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Policy Booklet
2013/2014



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Contents

Health & Safety
Public Safeguarding
Employee Safeguarding
Volunteering
Governance & Board
Quality Assurance
Equal Opportunities
Finance & Value for Money
Environmental
Complaints
Disciplinary

Reviewed: January 2014













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Health & Safety
1 STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY

In line with the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and with the Pan-London
safeguarding adults policy and procedure North London Cares (NL Cares Limited) statement
of general policy is:

To provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities;

To consult with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety;

To provide and maintain safe plant and equipment;

To ensure safe handling and use of substances;

To provide information, instruction, training and supervision for employees;

To ensure all employees are competent to perform their tasks, and to give them adequate
training;

To prevent accidents and cases of work related ill health;

To maintain safe and healthy conditions for all employees and participants;

To review and revise this policy as necessary at regular intervals.

The Chief Executive, as a designated competent person, will serve as the appointed Health and
Safety Manager for the full period of his or her tenure, overseeing this policy. The chief executive is
responsible for coordinating health and safety activities. In his or her absence the next most senior
employee will be responsible. The Health and Safety What You Need to Know poster is displayed
clearly in North London Cares head office at all times, alongside a standard HSE First Aid Kit.



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2 ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES

The Board of Directors and trustees has overall responsibility for health and safety, and in
particular for:

Ensuring that adequate resources are available to implement the Health and Safety Policy;

Ensuring health and safety performance is regularly reviewed;

Monitoring the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Policy;

Reviewing the Policy as appropriate.

Identifying and prioritising safety issues;

Identifying training requirements for employees;

Reviewing safety records, including accidents and incidents;

Agreeing changes in working practices if required;

Reviewing the implications of any changes in health and safety legislation and making
changes where required.

2.2 CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Executive is responsible for:

Supporting the implementation of North London Cares Health and Safety Policy;

Co-operating at all times with the board and other employees for the implementation of, and
adherence to, the Health and Safety Policy and procedures;

&
Supporting other employees by ensuring that all members of staff are aware of their
responsibilities and have received appropriate training to undertake their work safely;

Documenting accidents where they occur and investigating them further where necessary;

Ensuring that safe systems of work are implemented;

Monitoring premises and work equipment, reporting faults where necessary;

Ensuring that hazards and risk are investigated and plans to mitigate those risks and hazards
implemented;

Completing a full Risk Assessment, to be reviewed annually;

The chief executive is also responsible for coordinating health and safety activities and acting
as the primary source of health and safety advice within North London Cares. They play a
fundamental role in all day-to-day aspects of health and safety. These responsibilities
specifically include:

Coordinating North London Cares Risk Assessment;

Administrating the accident investigation and reporting procedure, including by recording all
accidents in the Accident Book.

Liaising with the board, North London Cares insurers and other external bodies including
lawyers where necessary;

Identifying health and safety training needs including for Emergency First Aid;

Providing or sourcing health and safety training;

Providing Health and Safety Induction training to new staff and keeping records;

Identifying any changes in legislation or HSE guidance, updating and implementing as
necessary;

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Identifying equipment which requires maintenance and applying resources to ensure safety
where necessary;

Assessing risks from all substances hazardous to health;

Monitoring and reviewing this Health and Safety Policy;

Sourcing additional specialist health and safety assistance when necessary;

Sharing with all employees the following:

- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Poster;

- A copy of North London Cares Health and Safety Policy Statement of Intent;

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;

Ensuring all sites North London Cares works on, including the central office, have adequate
fire procedures and trained first aid officers present at all times and being responsible for fire
evacuation and emergency procedures;

Managing the condition of floors and walking routes, including by ensuring:

- Every floor and surface is suitable for the purpose for which it is used;

- Surfaces are checked regularly to prevent slips, trips and falls (obstructions must be cleared
immediately);

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;

2.3 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

All employees have a legal duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others that
may be affected by their acts or omissions and to co-operate with management to achieve a healthy
and safe workplace and environment for older neighbours and young volunteers to participate
safely. In particular employees will:
(


Co-operate with the chief executive on all health and safety matters;

Take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of others;

Not intentionally or recklessly interfere with, or misuse, anything provided to safeguard their
health and safety;

Report all health and safety concerns to the chief executive and advise the chief executive of
any safety hazards and deficiencies in the safety arrangements;

Assist with the completion of the Risk Assessment and reviews as required;

Make use of all safety equipment provided;

Ensure a clean and tidy workplace is maintained.

2.4 HEALTH

Alongside his or her general responsibilities the Chief Executive is also responsible for:

Complying with RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1995) regulations and keeping records regarding ill health at work and
monitoring;

Monitoring the effectiveness of measures to address stress complying with Management of
Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;

Processing and monitoring fatigue or stress if identified under the Health and Safety (Display
Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992;

2.5 FIRE

The Chief Executive is also responsible for ensuring fire safety. Responsibilities include:

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Undertaking and recording the details of regular fire drills in premises used regularly by North
London Cares employees and participants;

Ensuring that all staff, participants and visitors vacate the premises in an orderly manner and
assemble at the designated assembly point(s);

Taking temporary control of any fire evacuation situation until relieved of their task by an
incident controller of the Fire Brigade;

Ensuring that in the event of fire, their prime responsibility is for the safety of human life
including their own.

2.6 FIRST AID

All staff must have emergency first aid training, and are responsible for:

Ensuring that a first aid box is available to hand at every North London Cares hosted event
for which they are responsible, and is appropriately stocked and maintained in a clean and
tidy condition;

Recording all treatments for which they are responsible in the Accident Book - this will
include specific details of the injury or other reason for treatment;

3. ARRANGEMENTS (SYSTEMS & PROCEDURES)

This part of the policy deals with the practical arrangements by which this Health and Safety Policy
will be implemented.

1. Overall and final responsibility for health and safety is that of the Board of Directors and
Trustees.

2. Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the policy is put into practice is the Chief Executives.

3. All employees must:

Co-operate with managers on health and safety matters;
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Not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety;
Take reasonable care of their own health and safety;
Report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate person (as detailed in this policy
statement).

Arrangements Health and safety risks arising from work activities:
Risk assessments will be undertaken by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements Consultation with employees
Consultation with employees is provided by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements Safe handling and use of substances
The Chief Executive is responsible for identifying substances in need of COSHH assessment.

Arrangements information, instruction and supervision
Health and safety advice is available from the Chief Executive. The Health and Safety Law
poster is shared and stored in the North London Cares shared drive.

Arrangements Supervision of young workers/trainees
The Chief Executive will offer support, training and advice.

Arrangements Competency for tasks and training
The Chief Executive is responsible for induction training for all employees.

Arrangements Accidents, first aid and work-related ill health
The Chief Executive is responsible for investigating work-related absences, and for
monitoring and recording accidents and emergencies.

Arrangements Emergency procedures: fire and evacuation
The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and
implemented correctly.


CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013
Review Date: December 2014

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Public Safeguarding
1. INTRODUCTION
North London Cares is a community organisation which aims to tackle the enduring social problems
connected to isolation, elderliness, loneliness and disadvantage within the London boroughs of
Camden and Islington. We do this by harnessing the untapped time, energy and goodwill of local
young professionals, who may themselves feel disconnected from their communities. Our purpose is
to broker the type of lasting human relationships and social connections that might not naturally
occur, but which make a real difference to peoples lives.

We have developed this safeguarding policy in order to ensure that all individuals and groups
working with or through North London Cares are protected from any circumstances that may cause
emotional, physical, psychological or any other type of harm, and to ensure everyone who interacts
with North London Cares, particularly our clients and volunteers, is cared for in a responsible and
sensitive manner. More information on how volunteers should interact can be found in the Volunteer
Handbook, which will be provided electronically to all new volunteers from autumn 2013.

