The Support Service for Voluntary & Community Groups in Wiltshire

Human Resources - Staff & Volunteers

GROW HR Information & Support Service

Initial Electronic Information Service - Signposting on Specific Queries

Do you have a personnel query that could be dealt with by our initial electronic information service? Our voluntary sector specialist Human Resources advisor Rachel Nouch is available to answer small queries by email, you just send in your question and she will respond with information, support and signposting to various useful resources. Please send your questions by email to

HumanResources@GrowWiltshire.org.uk.

Longer & More Complicated Issues

All voluntary & community groups in Wiltshire are welcome to a FREE appointment with GROW’s voluntary sector specialist Human Resources advisor, our own HR Associate Rachel Nouch. You are able to meet with Rachel for up to one hour to discuss your HR queries or concerns, she will give you information, support and signpost you to the necessary documentation if required.

After your one hour appointment you will be provided with information, support and signposting to help with your query, if both you and Rachel determine further specialist support is required we will provide you with a cost to take away.

You are under no obligation to take up this service. Charges for HR advice beyond the initial appointment are fair and low cost to voluntary and community groups. To find out more or book an appointment please call 0845 034 5250.

GROW Factsheets:

Employment Law Sources of Information

Recruitment & Employment - Guidance

Recruitment & Employment - Procedures

Staff Supervision & Appraisal - Good Procedures and Practice

Useful Resources:

H&S Policies and Risk Assessments-

The HSE website now includes a downloadable risk assessment and policy template which brings together an organisation's risk assessment, health and safety policy and record of health and safety arrangements in one document.

The template can be accessed via tinyurl.com/64fafj5.

I recommend that volunteer-using organisations change the second item in the template's statement of general policy to "To provide adequate training to ensure employees and volunteers are competent to do their work", and the third item to "To engage and consult with employees and volunteers on day-to-day health and safety conditions and provide advice and supervision on occupational health". Example risk assessments on the HSE website — including for charity shops, food preparation and service, and village halls (also suitable for small community centres and similar premises) — can be used as guides for completing the template, or can be used separately from the template.

The example risk assessments can be accessed here. Information from Sandy Adirondack’s Legal Update.

Helpful Guides to Help Navigate Criminal Records Bureau Forms -

The Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) have published two guides to help with the completion of CRB forms: ‘An applicant's guide to completing the CRB application form’ provides general rules for applicants, from how to record current and previous names and address history through to returning the completed form to the Countersignatory.

The ‘Countersignatory’s guide to completing the CRB application form’ is designed for the organisations that countersign the application. This guide supports the applicant’s guidance and provides general rules about checking an applicant’s identity, the level of check to apply for and checking and signing the form.

This guidance is designed to reduce common errors. If you discover anything that is missing or not clear in the guidance please let Peter Horner, Policy Officer at NAVCA know so these can be passed on to the CRB.

Recruitment advertising - FREE for all voluntary & community organisations who are members of the GROW website.

HRBank- a collection of human resources policies and job descriptions donated by voluntary and community organisations, which are available for organisations to amend and tailor to their own needs.

Commercial Services - Risk Remedy is an HR package for small organisations offered by Nat West and Royal Bank of Scotland which comes recommended by some of our members.

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Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 16, 2012 at 12:16: Safeguarding: The Protection of Freedoms Bill has now finished its passage through Parliament and will now be known as the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. This is the piece of legislation which (when in force) will abolish the registration and monitoring requirements of the Vetting and Barring Scheme and also merge the CRB and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The planned operational date for the new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is December 2012. A brief summary is available on the website of the Independent Safeguarding Authority at http://www.isa.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 16, 2012 at 12:08: The CIPD has updated its factsheet entitled "Charity trustees". See: http://bit.ly/K7c2NO

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 14, 2012 at 12:47: Applications are now open for ‘A Day in the Life’ Work Shadow Scheme. 'A Day in the Life' is a free work shadowing initiative that provides a unique opportunity for staff in government and Civil Society to step into each other's shoes for a day and learn about how the 'other side' operates.

