Volunteering England: Improvements to Voluntary Sector

This article comes as a result of contact with the Voluntary Sector and has given me sufficient concerns to produce an article to bring about a change in attitude and thoughts on a number of different aspects including a better multi-agency relationship approach.

These come in no particular order:

Are volunteer centres doing enough to reach out to socially excluded people?

No is the simple answer however let me elaborate further.

Volunteer Centres should play a more active role in our communities and engage with a more extensive range of people, all too often people who want to volunteer go to them to find opportunities if they do not go directly to the charities but never have I experienced volunteer centres identifying people and helping break down social barriers and needs to improve.

The groups of people identified below often for many reasons find themselves socially excluded for a period of time, some longer than others however if you actually find the time to meet with them, never give up on them ever perhaps they may have a passion that would benefit others even though the information they present may not be what you want to hear.

Unemployed People; Criminals; Youth; People with no references; Homeless; drug addicts; prostitutes & Mental Health Suffers.  These people exist in our society so please accept and enable them to make a difference to them and others.

The financial cost is actually very little with the small monthly inclusive cost for internet and phone however it is relationally that challenges their ability to the cost of the above people, some times I feel regarding certain people their behaviour is personal and cruel, until people complain a minority of the overall people who submit forms will be overlooked.

Should Volunteer Centres have better multi-agency relationships?

The simple answer is yes and perhaps these are some suggestions to attempt.

Volunteer centres should work in conjunction with the Prison Service to welcome people who are released into the community or from a sentence and encourage volunteer placements working with the probation service to help prevent re-offending. 

Should they have to wait until their rehabilitation period has ended then to get volunteering work which could be years down the line and in the interim may have committed further crimes, if all the correct agencies are working together and monitoring the individuals surely this can only benefit people.