The policy has been developed to reflect the values and procedures in the Pan-London
safeguarding adults policy.

2. GOALS
Our objective with this policy is to ensure we provide and promote a happy, social, fun, safe, secure
and welcoming environment for all, while also balancing the need for our volunteering opportunities
to remain short, fun, easy and accessible for those who wish to take part. We understand we are
dealing with a range of complex personal situations, and that the issues we are seeking to tackle are
sensitive. Every step in our various procedures is therefore designed to ensure the safety and
security of all participants, while also removing possible barriers to participation such as bureaucracy
and burdensome time commitments, or other unappealing requirements.

Our volunteers and older neighbours are likely to come into contact with one another in a range of
different ways as they build relationships. The most common forms of interaction, and ways our
volunteers and neighbours should behave, are to be found below. In case of emergency,
Organisers should call 999 as soon as possible.
SITUATION APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR
Social Clubs This is the most easily controlled type of
interaction North London Cares delivers.
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Volunteers are expected to participate in
supervised community centres or other
such locations as cafes, shops and
parks, spending time with and getting to
know their older neighbours. Each of
these activities is led by a member of
North London Cares staff or by an NLC
Organiser. These representatives will
always be trained, monitored and DBS
checked with regular reviews of
suitability and capability undertaken.
Regular volunteers who are not trained
as NLC Organisers and who are not
themselves hosting an event will always
be monitored by the North London Cares
representative in the room. These
activities involve large groups of people
both volunteers and older people and
individuals are not left in one-to-one
situations. Emergency exit routes are
noted in case of fire.
Love Your Neighbour Often, our volunteers will enter the
homes of vulnerable people. In the first
instance, this will always happen with a
trained employee of the NLC team, but
after some time, interviews and DBS
checking, the volunteer will be allowed to
build his or her own relationship with the
older neighbour independently. These
interactions may include conversations
about sensitive issues, physical support
in getting out of the house, or discretion
in dealing with a vulnerable older person.
North London Cares does everything in
its power to ensure that all parties are
protected from any type of harm.
Specifically, we assess the older people
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gaining this type of support and make
decisions on whether they are suitable
and trustworthy be visited by the
volunteer(s). We do not place difficult
emotional or physical burdens on
volunteers. In return, we never allow a
relationship brokered by NLC to occur
unless we are confident that both
individuals will benefit from it, and that
neither is at risk. Volunteers who are
DBS checked and engaging in regular
one-to-one interactions with our older
neighbours will be allowed to request a
panic button alarm, which if deemed
appropriate will be paid for by the
charity. After some initial introductory
sessions, monitored in person by a North
London Cares employee, we allow the
relationship between the volunteer and
older person to float i.e. we will no
longer require a North London Cares
monitor to be present. Once this is the
case, we ask volunteers to send a text
message or email each time they have
visited their older neighbour, with details
on arrival and departure time and an
update on the neighbours health and
wellbeing. This will be logged in North
London Cares systems and also allow
North London Cares to tweet about the
interaction for public record. After one
year of such a relationship, we will
interview the volunteer and the older
person separately to see how the
relationship is going. If all parties agree,
we will sign a lifelong friendship
agreement between North London
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Cares, the volunteer and the older
neighbour. This will set out terms for a
less formal relationship; it will absolve
North London Cares of formal duties to
the volunteer and older person and it will
ensure both remaining parties are aware
of their responsibilities to the other.
Concert Trips and other outings As with the Social Club activities, group
trips out such as to concerts, shopping,
the cinema, etc may involve risks.
These risks are minimised during the
planning process, and mitigated by North
London Cares staff. However, volunteers
and older neighbours participating in trips
are briefed by NLC employees on public
safety ahead of any trip. In particular,
special care is taken by the employee to
ensure road safety. Trips are planned
carefully to avoid dangerous crossings,
areas of high foot traffic where older
people may be frightened, and areas of
known high crime levels.
Summer Sessions Activities during the summer may include
participating in very light physical
exercise, such as Old Boys Walking
Football, or use of equipment such as
cooking facilities or electrical equipment.
All participants are briefed on the
dangers associated with such activities,
with precautions against harm taken (see
Risk Assessment, 2014). Activities
involving physical risk should only be led
by a First Aid trained member of North
London Cares' staff, and not a volunteer.
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Discussion Groups Discussion groups can be an enjoyable
way to enable volunteers and older
neighbours to get to know one another in
an informal way. To ensure this is always
the case, discussion topics are chosen
with care, and facilitated in a way that
avoids emotional challenges. Although
our aim is to promote frank and lively
debate, discussions involving politics,
religion or other contentious areas are
carefully managed to avoid offence or
upset.


*NOTE:
Where and when appropriate for example in the floating of individual relationships where at least
one party may be considered vulnerable North London Cares will always seek to comply with
government recommendations for CRB/DBS checking procedures.

4. SAFEGUARDING PROCESS
North London Cares has a duty of care to all the people who take part in our activities. Although we
know we can never fully protect every individual we work with from risk, we take very seriously our
responsibility to do everything in our power to avoid physical, emotional, psychological or other
distress.

In many cases, we will broker interactions between complete strangers in groups. These interactions
may occur on a doorstep, on the phone, in public spaces such as community centres or cafes, or
through other organised institutions such as care homes or other partner organisations. In such
instances, a fully Criminal Records Bureau-checked and trusted North London Cares lead will aim to
ensure the wellbeing of all participants, the monitoring of the interactions between clients and
volunteers and the ensuring of probity.

Under our Love Your Neighbour scheme, North London Cares volunteers will be entering the homes
of their older neighbours to, for example, clean windows, to move furniture, or just to have a
conversation to help tackle loneliness. In those instances, where there is interaction between clients
and volunteers in a private location, without the monitoring of a fully-Criminal Records Bureau
checked member of staff, volunteers must themselves be fully and appropriately Criminal Records
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Bureau-checked to help ensure probity at all times. Where appropriate, North London Cares will
support applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks through our partner organisation, Care
Check.

North London Cares guarantee is that we will never recruit or mobilise individuals or groups likely to
abuse or cause any harm to our clients, and we always take due care to ensure such potentially
harmful interactions are avoided at all times, through various additional reference checks as well as
by building trusting relationships with stakeholders over time. In addition, North London Cares will
make appropriate assessments on volunteers personal and professional ability to work with the
individuals with whom they are placed. We will use the time necessary to match volunteers to
individuals or group events to assess applicants judgement in various situations, and apply their
skills and time accordingly and appropriately to relevant situations. We reserve the right to reject an
application to volunteer with North London Cares based on these assessments. The process by
which we recruit, mobilise and monitor all our participants is as follows:

4.1 VOLUNTEERS
New volunteers undergo various stages of interviewing and background checking before they are
allowed to participate in our programmes:

1 When a volunteer signs up through North London Cares website to get involved in our
programmes, our central staff will respond with a welcome email, requesting a short telephone
interview with the volunteer as soon as possible thereafter.

2 During this interview, our staff will seek to get a clearer idea about the background of the
volunteer and his or her motivations. The volunteer will be asked about his or her job, why
they want to get involved with North London Cares, where they live, how they first found out
about North London Cares and some other general informal questions. If the volunteer
appears fit to participate in our activities, the staff member will begin to talk about when they
might be able to join an event.

3 At this point, volunteers who seem positively motivated, reliable, chatty and genuinely
motivated by the work of North London Cares will advance to the Digital Safeguarding and
Screening process (see p.9, below).

4 Appropriate volunteers are invited to participate in North London Cares Social Clubs as their
first involvement, before participating in any other activity. These are easy to run group events
in which our central staff can get a good sense of the volunteers character, sensitivity, and
ability to relate to older people in a safe group environment.
"'

5 Volunteers who excel in Social Club settings, and who would like to engage in a deeper
involvement by working one-to-one with an older neighbour, are encouraged to do so if they
are deemed to be good candidates to do so. The volunteer will be matched to an older
individual who lives close to them, but also who shared personality traits and interests, so far
as this is possible.