Closing date for applications is Friday 13 July. See: http://bit.ly/KW9YYP

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 14, 2012 at 12:47: The holiday season is now with us, and early next month there's an extra bank holiday.

The additional holiday is on Tuesday, June 5, to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with the last bank holiday in May being moved to Monday, June 4, for a long weekend.

ACAS have provided guidance for employers to manage additional requests for time off whist ensuring the organisation runs over the holiday period. See: http://bit.ly/KkPJqS

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 9, 2012 at 16:00: The Health and Safety Executive has issued guidance entitled "Health risk management. A practical guide for managers in small and medium-sized enterprises" see:http://bit.ly/JZnyxu

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 2, 2012 at 13:37: The CIPD has recently updated its perfromance appriasal factsheet: http://bit.ly/IuNmjn

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 2, 2012 at 12:18: PEACe HR Services offer 30 min free advice every month for all NCVO voluntary sector members, NCVO members can also now benefit from a 10% discount on all PEACe services.

They also offer free advice for NCVO members with five or less employees on the first Thursday of every month, that’s this week! See: http://bit.ly/IlrIM8

Comment by Rachel Nouch on May 1, 2012 at 14:00: Mental health problems cost employers in the UK £30 billion a year through lost production, recruitment and absence - so why aren't we doing more about it? ACAS has issued guidance entitled "Promoting positive mental health at work” see: http://bit.ly/IDbZgw

Comment by Rachel Nouch on April 16, 2012 at 11:19: New rates for statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay are in effect for complete pay weeks starting on or after 1 April see: http://bit.ly/IQOLj5

Comment by Rachel Nouch on April 16, 2012 at 11:16: Qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal is increased from one year to two years for people hired on or after 6 April. See: http://bit.ly/IqJX41

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 22, 2012 at 10:47: Professions for Good (a collaboration of the bodies responsible for the entry policy, professional standards and qualifications across many of the UK’s largest professions) has produced a toolkit entitled "Social mobility toolkit for the professions which aims to enable employers to assess the socioeconomic make-up of their workforce and to track improvement in diversity over time. see: http://bit.ly/GI2pGl

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 22, 2012 at 10:44: The CIPD has updated its factsheet entitled "Performance-related pay" see: http://bit.ly/GPhpjM

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 22, 2012 at 10:41: The CIPD has updated its factsheet on "Redundancy" see: http://bit.ly/GGdria

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 20, 2012 at 14:01: Summer holiday guidance - ACAS has produced a helpful guide to time off during the summer holidays for employers. See: http://bit.ly/GAGy2e

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 20, 2012 at 11:46: Free HR advice service for NCVO members - All NCVO member organisations can access 30 minutes of free HR advice per month over the telephone through PEACe HR advice service from LVSC, in association with Russell Cooke Solicitors. This service is available Monday – Thursday 10am to 4pm. See: http://bit.ly/GB46Ze

Comment by Maria Van de Vorst on March 20, 2012 at 11:44: From 1 October 2012 the national minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over will go up 11p, from £6.08 to £6.19 per hour - To find out more visit: www.businesslink.gov.uk

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 15, 2012 at 10:59: Team Building
The CIPD has updated its factsheet entitled "Teamworking"

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 15, 2012 at 10:59: Recruitment
The CIPD has updated its factsheet entitled "Recruitment: an overview".

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 15, 2012 at 10:59: Transfer of Undertakings
The TUPE regulations prohibit the imposition of less favourable terms and conditions when employees are transferred from one business to another. The EAT has recently held that where employees are required to relocate when there is a transfer to a new employer, this may be in breach of these regulations. Please click above for more information about the Abellio London v CentreWest London Buses case.

Comment by Rachel Nouch on March 13, 2012 at 9:17: Government corrects Equality Act 2010 on compromise agreements - For those organisations using compromise agreements, the government has redrafted a clause in the Equality Act 2010 which had apparently made the formalities for establishing an agreement impossible to satisfy. Read more