Cost of mandatory volunteer courses

The request was successful.

Dear Norfolk County Council,

Please kindly supply a list of mandatory volunteer courses and the cost of each course to your council. If you need us to specify which volunteers we're mostly interested in the ones who provide basic computer training for adults. Although we are particularly interested in volunteers who run basic computer training courses, we would prefer a complete list of all mandatory courses for all volunteers and the cost of each course if possible. If not possible then please kindly provide a list of mandatory courses specifically for volunteers who provide basic computer training for adults and the cost of each course.

Yours faithfully,

Lee Jefferson
Journalist

Information Management, Norfolk County Council

Dear Mr Jefferson

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 –Information Request ENQ-49221-J5R5Y9

 

I refer to your request for information dated 22 August 2017.

 

The search for the information has been completed and I am pleased to
supply you with the following information:

 

You asked: Please kindly provide the total number of volunteers for your
council who you consider to be active at present along with the volunteer
shortfall if there is one.

 

Please kindly supply a list of mandatory volunteer courses and the cost of
each course to your council.  If you need us to specify which volunteers
we're mostly  interested in the ones who provide basic computer training
for adults.  Although we are particularly interested in volunteers who run
basic computer training courses, we would prefer a complete list of all
mandatory courses for all volunteers and the cost of each course if
possible.  If not possible then please kindly provide a list of mandatory
courses specifically for volunteers who provide basic computer training
for adults and the cost of each course.

 

Norfolk County Council volunteers are not managed centrally but are
managed, depending on the role, within each department. Information can be
found on our website below –

 

[1]https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/jobs-training...

 

Training would be specific to the role but if access was required to our
systems individuals would need to undertake, as a minimum, the mandatory
elearning below:-

 

·         Data Protection Essentials elearning

·         Information Security & Management elearning

·         Introduction to Health & Safety elearning

·         Fire Prevention elearning

 

A DBS check would also be carried out if it was a requirement of the role.

 

Details specific to each key area with volunteers is outlined below. It is
possible that other services work with volunteers, however, to be able to
confirm this would involve contacting every service area within the
Council, which would take an inordinate amount of officer time, and
certainly would push us beyond the 18 hour limit of the Act. There is not
one central contact for volunteers,:

 

Libraries

 

There are 650 volunteers across the Libraries service. 175 of these were
young people volunteering over the summer. There have also been some from
St John’s Ambulance and the Royal Voluntary Service.

 

Training offered to volunteers depends on the volunteer role. Baby Bounce
and Rhyme Time training is done by about 20 people who are then going to
support families with story times in the library. They would also have DBS
checks and Safeguarding training. St Thomas is the training provider. The
organisation pays for the whole course which is attended by staff and
volunteers. The costs is £395 per half day session but we have delivered
two per day bringing the cost down by £40 to £750 per day . The course is
for 20 people so that works out as £18.75 per person.

 

The other volunteers do the safeguarding essentials e-learning training or
have it covered briefly as part of their induction training so they simply
have an awareness of their key responsibilities

 

Museums  

 

There are approximately 329 volunteers across the museum service. The only
mandatory training for those who need access to computers is the 4
elearning courses: Data Protection Essentials, Information Management and
Security, Fire Prevention and Introduction to Health and Safety elearning
courses

 

Master Composter

 

The Waste Reduction Team trains Master Composters and Love Food Hate Waste
Champions. The only mandatory training they attend is the volunteer
induction for the scheme they are joining, and this does not involve any
computer training at all, let alone training to provide basic computer
skills for adults. (They do not complete the 4 e-learning courses because
they do not volunteer at NCC premises and don’t have access to our
computer system).

 

We currently have 80 Norfolk Master Composter volunteers and 41 Love Food
Hate Waste volunteers

 

Test purchasing of age restricted products

 

There are 9 volunteers who undertake test purchasing of age restricted
products.

 

There is no mandatory training for this however we do insist on the
responsible adult of the young volunteers to be present when we describe
to them the way they are to undertake test purchases and the risk control
measures which are in place. For volunteers which are over 18 these are
instructed in the way the test purchase is to take place and the risk
control measures which are in place. No charge is made for this and the
cost of induction is met from normal service delivery resources.

 

Consumer Champions

 

We have 133 Consumer Champions. These are citizens who undertake to spread
the advice and information that Trading Standards makes public in their
communities.

 

Again, there is no mandatory training. However, the service will make
contact with a prospective consumer champion and discuss what information
we expect them to make available in their communities; and, what section
of the community they will be working in. The Consumer Champions who agree
to this role do receive a welcome pack which outlines the services
information sources and how to make contact with our service if a matter
of concern arises. There is no charge made for this and the cost of
induction is met from normal service delivery resources.

 

Community Champions

 

We have 13 Community Champions. These are people within organisations who
support the community by delivering initiatives on behalf of or in
conjunction with Trading Standards

 

Again, there is no mandatory training. However, the service would visit
these in person at their organisation and discuss their role and the
manner in which they could support the service to reach a wider audience
with key messages and also feedback information relevant to Trading
Standards which the champion hears from the community. There is no charge
made for this and the cost of induction is met from normal service
delivery resources.

 

Norfolk Trails/Environment Team

 

For the 2016-17 financial year we had 1372.25 hours of volunteer time on
Norfolk Trails. We record hours rather than individuals for this work.

 

During that period we also had 775 volunteers working with us on
Biodiversity projects. Mainly as wildlife recorders. This breaks down as
follows:

The value of their time spent recording equates to £133,031.63:

311.21 Unskilled days (£15,560.30)

573.07 Skilled days (£85,960.79)

90.03 Professional days (£31,510.54)

 

The only mandatory training that volunteers within the Environment Team
receive are the standard e-learning courses for office workers. However
this would only be the case for office based volunteers. We also have a
number of volunteers who work with us on activities such as wildlife
surveys and trails monitoring/maintenance. These volunteers will receive
training and support appropriate to the activities they are undertaking
but we don’t have a mandatory suite of training in these cases.

 

Youth Offending Team

 

I am given to understand that the Norfolk Youth Offending Team also works
with volunteers, however, for the purpose of the Act they are registered
as a separate data controller, therefore, you may wish to contact them
direct for any information that they hold.

 

Please note, you submitted this request via two separate emails. I would
point out the ICOs guidance which states “When a public authority is
estimating whether the appropriate limit is likely to be exceeded, it can
include the costs of complying with two or more requests if the conditions
laid out in regulation 5 of the Fees Regulations can be satisfied. Those
conditions require the requests to be: made by one person, or by different
persons who appear to the public authority to be acting in concert or in
pursuance of a campaign; made for the same or similar information; and
received by the public authority within any period of 60 consecutive
working days. (…) Public authorities can aggregate two or more separate
requests.” I have therefore amalgamated these two requests into one
response.

 

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your request you have the
right of appeal through the Council’s internal review procedure by setting
out the grounds of your appeal in writing to:

 

[2][email address]

or Information Compliance Team

Room B18

County Hall

Martineau Lane

Norwich

NR1 2DH

 

An appeal should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of this
notice and should be identified as "FOI Appeal".

 

If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may
apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a
decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act.  Refer to the ICO
Website at: [3]https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ for advice on how to report a
concern.  Or you can write to them at:

 

First Contact Team

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane, Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Lewis Freeman

Information Compliance Officer

Information Management Service

Norfolk County Council

County Hall

Martineau Lane

Norwich

NR1 2DH

 

 

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References

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