6 During the period and process in which a volunteer is matched with an older neighbour, North
London Cares central staff will undertake a CRB check for the volunteer. These checks are
provided by Care Check: North London Cares is responsible for ensuring all the requisite
documentation is checked and approved in accordance with Care Checks regulations.

7 A North London Cares employee may begin to make introductions between the volunteer and
the older neighbour during the CRB processing period, but should always be present and
should not leave the two participants alone.

8 Once a CRB check has been successfully obtained, and we have established that all parties
are happy for a relationship to continue to progress, North London Cares may begin to float
relationships between the volunteer and the older neighbour.

9 As noted on pages 4-5, these floated relationships will be monitored by North London Cares
central team with text messages required each time the volunteer interacts with the older
neighbour letting us know the time of arrival and departure. This information will be recorded
centrally.

4.2 SUPER VOLUNTEERS
In autumn 2013 North London Cares will begin training some of our most committed volunteers under
our Super Volunteers programme. This project will enable us to offer different tiers of volunteering
to those who want to become more involved, and enable us to double our output from 100 to 200
events per year in 2014 by unleashing the extra time and energy of 20 of our best recruits.

As with our employees is equally important to North London Cares that we train and safeguard our
Super Volunteers to a standard under which they feel and remain safe, secure, happy and supported
in discharging their 5 activities each per year. To ensure that we can deliver on this pledge we will:

Require Super Volunteers to sign an agreement committing them to hosting 5 events each per
year and to handling and administering any data, buildings or other content which belongs to
North London Cares or our partners securely and sensitively.
"(

Guarantee all Super Volunteers 2 full training sessions before they run an event for North
London Cares without supervision, and another review session after they have delivered 2 of
their 5 events.

Develop individually tailored timetables for all volunteers to deliver events within agreed
timeframes.

Require all Super Volunteers to text us their arrival and departure times at all activity venues,
as well as a one paragraph report on the quality of the event and any problems or issues
which may have arisen within 24 hours, along with a photograph.

Volunteers may only apply to become Super Volunteers after they have attended at least 3
regular North London Cares activities.

4.3 OLDER NEIGHBOURS
As well as ensuring our older neighbours are protected from the risks associated with close
interaction with a volunteer whom they may never previously have met, North London Cares aims to
protect our young professional volunteers from emotional, psychological, physical or other harm that
they may be exposed to by interacting with their older neighbours. In addition, therefore, to applying
the above processes to the recruitment of new volunteers at all times, North London Cares also
works hard to ensure our older neighbours are not putting our volunteers at risk. In particular, this is
done by always meeting and holding a conversation with the older neighbour, ideally in that persons
home, to ensure they are not threatening or unstable, before suggesting a match with a younger
volunteer. If North London Cares or our employees feel there is the potential for danger by matching
a volunteer to an individual, we reserve the right not to deal with that individual older neighbour.

4.4 DIGITAL SAFEGUARDNG AND SCREENING POLICY
North London Cares applies a unique digital safeguarding and screening policy to every volunteer
as a standard part of our recruitment process. This policy has been specifically designed to open
access to volunteering to young professionals who may previously have found getting involved in
volunteering projects overly bureaucratic. Camden Council, as part of its Innovation and
Development funding, has backed this policy. It compels North London Cares to ensure volunteers
are appropriate to work with vulnerable adults by undertaking the following:

1 To the extent possible, checking the accuracy and validity of employment email addresses for
all new volunteers by Googling all contact details provided.

")
2 Checking the social media profiles of all new volunteers, including, where applicable,
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other platforms to ensure volunteers are who they say they
are and are appropriate and referenced to get involved.

3 Cross-referencing all social media presences to ensure new volunteers have a consistent
social media profile.

4 Speaking on the telephone with each new volunteer before they participate, to find out as
much information as possible, including about their motivations for getting involved in North
London Cares projects, and making a judgement on their appropriateness for participation.

Each of these stages should be recorded in a checklist document as they are completed in order to
provide extra protection for North London Cares in case of emergency or crisis for instance
Facebook profile checked; Email checked; Linkedin Checked; name Googled, etc. This information
should be stored in the main volunteer database alongside the names and other details of individual
volunteers.

5. FURTHER TRAINING
Individuals who are interested in volunteering on a regular basis will be offered the opportunity to
attend training sessions, and will be supported with references and professional development
support, as well as social opportunities and free Criminal Records Bureau checks where required or
appropriate.

6. DATA PROTECTION
All data obtained by North London Cares staff and volunteers is subject to the Data Protection Act.
No data will be shared with any organisation unless there is express written permission to do so.

7. OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Where North London Cares works with children, the elderly or other vulnerable people, volunteers will
be informed of various additional responsibilities and requirements, including: Health and Safety
procedures; best practice guidelines; recognising signs of abuse or neglect and the means by which
those can be properly recorded or reported; equal opportunities; and building and maintaining trust,
etc. This will be included in the Volunteer Handbook.

8. INSURANCE
North London Cares has obtained full public liabilities insurance for the above work, and for events
concerned with that work, through a major national insurance provider specialising in charities and
social enterprise insurance.
"*

9. PROCESSES AND POLICY

The following policy has been devised in consultation with volunteers, employees and the board and
chief executive of the North London Cares board to ensure the effective, efficient and complete
advertised service is provided by North London Cares to its older neighbours, volunteers, funders
and other partners.

1) When a new referral is received, a member of North London Cares team will immediately
enter the neighbours details into Charity Log. As much relevant detail should be entered as
possible.

2) A telephone conversation with the older neighbour will be made by a member of the North
London Cares team to establish exactly what type of help they need and to arrange a time for
an initial assessment visit.

3) Any new or relevant information on the neighbour will be recorded in the Love Your
Neighbour spreadsheet stored in the shared folders, including as much detail as possible on
the neighbours specific needs.

4) An assessment visit to the older neighbour by a member of North London Cares staff will be
arranged and completed as soon as possible within two weeks. If required and to safeguard
employees, two members of staff may visit at the same time.

5) During the assessment visit the North London Cares employee will ensure that the older
neighbour understands what North London Cares is, what to expect from interactions, and
that they are comfortable with any likely future arrangement that may transpire. Time will also
be taken to talk to the older person to find out their interests, needs, and the sort of volunteer
they might like to be matched with. Details such as whether the neighbour would prefer a
male or female volunteer, for example, will be recorded. This helps when considering which
volunteer might be most suitable.

6) Specifically, the North London Cares employee will make sure that the older neighbour, and
the organisation which has made the referral, understand that North London Cares
interactions are based on voluntary arrangements and that volunteers have limitations on
their time, and that as a small organisation North London Cares cannot guarantee that we will
meet their requirements. The employee will also explain that it may take a little time to find a
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suitable volunteer. Regular updates will be provided to the neighbour while North London
Cares seeks a suitable volunteer.

7) The North London Cares employee will then agree a mutually convenient time to introduce a
volunteer to the older person. To ensure as much safety and security as possible volunteers
will already have been through the North London Cares digital safeguarding and screening
process; in addition they will also ideally have experience of North London Cares, and North
London Cares will have built trust over time, as a result of several engagements and
interactions through our Social Clubs project. In the first instance a North London Cares
employee will accompany the volunteer on as many visits as is necessary to ensure that all
parties are comfortable with a prospective befriending arrangement, familiar with each
others needs and happy to go ahead unsupported.

8) When those guarantees have been given by all parties concerned, a DBS check on the
volunteer must be carried out and returned clear before any volunteer is permitted to meet
with an older person unaccompanied.

