Comments, Compliments & Complaints Procedure Mantell Gwynedd - click here

Voluntary and community groups play an important role in providing services for children, young people and adults. It is essential that services and activities which are provided by agencies and organisations are as safe as they can be. In order to ensure this, there is a need to have safeguards in place in every organisation.

In the UK, the law states that all under 18 year old are classed as children. Having safeguards in place will help your group protect vulnerable individuals from harm and abuse. It will also help staff and volunteers to know what to do if they are concerned about a child or young person.

NSPCC use the word “safeguarding” to mean the process of protecting a person from harm – whether this harm is caused by accidents, deliberate abuse, neglect (deliberate or not) or factors such as bullying, prejudicial attitudes or a failure to enable a person to participate in activities that are open to most of their peers.

Click here to go to the Safeguarding page

Commity Halls Marketing Toolkit

Powys Voluntary Council has produced this Marketing Toolkit for Community Halls. It’s translated by Gwynedd Council. This is a very useful tool for those responsible for the halls and to try ensure the best use of the halls, also to help you consider what facilities you have and how to convey that to the community. Bethan Jones Parry will also be discussing how to market Village Halls in the next Community Halls Forum that will be in the Ganolfan, Porthmadog, 19th March 2014 – click here

Final Statuory Safeguarding Guidance - click here

Accessing pro bono advice services - click here

• 1.1 First steps - from idea to action
  

• 1.2 Involving the community

• 1.3 Involving service users

• 1.4 Planning your work
  

• 1.5 Choosing legal structures
  

• 1.6 Charitable status
  

• 1.7 Where to go for help

• 1.8 Model Constitution for setting up a small charity

• 1.9 Charitable Incorporated Organisations

• 2.1 Developing a strategic plan

• 2.2 The Business Plan

• 2.3 Effective meetings
  

• 2.4 Effective Annual General Meetings
  

• 2.5 Quality
  

• 2.6 Monitoring and evaluation
  

• 2.7 Risk management
  

• 2.8 Health & safety
  

• 2.9 Equal opportunities
  

• 2.10 Welsh language - legal context
  

• 2.11 Insurance
  

• 2.12 Data protection

• 2.13 Community Action to tackle Climate Change

• 2.13.1 Where to go for help on action on climate change

• 2.14 Using freelance trainers and consultants

• 2.15 Green policy

• 2.16 Environmental Sustainability management systems

• 2.17 Impact and impact measurement

• 2.18 Social Value Policy

• 3.1 Consensus building
  

• 3.2 Community participation and engagement methods
  

• 3.3 Partnership

• 3.4 Compacts
  

• 3.5 Customer care
  

• 3.6 Networks
  

• 3.7 Commissioning
  

• 3.8 Contracts

• 3.9 Wales’ International Development Network

• 3.10 Public law remedies-challenging decisions made by public bodies

• 4.1 Thinking about volunteering

• 4.2 Developing a volunteer strategy
  

• 4.3 Creating a volunteering policy 
  

• 4.4 Recruiting, selecting and inducting volunteers
  

• 4.5 Attracting Welsh speaking volunteers
  

• 4.6 Diversity in volunteering

• 4.6.1 Equality and diversity monitoring for volunteers
  

• 4.7 How to ensure volunteer satisfaction 
  

• 4.8 Keeping volunteers safe

• 4.8.1 Risk assessment - volunteers based at home
  

• 4.9 Safeguarding and good management practices 
  

• 4.10 Criminal records checks
  

• 4.11 Volunteers and the law
  

• 4.12 Volunteers and welfare benefits
  

• 4.13 Volunteer expenses
  

• 4.14 Investing in Volunteers
  

• 4.15 Supporting harder to place volunteers 

• 4.16 Involving young people as volunteers

• 4.17 Understanding mental health and volunteering

• 4.18 Volunteer Drivers

• 4.19 The economic value of volunteers

• 4.20 Employer Supported Volunteering

• 4.21 What do Volunteer Centres do in Wales?

