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Quality Standard for volunteer-involving organisations
Volunteer Ireland is delighted to announce that we recently secured funding from the EU as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 to develop a framework for a national quality standard for involving volunteers. This is in recognition of the key role best practice standards play in improving the quality of experience for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations.
In collaboration with Business in the Community Ireland, Focus Ireland, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and a working group consisting of Volunteer Centres and volunteer involving organisations, Volunteer Ireland has commissioned Volunteer Now, the centre of expertise and excellence for volunteering in the North of Ireland, to develop this framework.
In order to ensure that the new framework is representative of the needs and views of the community and voluntary sector in Ireland, Volunteer Now has commenced research (via questionnaires and focus groups) to gather the views of both volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations on what should be included in the standards. If you are a volunteer or an organisation that involves volunteers in your work and would like to share your views please click on one of the links below to fill out the questionnaire. Details of our focus groups in South or North Leinster, Cork or the Midlands are outlined below. To attend a focus group please contact Christine at Christine.Irvine@volunteernow.co.uk. Focus group participants will be reimbursed for their travel expenses.
Update: the surveys have now closed, thanks to all those who participated in the research.
The national quality standard for involving volunteers will be developed by spring 2012 and will first be piloted by Focus Ireland. Volunteer Ireland envisions the final version of the quality standard will be available to all volunteer-involving organisations across the country in late 2012.
Focus Group details:
South Leinster
Date: Thursday 24th November
Location: South Dublin County Volunteer Centre, Block 2, Unit F, Exchange Hall, Belgard Square North, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Organisation Focus Group Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Volunteer Focus Group Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
North Leinster
Date: Friday 25th November
Location: Room 1, Floor 2, Blanchardstown Library, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin 15
Organisation Focus Group Times: 10am - 11:30am and 12pm - 1:30pm
Volunteer Focus Group Time: 2:15pm - 3:45pm
Munster
Date: Friday 25th November
Location: Civic Trust House, 50 Pope’s Quay, Cork
Volunteer Focus Group Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Organisation Focus Group Time: 2pm - 3:30pm
Midlands
Date: Friday 2nd December
Location: Athlone Community Taskforce offices, Ball Alley Lane, Parnell Square, Athlone
Volunteer Focus Group Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Organisation Focus Group Time: 2pm - 3:30pm