9) Each new relationship brokered by North London Cares will be reviewed after 6 weeks. If
both the volunteer and the older neighbour are happy with the person they have been
matched with and the arrangement agreed, they will be encouraged to continue to meet and
to develop a friendship through routinely timed interactions, without the accompaniment of a
North London Cares volunteer. Volunteers are required to inform a North London Cares
employee before each visit they make to their older neighbour for a further 12 weeks (16
weeks in total).

10) If North London Cares has made an introduction but it later transpires that the older person,
for whatever reason, cannot or will not be supported by North London Cares methods, a new
referral will be made to a relevant third party, for example to local authority Adult Social
Services, Age UK or Mind, who are in a better position to offer long term support. Love Your
Neighbour records will be kept updated at all times. It is the role of the North London Cares
employee to make a judgement on this: if a referred older neighbours has needs which North
London Cares volunteers are unable to support, it is not fair on either party to try to force a
relationship where another organisation may be better equipped to help. If this course of
action is taken, a full explanation is to be added to the Love Your Neighbour database.

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11) Relationships and interactions brokered by North London Cares will be reviewed after 6
weeks, 12 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. After one year of a successful relationship, and an
informal review has been completed by North London Cares taking into account the updated
needs of both parties, the volunteer and older neighbour may become lifelong friends, and
are free to visit one another without further management from North London Cares.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013











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Employee Safeguarding
1. INTRODUCTION
North London Cares employees, along with our volunteers, are our most valuable asset and
resource. It is through them that we will achieve our vision of recruiting young professionals to
support their older and isolated neighbours with practical help and new social connections.

We appreciate, however, that working for North London Cares may often be testing. Because of the
nature of our work, dealing with isolation, deprivation and hundreds of older people with various
social needs, our regular activities may be emotionally, physically or even psychologically
demanding. Moreover, tasks will sometimes be repetitive and employees may be required to work
long hours as well as regular evenings and weekends.

Given this, it remains the special responsibility of North London Cares primarily the chief
executive, with the support of the Board to ensure that employees feel and remain safe and
valued, and that they are at ease and in control of the various difficult situations in which they may
find themselves in the delivery of our vision.

This policy sets out the basis of that support and safeguarding. While it is not exhaustive it seeks to
provide a framework under which our employees can discharge their work to the best of their
abilities while remaining protected from harm, undue accusation, or excessive professional or
emotional burden and with strong support to help them achieve their goals.

We hope the tools laid out below will help us to develop a happy, safe and valued team, thriving in a
unique professional setting and helping North London Cares to achieve our vision and grow over
time.

2. TYPES OF SITUATION
In order to achieve our objectives, North London Cares aspires to being as responsive to local need
as we can. We cannot, therefore, predict or plot all of the situations members of our team may find
themselves in. However, we can plan for various situations that may provide particular challenges,
and state appropriate responses for each such eventuality.



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SITUATION APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
Working alone and/or after dark This is the most common situation
that North London Cares staff will
find themselves in. To militate against
any risk attached to it, employees
should ideally have one volunteer at
every such event who is known and
trusted by the organisation, who is
willing to stay on site until close-up
and support the locking up of the
venue where required. Staff should
keep in regular contact throughout
the evening event with other staff
members and/or members of the
board, ideally by text message, to
convey that the event is going
successfully. As stated above, Super
Volunteers should submit arrival and
departure times and a one paragraph
report, with a photograph, of their
event. At the end of the night, the
employee(s) should let colleagues
know that he/she has arrived home
safely. This is an important practice,
and should be done routinely for
Social Club events and individual
Love Your Neighbour interactions. It
is especially important in private
locations such as a neighbours
home. Unless unavoidable,
employees should not work entirely
alone at night, without the support of
volunteers known and trusted by the
organisation.
Working alone with older people Wherever possible, to protect our
staff and volunteers, interactions
#%
should occur between at least two
individuals and the older person. This
provides security from fear and
accusation. However, we know that
this is not always realistic or even
desirable. Therefore, to protect
employees and volunteers from
nefarious possibility, no individual
interaction should occur between a
staff member, volunteer or super
volunteer until after a CRB check has
been secured for that person. Each
individual interaction with an older
person should then be recorded in
the North London Cares
Comprehensive Interactions
spreadsheet, and wherever
possible tweeted about and
photographed for public record. This
record is particularly important for
individual interactions, whether they
occur between a volunteer and an
older neighbour or between an
employee and an older neighbour.
Notes of unusual behaviour or
agitation should be recorded in this
document too as should be
anything that may provide evidence
in defence against accusation. In
addition, notes of regular behaviour
should also be made: the more
comprehensive our records, the more
likely we are to be able to protect our
employees in case of an accusation.
If an accusation is made, it is the
employees responsibility to raise it
#&
with the Chief Executive as soon as
possible. After making an initial
assessment, the Chief Executive will
confer with the board before seeking
advice from other partners, e.g. local
authorities, project funder, or the
police if appropriate. An immediate
statement should be taken from the
North London Cares employee as
soon as possible by the board plus
an independent witness. Legal advice
will be sought as required. As stated
elsewhere in this document,
however, after one year of such
interactions, a review and agreement
will be reached whereby a volunteer
becomes a lifelong friend meaning
North London Cares is no longer
responsible for their interactions.
Escorting immobile adults This can be a challenging but
important activity. Even relatively
mobile older adults can be slow and
uncertain in public. Employees in this
situation should be careful to plan
their route beforehand and know
where crossings are. They should be
careful to avoid cracked pavements
and must always wait for the
appropriate signal to cross roads,
even if they appear clear. If the
neighbour shows signs of panic, they
should be taken home at the earliest
opportunity and a further assessment
on the need for medical attention
made. If they are happy to, a cab
may be called to help people get
#'
home and paid for under North
London Cares expenses. Volunteers
should be made aware of the risks of
participating in dealing with
extremely vulnerable or immobile
older people. If it becomes necessary
and numbers of neighbours demand
it, North London Cares will pay for
full wheelchair training for our core
staff.
Dealing with finance or sensitive
documents
Occasionally, North London Cares
staff will have access to neighbours
bills, statements or other sensitive
documents for example, to assist
with reducing expenditure, for
identification or to make referrals to
statutory bodies. These items should
be handled with utmost care. If they
are required for any significant period
of time, they should be stored under
padlock in the North London Cares
office. Employees must deal with
such documents with
professionalism, discretion and
responsibility. Employees and
volunteers may not pass these
documents or any information
contained therein to third parties
under any circumstances.
Working with equipment North London Cares employees may
regularly be asked to accompany
volunteers to a support session
which requires the use of equipment
for example, trowels, spades,
secateurs, sheers or lawn mowers for
gardening; computers, projectors,
#(
large screens and stands for film
events (which may also require
transportation from place to place);
or even knives, barbeques and more
such heavy-duty equipment at major
outdoor or cookery events. Heavy-
duty machinery should not be
handled without prior instruction from
a professional. Employees should
receive training with other company-
owned equipment, including
projectors and other equipment for
films. Gardening and other activities
are undertaken at the employees
own risk and all necessary caution
should therefore be taken to avoid
accident or injury.
Door-knocking Door-knocking is one of the key ways
in which North London Cares
identifies isolation in our target
boroughs. From time to time, we may
also be required to make it an even
more central part of our work, for
example during Winter Warmer
projects or special projects which
require face-to-face contact with
hundreds of older people. When this
occurs, North London Cares will do
its best to source accurate data of
where older people live from local
partners, in order to avoid
inefficiency. On the doorstep,
employees should be courteous,
honest, polite, friendly and confident.
In our organisational experience,
many older people value a quick
#)
knock at the door and brief
conversation, particularly when it is
for no other reason than to check up
on them. Although it can be a tiring
experience, it can also be very
rewarding. However, there are small
risks associated with knocking on
strangers doors. Therefore,
employees (and volunteers) should
not, if possible, go alone and teams
or twos of people should stay as
close together as possible even on
familiar streets and estates.
Employees enter a strangers home
at their own risk while this can be a
nice way to get to know a neighbour
or make a human connection, it self-
evidently may also be a little risky.
Where possible, employees and
volunteers should only enter a
strangers home in twos.
Odd-jobs North London Cares is not
responsible for the quality of the
handy work that our volunteers or
employees may deliver in the home
for example putting up a shelf. We do
not offer a professional handyman
service. Rather, we offer the
connection of local young
professionals to offer support for
their neighbours who might need it
but where the personal interaction
provides the biggest value added.
North London Cares employees
should therefore be careful to stress
that the service our volunteers
#*
provide is informal, local and casual
and not assume responsibility for the
perfection of small jobs around the
home. As per the above, handling
equipment should be done with
caution and care to avoid accident or
injury. Employees should seek advice
if they are unsure.
Escorting older or isolated people
out on social trips.
Occasionally, North London Cares
employees will be (jointly) responsible
for medium-sized groups, including
those with physical difficulties and
mental health issues such as
Alzheimers, on walkabouts or social
activities on the streets or in public
such as picnics, trips or street
parties. These activities require the
greatest level of volunteer support.
Employees should be diligent in
planning routes (taking the easiest
route possible, avoiding main roads),
numbers of older neighbours and
accessibility. Volunteers should be
assigned to look after older people at
a 1:2 ratio to ensure maximum
support for slow or vulnerable
people. In summertime, water should
be carried at all times in case of over-
heating or dehydration. Partners such
as Lenox House Care Home and Age
UK should be consulted for advice
wherever possible, and if working in
partnership with such a local group
should also send members of staff to
support the group.

