Demonstrating Your Duty of Care While Onboarding Volunteers

A HIGH STANDARD of care includes both parties demonstrating they care for each other. This begins with the screening and selection of staff and volunteers.

Duty of Care: The concept of duty of care identifies the relationship that exists between two parties (e.g. two individuals, an individual and an organization) and establishes the obligations that one owes the other, in particular the obligation to exercise reasonable care with respect to the interests of the other, including protection from harm.

Demonstrating duty of care begins with screening. This webinar will address the importance of a thorough screening process including volunteer position descriptions, applications, interview, references, Vulnerable Sector Checks (including changes within the Criminal Record Act), training, and approval. We will cover issues of Human Rights, confidentiality, planning ahead for off-ramps and exceptions in the screening process and managing your list of screened volunteers. We will also look at new concerns related to screening (i.e. Human Rights issues, Gender Identity, etc., what should and should not be asked during screening process, how to manage Vulnerable Sector Checks and fingerprinting and how to document the process to demonstrate your organization’s duty of care).  

Our Presenter:

Melodie Bissell is the President of Plan to Protect®, a company committed to providing the highest STANDARD of abuse prevention and protection to organizations servicing the vulnerable sector globally. The company services 7,500 volunteer driven organizations across North America including care homes, sports clubs, churches, community clubs, municipalities, transportation companies, etc. Melodie was honoured in 2014 as a Regional Finalist for the RBC Canadian Women’s Entrepreneur Award. She is also an avid author and blogger.