3) Separation and boundaries of confidentiality;

4) A method to withdraw complaints at any time;

5) A process for complaints included in the induction process;

6) Volunteers have the right to appeal.

Complaints by Volunteers:

As already stated, minor matters can be prevented from becoming major issues through good lines of communication, supervision and support. If a matter cannot be resolved through informal discussions, keeping guidelines as straightforward as possible can help ease frustration. Long, drawn out and complicated processes could be seen as a deliberate form of intimidation to prevent issues being reported in the first place and to prevent matters being dealt with swiftly / justly. Building on the framework described above, if volunteers wish to make a complaint, there needs to be:

1) An explanation of the options available in order to make a complaint;

2) A procedure for putting complaints in writing;

3) An acknowledgement that making a complaint against another volunteer will not prejudice their opportunity to continue to volunteer for the organisation.

4) Documentation of the complaint and subsequent meeting/s to resolve the problem and the outcome should be kept on record.

5) The right to withdraw from their involvement with the organisation or be given extra support to continue, whilst the complaint is being dealt with.

If the complaint is of a serious nature, it may require the involvement of a manager, or chair of the management committee.

In situations where a volunteer makes a complaint, he/she should be informed of the outcome.

Complaints against Volunteers:

In most circumstances, concerns about a volunteer's conduct should be dealt with in supervisory meetings, for example where someone starts interfering with other people’s work. The important point here is that dealing with a complaint at an early stage and in a more informal way is more likely to result in a satisfactory outcome by monitoring and intervention before possible problems are realised is preferable to sorting out problems after the event.

In situations where a volunteer has seriously breached his/her responsibilities, he/she can be asked to leave the organisation. However, these situations need to be specified at the time of induction. They may include, but not limited to, the following:

1) Theft of property;

2) Act of violence;

3) Falsifications of records;