$+
In order to assure safeguarding as diligently as possible, North London Cares employees should
stay in constant contact with other employees or members of the board whenever they are alone
with a potentially vulnerable older neighbour, and particularly where these interactions might occur
in someones private home. Such contacts can be made by telephone, text message, email or other
digital communications but should be regular. In addition, wherever it is possible or plausible, first
meetings with older neighbours should occur in neutral venues such as a local caf or library.

3. TRAINING
North London Cares is a young, dynamic organisation at the beginning of our development in the
local and national voluntary and community sector. We therefore require our people to be
committed, self-motivating, independent, creative, hard working, focused and have a hunger to
learn and improve as professionals on the job and with minimal management. This takes a special
type of person with a special type of dedication, and we will always seek to value and reward that
vigour in various ways.

In addition, North London Cares employees will be offered ongoing support, guidance, connection
and motivation to achieve to the best of their ability, to reflect the organisation well, and to develop
professionally and personally during their tenure. Although this will not often manifest itself through
structured graduate-style training programmes, we will seek to offer access to training and
professional development courses wherever possible, as well as to share our networks as
individuals and an organisation.

This training may include: understanding the organisation, growing in confidence, fundraising
training, volunteer management training, and other courses which relate to the relevant post of the
employee. We will seek to offer two days per year of such professional development training, as well
as various support mechanisms outlined below.

4. FIRST AID
North London Cares works with many vulnerable people. Our older neighbours with whom we have
regular contact may have severe mental or physical health requirements that may require special
awareness, sympathy, treatment, or emergency first aid. It is important that our employees are at a
minimum emergency first aid trained. Therefore, North London Cares employees have all received
full emergency first aid training through the British Red Cross.



$"
5. PASTORAL SUPPORT
As well as the practical professional support we can offer to ensure our employees are safeguarded
and properly prepared for challenging situations, we want to provide North London Cares
employees with a trusted support network on whom they can rely to test out ideas, to act as a
sounding board, and to offer support whenever it is felt needed.

North London Cares will therefore provide all employees with:

Access to an informal support network of trusted friends of the organisation including
experienced campaigners, small charity workers, entrepreneurs and small business people
who have trodden similar paths above and beyond the regular governance and advisory
boards;

Monthly meetings with the Chief Executive of North London Cares, who will offer professional
guidance and management whenever required;

Flexibility and understanding on time off, time off in lieu, evening and weekend working,
holiday and other leave;

Extra support in times of special emotional or psychological challenge or bereavement (for
example in case of death or serious illness of a popular user); other therapeutic provisions
such as counselling or flexible working (at the discretion of the chief executive).

6. RIGHT TO REQUEST HELP
Because of the nature of our work and our mission, North London Cares employees may regularly
be required to visit individual older people alone. As noted above, these interactions should, where
possible, initially occur on neutral public ground. However, interactions may commonly occur in the
home of an older person, in a care home, in a hospital or elsewhere. It is important to North London
Cares that employees undertake these interactions with the best possible support from the
organisation.

As stated elsewhere in this policy framework, employees may request the additional support of
other employees, including the chief executive and NL Cares governance board, in meeting these
duties, without repercussions or questions. In particular, this includes the right for female employees
to ask for support from a male colleague for example accompaniment to meet a service user in
$#
twos, rather than alone; a request to transfer an individual case to another employee; a request to
refer an individual service user to statutory services if appropriate.

This right to request help policy should be seen as standard across the organisation. All
employees have the right to raise concerns, discomforts, questions or any other matter related to
safety, security, safeguarding, emotional or psychological wellbeing with the chief executive or
board members without reprisal.

In addition, North London Cares will provide panic button alarms to members of staff who request
them. Although it will not be the default policy of the charity that all employees carry the alarms
while alone with an individual, employees have the right to carry them, and to ask that they be paid
for by the charity, should they desire.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013







$$
Governance & Board
North London Cares is a company limited by guarantee (no. 07737818) and a registered charity (no.
1153137). We therefore have numerous statutory responsibilities as regulated by Companies House
and The Charity Commission. Our board of Directors/Trustees are responsible for ensuring that
those duties are met.

As well as ensuring that all North London Cares legal responsibilities are met, the board, in
partnership with the chief executive, is tasked with devising and agreeing the strategies and plans
that will help us meet our overall mission as a company and a charity.

It is vital, therefore, that the board, and any sub-committees or secondary boards, adhere to certain
guidelines in their establishment, composition, conduct and practice. These guidelines are set out
below.

1. GOVERNANCE BOARD
North London Cares board of Directors/Trustees consists of a number of professionals with a
breadth of experience relevant to meeting North London Cares objectives and legal responsibilities.
Board members will serve as both directors of the company limited by guarantee and trustees of the
charity simultaneously, ensuring all relevant rules as set by the regulators are adhered to.

1.1 SIZE OF BOARD
For a balance of efficiency and accountability, the board shall comprise no fewer than 3
directors/trustees at any time, and not more than 8. These board members shall all serve in a
voluntary capacity, and agree to meet the Director Responsibilities set out below, in addition to
those required by the national regulators.

1.2 BOARD SKILLS
At all times the board shall consist of a balance of personal and professional skills, experience and
expertise in order to help North London Cares meet its objectives. Those may include:

Charity delivery;
Business development and management consultancy;
Strategy;
Finance and accounting (which topic must always appear on meeting agendas);
$%
Legal;
Fundraising;
Local expertise and contacts;
Adult social care;
Local government, commissioning and procurement.

Skills on the board shall be reviewed annually to ensure a balance of required skills.

1.3 BOARD MEETINGS and QUORUM
Board members shall meet at least four times a year to agree the direction and work to be
undertaken by North London Cares, and to review progress, policies and finance. At any time a
quorum of 50% of the total current size of the board must be present to agree actions. If a quorum
cannot be convened the board may still meet but may not make major strategic, financial, delivery
or fundraising decisions and may not vote to agree decisions unless authorised by the remainder of
the board in absentia to do so (or unless an absent board member has previously agreed in writing
any decisions to be made). The board may choose to meet more regularly than quarterly, depending
on the priorities and requirements of the organisation. Minutes must be taken at each standard
and extraordinary meeting of the board and stored in North London Cares registered office and
shared drives.

