On the day of Science in the Park, all volunteers will need to sign to say they have read and agree to comply with the British Science
Association’s Volunteer Agreement and Child Protection Policy, which is given here.
_The British Science Association has attempted to keep the rules that
constitute this agreement to a minimum, in order to demonstrate the
trust it
has in its volunteers and the confidence that normal standards of
behaviour will prevail through self-discipline rather than a rigid
application of
rules.
The rules the Association does have, therefore, are for a practical
purpose, to promote efficient and safe working, and are in addition to
the
expectations which society in general has regarding acceptable
behaviour.
The Association expect volunteers to remember that they are a
representative of the organisation and they all work towards the common
aims and
objectives. They also ask that volunteers work cooperatively with
staff and other volunteers and treat them with courtesy and respect.
Attendance and timekeeping
This is applicable to volunteers working directly with a member of
British Science Association staff, either at head office, a regional
office or at a
British Science Association event, such as the British Science
Festival. Volunteers are expected to ask their manager in advance
should they need to
be absent from or late to work for any reason (including all forms of
leave). The Association recognises that there may be times when this is
not
possible, and in these instances they should contact their manager at
the earliest opportunity.
Personal appearance
Whilst at public facing British Science Association events, dress
should be appropriate. The Association wishes to convey an impression of
efficiency
and organisation. Therefore, without wishing to impose unreasonable
obligations, volunteers are nonetheless requested to look smart in
appearance.
Health and safety
Volunteers are reminded that they have a duty to take reasonable care
for their health and safety at work and for that of your fellow
volunteers, and
to co-operate in carrying out any duty or requirement relating to
health and safety maters that is imposed upon the British Science
Association as a
volunteer-involving organisation. A copy of the full volunteer health
and safety policy statement is available to all volunteers. Further
copies may be
obtained if required from the HR Manager.
Personal use of the British Science Association’s resources
This is applicable to volunteers working at a British Science
Association office. The resources of the Association (which include, but
are not limited
to, supplies and equipment such as telephones, photocopiers and
Internet facilities) are for official use only. However, the Association
does recognise
that volunteers may occasionally need to use these resources for
personal reasons. Such use is permitted only in accordance with the
following
criteria:
The cost to the Association must be negligible;
Use must not interfere with the obligation to carry out duties in a timely and effective manner;
Use must in no way undermine the use of the Association’s resources for official business;
Use must neither express nor imply sponsorship or endorsement by the Association;
Use must be consistent with legislation regarding obscenity, libel and discrimination or other inappropriate activities.
In all cases volunteers are expected to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and not abuse this privilege.
Confidentiality
Volunteers have a duty of confidentiality towards the British Science
Association. Copyright, patents and intellectual property rights in any
invention, project or materials in any medium produced on behalf of
the British Science Association during the course of volunteering,
belong to the
British Science Association. Volunteers have a duty to keep
confidential, information and materials relating to the affairs of the
British Science
Association which are by nature confidential, both during and after
volunteering. This does not include anything which is published by the
British
Science Association or which comes into the public domain by another
means.
Gross misconduct
Volunteers are reminded that instances of gross misconduct can lead to summary dismissal.
Examples of gross misconduct include (but are in no way limited to) the following:
theft, fraud and deliberate falsification of records
physical violence
serious bullying or harassment
being under the influence of alcohol or drugs during working hours
serious damage to property
serious insubordination
Child protection
The purpose of the child protection policy is to ensure that all
British Science Association employees, activity providers, partners and
volunteers,
wherever they may be based, act in a positive way to ensure the safety
and protection of children and / or vulnerable adults, understand the
importance
of child protection in their activities and are aware of the steps
they must take to secure this.
This includes:
making sure they are wearing British Science Association or other appropriate badges
ensuring they are registered upon entering a public space and
making sure they are not left in a position where they have
unsupervised access to, or responsibility for, children and / or
vulnerable adults.
The British Science Association regards as absolutely unacceptable any
behaviour in relationships of trust involving children and adults
(vulnerable or
otherwise) during or after British Science Association activities, in
the fields of:
bullying
racism
uncontrolled anger
aggression
inappropriate touching
sexual behaviour
smoking, alcohol or drugs
inappropriate offers of transport
inappropriate internet, email and other forms of communication
Ultimately, any employee, activity provider, partner or volunteer who
has evidence suggesting inappropriate behaviour must take steps to
protect
children by:
assessing the situation;
intervening appropriately to stop it;
ensuring the child and / or vulnerable adult is safe and secure until further help is at hand, and
reporting the situation to the Chief Executive and the Director of
Finance and Administration, who will then take appropriate action.
The British Science Association takes seriously and will investigate
all cases of alleged breaches of the British Science Association policy
and code
of conduct on child protection. Failure to act responsibly in the
manner described above may make employees subject to the British Science
Association’s disciplinary procedure, and may forestall any future
relationship with the British Science Association for activity
providers, partners
and volunteers.
In all cases, no such action will be taken until a full and impartial
investigation has been conducted. However, suspension from involvement
in British
Science Association activities involving children and /or vulnerable
adults (or in the case of employees from all British Science Association
work) may
be deemed appropriate in certain circumstances whilst an investigation
is in process.
Further information
Further information on child protection and police disclosures are available from the NSPCC website, and from
the Criminal Records Bureau website.