• 4.22 Managing volunteer exits 

• 4.23 Volunteers and insurance

• 4.24 Involving volunteers from overseas
  

• 4.25 The language of volunteering - terms explained

• 4.26 Managing concerns relating to volunteers

• 4.27 Promoting Welsh Language through volunteering

• 4.28 Welcoming volunteers who are asylum seekers or refugees

• 4.29 Carers and volunteering

• 5.1 Principles of governance

• 5.2 Trustee duties and responsibilities
  

• 5.3 Governing body structures and honorary officers
  

• 5.4 Recruitment, selection and induction
  

• 5.5 Training and development for trustees
  

• 5.6 Working with the chief officer
  

• 5.7 Liability of trustees and governing body members
  

• 5.8 Trustee indemnity insurance

• 5.9 Winding up - the steps involved and alternative options

• 5.10 Register of People with Significant Control

• 6.1 Working in the voluntary sector
  

• 6.2 Employing staff for the first time
  

• 6.3 Drawing up a Job Specification
  

• 6.4 Advertising your vacancy
  

• 6.5 Selecting your candidate
  

• 6.6 Producing a written statement
  

• 6.7 Induction, training and development
  

• 6.8 Supervision and appraisal
  

• 6.9 Grievance
  

• 6.10 Harassment
  

• 6.11 Redundancy policy

• 6.12 Health and safety policy

• 6.13Sickness policy

• 6.14Family friendly policies

• 6.14.1 Maternity policy

• 6.14.2 Paternity policy

• 6.14.3 Adoption policy

• 6.14.4 Right to request flexible working

• 6.15 Equal opportunities policy

• 6.16 Whistleblowing policy

• 6.17 Retirement policy

• 6.18 Disciplinary policy

• 7.1 Developing a fundraising strategy
  

• 7.2 Grants - fit for funding
  

• 7.3 Applying to funders
  

• 7.3.1 Accounting for volunteers' time in funding applications

• 7.5 Loans
  

• 7.6.1 Fundraising events
  

• 7.6.2 Fundraising legacies
  

• 7.6.3 Fundraising donations
  

• 7.7 Introduction to procurement

• 7.7.1 Introduction to tendering

• 7.7.2 Developing a successful tender

• 7.7.3 Costing your tender
  

• 7.8 Trading

• 7.8.1 Charity Shops
  

• 7.9 Giving (sources of funding)
  

• 7.10 Tax effective giving

• 7.10.1 Introduction to payroll giving

• 7.10.2 Payroll fundraising

• 7.10.3 Payroll giving consortia

• 7.10.4 Introduction to Gift Aid

• 7.10.5 Gift Aid Promotion

• 7.10.6 Gift Aid Record Keeping

• 7.10.7 Gift Aid FAQ
  

• 7.11 Corporate funding

• 7.12 Spatial European Teams

• 7.13 Working together to raise income

• 7.14 Community Investment

• 8.1 Setting up a financial system
  

• 8.2 Setting a budget
  

• 8.3 Full cost recovery
  

• 8.4 Monitoring expenditure and budget
  

• 8.5 Financial controls
  

• 8.6 Annual accounts and audit
  

• 8.7 VAT
  

• 8.8 Payroll
  

• 8.9 Reserves

• 8.10 Pensions

• 8.11 Avoiding fraud

• 8.12 Ensuring you have a good reserve policy

• 8.13 How reserves should be invested

• 8.14 How to write a good investment policy

• 9.1 Buildings
  

• 9.2 Running buildings
  

• 9.3 Land
  

• 9.4 Information Technology
  

• 9.5 Vehicles
  

• 9.6 Intellectual property

• 10.1 Communications and marketing plan
  

• 10.2 Creating effective marketing and publicity materials
  

• 10.3 Preparing newsletters
  

• 10.4 Working with the media
  

• 10.5 Effective press releases
  

• 10.6 The annual report
  

• 10.7 Website development and maintenance
  

• 10.8 Accessible formats and languages

• 10.9 New and Social Media in the Voluntary Sector

• 11.1 Who represents me?

• 11.2 Introduction to Welsh devolution and the Government of Wales Act 2006

• 11.3 National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government.

• 11.4 Assembly business and committees

• 11.6 Introduction to Assembly Measures

• 11.7 The National Assembly for Wales Commission

• 11.8 Petitioning the National Assembly for Wales

• 11.9 The National Assembly for Wales - Basic facts and Glossary

• 11.10 Local government information

• 11.11 Planning a Campaign

• 11.12 Campaigning and lobbying techniques

• 11.13 Local Authority Plans and Strategies

• 11.14 Local Government Scrutiny

• 11.15 Town and Community Councils

• 12.1 Introducing climate change
  

• 12.2 Why climate change issues are important for the third sector
  

• 12.3 Climate change as part of sustainable development
  

• 12.4 Climate change social justice - impacts on vulnerable groups
  

• 12.5 Climate change and environmental justice
  

• 12.6 Climate change and energy
  

• 12.7 Climate change and housing
  

• 12.8 Climate change and livelihoods
  

• 12.9 Climate change and health
  

• 12.10 Climate change and transport
  

• 12.11 Reduce your organisation or group’s carbon footprint
  

• 12.12 Take local community level action on climate change