1.4 BOARD APPOINTMENTS
At any time the board may agree to increase or reduce its size, so long as it remains within the
range above. In appointing new members to the Board of Directors/Trustees there must be a
majority agreement among existing board members that the proposed candidate(s) is (are)
appropriate and will bring value, skill, knowledge, experience and relevant networks to North
London Cares, and will serve as a diligent representative of North London Cares.

Existing board members must recruit new members with care and due diligence. The chief
executive and chair must meet candidate board members, review their experience, and assess
their skills and likely contributions; additional board members should be consulted on appointments
and, where possible, meet prospective board members before appointments are made. Strengths
and weaknesses should be discussed, and appointments must be voted for by a majority of the
board. Ideally, candidates for the Board of Directors/Trustees should be involved with North London
Cares in an advisory capacity before appointment to the governance board so that a fair
assessment can be made of commitment and potential. New board members will be subject to a
six-month probation period and 12-month review to ensure they are meeting the above standards.
$&
1.5 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Board members are required to declare directorships, governance positions, professional
statuses and any other information that may be deemed relevant. Potential conflicts of interest
should be avoided. Therefore, no board member shall serve simultaneously on the board of North
London Cares and other charities working exclusively in north London on the recruitment of young
professional volunteers in support of local older people. Further, no board member shall serve
simultaneously on the board of North London Cares and any other company likely to buy or sell
products or services from North London Cares (apart from sister organisations of North London
Cares). Any and all potential conflicts of interest should be stated during the recruitment process. If
a conflict of interest arises on a point of discussion within a board meeting upon which the board is
due to vote or make a decision, the conflicted party should leave the room for the period of that
discussion, and it may be decided by the remainder of the board that an abstention is necessary.

1.6 BOARD TERM LIMITS
Although there is no legal requirement on board term limits in either company or charity law, for the
purpose of longevity, continuity, transparency, and organisational development terms for
Directors/Trustees of North London Cares are set at four years from the date of appointment. All
board members are asked to complete at minimum a full four-year term, unless they are otherwise
unable to do so or are removed by the rest of the board. Directors/Trustees may serve a maximum
of three full four-year terms on the board.

As of August 31
st
2013 the Board of Directors/Trustees consists of:

Josie Cluer (Chair) appointed February, 2013.
Nick Wigmore appointed August, 2011.
David Easton appointed February, 2013.
David Hayman appointed September, 2013.

1.7 DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
North London Cares is an ambitious organisation seeking to create high quality support networks
and social connections for older and isolated people in Camden and Islington, by recruiting young
professionals to offer a little extra time, practical help, social connection and human companionship.
In addition to the statutory responsibilities that all company directors in the UK should meet,
directors/trustees of NL Cares Limited should also pledge to a number of additional tasks to help
the organisation deliver the highest quality in a safe and trusted environment, to obtain sustainable
funding, and to grow and improve the work we do over time.
$'

As stipulated by the UK government, all NL Cares Limited directors must:

Try to make the company a success, using their skills, experience and judgment;

Follow the companys rules, as shown in its articles of association;

Make decisions for the benefit of the company as a whole, not any individuals benefit;

Tell other directors if any company activity may bring personal gain or financial benefit;

Keep company records and, as a board and working with the Chief Executive, report any
changes to Companies House and HM Revenue & Customs;

Make sure the companys accounts, submitted annually, are a true and fair view of the
business finances;

Register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year to
HM Revenue & Customs;

Day to day, the Chief Executive of NL Cares Limited, working with our nominated accountant,
funders and partners, is responsible for each of these activities. Directors will not be asked to take a
hands-on role in the delivery of these actions.

However, the legal responsibility for NL Cares Limiteds proper regulation lies ultimately with the
directors of the company. Consequently, directors will be consulted on all major decisions, and
advice will be sought on various smaller and strategic questions.

Directors of NL Cares Limited will also be asked to fulfil various other roles to help the
company/charity to achieve its vision. Directors of NL Cares Limited should therefore also:

Attend Board meetings every three months wherever possible;

Consider the views of the Chief Executive, Programme Coordinator and other staff and Board
members when making decisions;

$(
Support the work of the Chief Executive, Volunteer Programme Coordinator and other staff
and Board members by making themselves as available as possible;

Promote North London Cares through private conversations, social media activity, and
through any other actions where appropriate;

Represent the board and the company in a manner befitting its growing reputation for ideas,
delivery, trustworthiness and opportunity including by conducting themselves well in public,
including on social media.

Where a clear majority of the board votes in favour, and where adequate discussion has been
afforded and minuted, Directors/Trustees may be removed from the board without warning
where it is to the benefit or advantage of the company/charity to do so. The decision of the board is
final.

2. ADVISORY BOARD
In addition to the governance board, which is responsible for North London Cares reputation and
legal duties, an advisory board shall assist with the creation and delivery of various strategies, plans,
projects and work streams. This advisory board does not carry any legal responsibility; rather, it is
intended to be a support mechanism through which the charity can improve its expertise,
reputation, networks and public relations.

The advisory board is therefore an informal and non-constituted group, meeting from time to time
rather than at regular intervals. It will consist of friends of the organisation with additional skills who
can help us meet our mission. Currently, that advisory group consists of:

Samuel Coates Digital Communications Professional
Maya Wolfe-Robinson Human Rights Journalist
Donata Huggins Third Sector Professional and Writer
Oliver Hypolite-Bishop Policy & Public Affairs Professional
Andreia Rola Charity Fundraising Professional
Fash Sawwyer Investment Strategy Professional
Sam Hyde Fundraising Professional

$)
Volunteering
1. INTRODUCTION
This policy sets out the broad principles for voluntary involvement through North London Cares and
serves as a guide for everyone within the organisation staff, board members, partners and
volunteers. The policy is endorsed by the board and will be reviewed annually to ensure that it
remains appropriate to the needs of North London Cares, our volunteers, our funders, and the
neighbours and partners we collectively support. The policy is summarised alongside specific tips
and pointers for volunteers in our Volunteer Handbook, which is available to all volunteers and
through our website, and which is reviewed every year.

2. COMMITMENT
North London Cares is a volunteer organisation. We can only do the work we do if local people are
willing to give their time, energy, professionalism and personal skills for the benefit of our
neighbours. As an organisation, we therefore hugely value and admire the contribution our
volunteers make and, in return, we seek to provide as welcoming, professional and relevant an
experience as we can.

Our intention is to expand the number of people participating in our communities in Camden and
Islington to bridge communities and support older and isolated people in need of support. Our
commitment to volunteers is therefore to making community participation as accessible, fun, social,
personal and rewarding as possible. We hope that everyone who participates in North London
Cares projects will enjoy the experience, make new friends, and return on a regular basis.

3. PURPOSE
Our volunteers participate through various projects, programmes and campaigns to support our
neighbours in need of a little extra support, time or companionship. North London Cares has
developed these programmes of activity specifically and strategically to help build trust and
understanding in our neighbourhoods, and to facilitate interactions and relationships across
communities that might not otherwise occur. We want our volunteers to leave feeling they have
learned something new about their neighbours. This means our projects are small, personal and
relational.

4. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
North London Cares is taking a new approach to volunteer engagement: all our people are recruited
through social, digital and corporate networks, rather than through street front presence. By working
$*
this way, we hope to harness the power of the existing human trust and peer-to-peer
recommendations that are so important in our networked age.

Volunteers are invited to take on as much or as little as they can whether that is supporting our
staff to run projects, attending events twice every week, or just participating once a year. The
imperative to get involved will always come from the volunteer. While we do not ask for a specific
long-term commitment in order to make participation as accessible as possible, we hope that in
providing a positive experience volunteers will return to participate as often they like.

