first instance.
The Trust will not be liable for any criminal activities or neglect caused by the Volunteer/Tūao. The Trust will provide volunteers with public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
If information is received, which in the professional opinion of the staff makes the Volunteer/Tūao unsuitable for mentoring; Big Brothers Big Sisters reserves the right to exclude the Volunteer/Tūao immediately.

Photo Consent

The agency may from time to time use photos of Volunteers/Tūao and young people to promote mentoring. Please circle your response below:

I do, āe / do not, kāo (please circle one) consent to photographs/videos of myself participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters programme activities used for publicity and promotion purposes.

This agreement is valid for one year and must be signed for each year of the match duration.