To encourage this retention, North London Cares participants will always be mobilised through
informal but professional communications with our employees, who aim to speak the language and
use the networks and tools our volunteers prefer. Volunteers are eligible for references at the
discretion of North London Cares and will also be invited to regular social events where they can
meet other like-minded people and discuss their involvement and other areas of shared interest.

5. VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND
Although volunteering through North London Cares is open to all, our specific mission is to recruit
young professionals people under 40 and normally without children, working in the media, law,
finance, communications, fashion, retail and marketing sectors, as well as students.

There are many reasons why we target those groups. Many are graduates from all over the country
seeking roots in North London. Others want to get involved in their communities but find it difficult
to do so. Some of our people are extremely highly regarded professionally but would like to develop
their personal confidence or local networks.

Our aim is to encourage that class of young professional to do more to participate in their local
communities. We want to bridge the gap between the reality of those busy professional lives and
the needs of the local community. We will therefore never judge their motivations for getting
involved, which may be many and varied.

6. VOLUNTEER TASKS
The role of our central employees is to create a programme of accessible volunteering opportunities
in which people can get involved every week to support and interact with their older or isolated
neighbours, and which are also attractive to those older people. We work on many projects at a
time, and most are ongoing over a period of months.

%+
These tasks will commonly be based on our two core programmes: Love Your Neighbour, in which
volunteers will be asked, either individually or in small teams, and often in private homes, to support
individual older or isolated neighbours in need of practical support or companionship; and Social
Clubs, in which volunteers host group activities hooking on cultural exchanges in order to provide
new activities and opportunities for older or isolated people to interact, discuss, share ideas and
enjoy time.

Our creative Social Club projects so far have included:
Film Nights
Storytelling Nights
Desert Island Disc Clubs
Shared Histories Events
Curry & Quiz Days
Vintage Afternoon Tea Parties
Street Parties
Knit & Knatter socials

7. SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT
To protect our volunteers and our service users, and to facilitate easy interaction between groups
and individuals, all projects built by North London Cares are currently supervised by a fully trained
member of staff at all times. Those employees do everything in their power to provide a relaxed,
vibrant and natural atmosphere and one in which everyone feels supported and valued. All
volunteers are carefully briefed on the actions required before the sessions begin, and all are
encouraged and supported throughout the process and thanked and surveyed after their
volunteering experience. We are also conscious of our duty of care and responsibility to health and
safety requirements (see below and other policies in this booklet).

In the autumn of 2013 North London Cares will begin a programme of recruiting, training and
support Super Volunteers, as described above. These volunteers will be recruited from our most
enthusiastic volunteers, who have often sought to offer more time and commitment. They will be
trained to host events under the North London Cares banner themselves, to run parts of the
volunteer database themselves, to manage, invite and inspire other volunteers to support their
events, to create digital media content, to work with partners and to ensure safety, security and
successful activities five times a year. We have received funding from the Bulldog Trust to
complete this work over three years, and will train and manage 60 volunteers during that time.

%"
In order to ensure our data protection responsibilities are met, we will ask all Super Volunteers to
sign a Non Disclosure Agreement stipulating that all shared data is the property of North London
Cares and must not be shared with any other individual or organisation by the volunteer.

8. RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS
While the confidence of people North London Cares supports may often vary, it is imperative that
volunteers appreciate that the organisation works with some very isolated and vulnerable
individuals. Our objective is to connect these isolated people to local volunteers who are friendly,
compassionate, understanding, patient, honest and responsive to the needs of all the individuals
they encounter through our programmes. We therefore expect our volunteers to be sensitive to the
needs of the people we support, and to act in an appropriate fashion and all volunteers are briefed
and supported to act accordingly.

9. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
North London Cares is diligent in promoting equal opportunities for our neighbours and for our
volunteers and we have developed a full policy to support the promotion of otherwise
disadvantaged and disconnected people. Please see the full Equal Opportunities policy for more
information.

10. INSURANCE
North London Cares insurance is provided by Tennyson Insurance Ltd, which is a subsidiary of
Zurich Insurance PLC. Our insurance covers public and products liability, environmental clean up
and our various public events, which are licensed where required. North London Cares and NL
Cares Ltd have been assessed as fit for service, and for this insurance policy, by the provider. We
will review the insurance annually at the time of renewal.

11. HEALTH AND SAFETY
North London Cares has a comprehensive Health and Safety policy and we carry out regular risk
assessments on our various projects. All our employees are CRB-checked to ensure total probity at
all times. Volunteers are never left alone with individual older or isolated neighbours until we can
trust that they will do so in an appropriate fashion.

In addition, North London Cares screens all volunteers before they are allowed to participate in our
programmes. Much of this screening is done through digital and social media networks including
by searching email addresses, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, and making a judgement on
whether that individual is appropriate to participate in our projects. Please see our full safeguarding
%#
policy for details. North London Cares employees are also Emergency First Aid trained, having
completed a full days learning through the British Red Cross.

12. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
North London Cares has never received a complaint about our service, or the experience of our
volunteers, in two years. Many have commented in surveys that they have felt closer to their
neighbours and more connected to the community as a result of their participation. However, should
we receive a complaint, we will treat it with all due seriousness. Any formally expressed complaint
will be fully investigated and assessed by the chief executive, or governance board, and apologies
made where appropriate. Please see the full complaints procedure below as well as our website for
more details.

13. CONFIDENTIALITY
To match people to volunteering opportunities through North London Cares networks, we may
record any publicly available contact and social media details from our participants. Under the Data
Protection Act 1998 we guarantee never to share personal details with any third party, commercial
or otherwise unless we have the individuals written consent.

We reserve the right to refer to volunteers by name or social media username in our digital
recruitment work, and to publish photographs through our digital channels of all participants who
attend our events. However, we will not refer to any of our volunteers by their full name, either in
digital or traditional media, without the express prior consent of that volunteer.

14. SMOKING, ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
North London Cares, our partners and stakeholders, will not tolerate smoking, consumption of
alcohol or substance abuse during our programmes, projects, volunteering opportunities or any
other aspect of our professional work. We ask that volunteers refrain from smoking for the duration
of their volunteering session, though short breaks may be provided at the discretion of staff.
Volunteers who arrive to a project intoxicated will be asked to leave immediately. These measures
are to protect our service users and other volunteers, and to ensure we provide as professional an
experience for others as possible.





%$
15. EXPENSES
North London Cares does not meet volunteer expenses except in exceptional circumstances.
Unfortunately, we are therefore unable to reimburse volunteers for travel costs, food, refreshments,
clothing, petrol or other expenses, in relation to work with North London Cares or otherwise.

If volunteers would like to support North London Cares' central administration by supporting office
employees, we will cover all direct organisational costs they may incur such as for postage,
packaging, office supplies, equipment, etc. However, we are unable to cover lunch, travel or any
other personal costs, even in those circumstances.




CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013



















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Quality Assurance
Given North London Cares mission of connecting potentially vulnerable people with professional
volunteers with high expectations, we have a special duty to provide a high quality of service to all
our neighbours; and a high quality, enjoyable volunteer experience for everybody who gives up their
time to participate with the organisation. We are committed to continuous organisational
improvement and we have established a Quality Management System that offers a framework for
measuring and improving our performance.

That system requires:

Regular gathering and evaluation of volunteer and neighbour feedback (including evaluation
of delivery programmes, events and interactions, as well as a regular surveys of all users);

Real time processing of evaluation forms, feedback opportunities and complaints;

Training and development for our employees and, where possible or expedient, our
volunteers;

A commitment to processing and settling complaints (see Complaints policy) within a
maximum of ten working days;

A commitment to processing all sign ups, enquiries, bookings, referrals and enrolments a
maximum of within three working days.

These procedures may be reviewed regularly in consultation with volunteers, neighbours, funders,
partners and all other stakeholders. Though the Chief Executive, reporting to the Board, has ultimate
responsibility for quality, all employees have a responsibility and contractual obligation within their
own areas of work to ensure that quality is embedded within the culture of the organisation, handed
down to all volunteer participants.




CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013
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Equal Opportunities
North London Cares is committed to supporting and encouraging diversity and equal opportunity for
all through every aspect of our work. Within the parameters of our mission of recruiting young
professionals to work with their older neighbours, we will therefore make no consideration,
prejudice or judgement whatsoever, in any area of our work, based on gender, ethnicity, race,
sexual orientation, social background, religion, belief or disability.

We will adhere to this commitment through every aspect of our work from how we support people
in communities through our core programmes and delivery of work, to recruiting and mobilising
volunteers. We will also apply these values to our dealings with third party organisations and the
process of decision-making through which we hire and manage employees.

North London Cares will make every effort to ensure that all relationships are administered with
respect, decency and impartiality wherever required. Reflecting the central values of North London
Cares we will seek to open access and opportunities through employment to people for whom they
may previously have been limited.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013





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Finance & Value for Money
North London Cares is committed to financial sustainability and obtaining the best value for money
for the organisation, our partners, funders and the people who participate in our programmes. Our
guarantee to all stakeholders is to be as financially prudent and efficient as we can. We are
also committed to maintaining the highest levels of transparency, scrutiny and credibility in our
expenditure. To ensure we uphold those responsibilities we are committed to the following general
principles:

Running a balanced budget every year North London Cares is committed to generating at
least as much income as it spends in every financial year. We will never run a deficit unless it
becomes an organisational imperative to do so.

Adhering to a strategic reserves policy North London Cares is committed to growth and
financial sustainability but in order to mitigate against potential unanticipated shocks beyond
our control we will seek to hold reserves of at least three months projected expenditure in
the bank at all times (30,000 at the time of agreeing the policy). In addition, we will seek
to retain 15%-20% of all annual income as strategic reserves year on year. This target is
based on achieving income over expenditure of 30% in Year One and 27% in Year Two. This
policy will ensure that, in case of crisis or wind-up, all North London Cares commitments to
employees, creditors, funders and participants can be met.

Meeting financial commitments In addition to holding three months projected
expenditure in reserve, North London Cares will also seek to have at least an additional three
months expenditure projection in banked cash on hand at all times. This will help ensure all
financial responsibilities are met on an operational basis, as well as in the event of a crisis or
funding shortfall.

Maximising growth potential North London Cares is committed to growing in the short
term to ensure we support as many people in the communities we serve as possible. All
major finance decisions to support that growth/investment potential will be agreed by the
board and based on sound projections and guaranteed income streams (rather than from
reserves).

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Quality of service We are committed to obtaining and providing the best quality service we
can without undue expenditure and will make cost benefit analyses on all major spending.

It is the responsibility of the board, chief executive and all employees of the organisation to take
consideration of the above commitments in all financial decision-making, and to consider prudence
at all stages. North London Cares will apply the same policy to engagements in employment,
services, contracts, subscriptions and all other expenditures.

SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
In addition to the above principles, all North London Cares employees and board members must
agree to the following specific commitments:

All employees will have access to cash cards and may spend up to 100 per transaction in
order to meet organisational delivery commitments previously agreed with the chief
executive;

As guidance, expenditure should be limited to a maximum: 30 per Social Club; 100 per
Lunch Club; 5 per Love Your Neighbour interaction; 10 for occasional taxis (only where
required by circumstance, never routinely). Additional expenditure above these guidelines but
below 100 is at the discretion of staff members, reviewed by the chief executive monthly;

Expenditure over 50 should be agreed by the Chief Executive in advance of purchase;

All one off expenditures over 500 must be agree by the board in advance of purchase;

All social expenditure on employee and volunteer social activities, such as major events,
lunches and meals out, must be agreed by the board in advance of purchase;

All receipts and invoices must be kept and submitted to the chief executive for review and
submission to accountants and Companies House;

Employee and Director/Trustee expenses connected to travel, delivery, equipment or other
costs associated with North London Cares will be covered by NL Cares Limited only and
reimbursed to the relevant party within one month where claimed. These must be kept for
submission to accountants and Companies House;

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The chief executive will present the board with quarterly finance reports detailing income and
expenditure patterns, unusual spending and any other request which may be made to ensure
financial probity during that quarter;

The chief executive will review the basis of all grants, commissions and other income
quarterly and plan work streams accordingly, in order to ensure all funding commitments and
targets are met;

The charitys cashbook and bank statements will be randomly spot check reviewed by two
directors/trustees twice a year, to ensure probity, prudence and accuracy;

North London Cares PayPal account should be randomly reviewed by two directors twice a
year, as this platform is particularly open to abuse.

The charitys appointed accountants should discuss the annual accounts with the board
before the are signed off and submitted to Companies House, every year.

Repeated failure by employees to adhere to this policy will result in disciplinary action in accordance
with North London Cares disciplinary policy. This finance policy will be reviewed every 6 months.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013





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Environmental
North London Cares is committed to minimising the impact of our work on the environment. The
strategy we have adopted to achieve this is:

To minimise waste, evaluating operations and ensuring they are efficient and necessary;

To minimise toxic emissions through the selection and usage of power;

To actively promote recycling both internally and by all participants and stakeholders;

To seek to minimise the environmental impact of our work in general;

To meet or exceed the requirements of all environmental legislation relating to North London
Cares.




CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013







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Complaints
North London Cares always seeks to impress and enthuse all our neighbours, volunteers, partner
organisations, funders and other stakeholders with a professional, sensitive, trusted and deliverable
programme of activities and interactions. We understand that without the support of those many
stakeholders we cannot achieve our mission of connecting people and building communities, and
therefore endeavour to be the best in everything we do.

However, we appreciate that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. It is
therefore imperative that we have a formal process by which members of the public, funders,
partners or other stakeholders can express their concerns and record complaints to the
organisation. More details about where to send complaints can be found on our website at
http://www.northlondoncares.org.uk/complaints.

North London Cares takes all complaints very seriously and treats them as an opportunity to
improve our work. We will therefore always listen to and thank individuals or groups who may
complain about our work. We will respond fully and conclusively to any complaints made to us
about our work as soon as possible, and always within seven days of the complaint being made. We
will respond appropriately and accordingly to complaints made in writing, in person, by e-mail, by
telephone or by social and digital media.

Our procedure will be to first apologise to the complainant, and then to seek to gather all the
relevant information and evidence regarding the complaint, from whichever parties may have been
present. Where possible, we will hold a telephone or face-to-face conversation with the complainant
in order to establish the facts and offer to make amends. We will not seek to engage in lengthy
debates about the causes of a particular complaint. Rather, we will seek to understand the situation
with empathy and sensitivity, in order to come to an acceptable resolution.

Any complaint made directly about an employee or Board member of North London Cares will be
taken very seriously. If this occurs, disciplinary procedures contained in contracts of employment
and in our disciplinary policy will be applied, and the relevant course taken with the discretion of the
chief executive and Board where required.

Complaints about volunteers will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately by a member of
North London Cares staff, including the chief executive where appropriate. These complaints may
take various forms:
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Informal or off the cuff comments will be acknowledged conversationally and dealt with by
a member of staff if required, with justifications or explanations provided.

Private and direct complaints will be heard fully by a member of staff, with due consideration
for the complaint made and justifications, explanations and informal apologies given if
necessary. No further action shall be taken.

Telephone or written complaints will be investigated formally, with a short report written and
presented to the board if the issue is decided by the chief executive to be sufficiently serious.
Participants making this type of complaints will receive an answer within 10 working days,
and a full apology if necessary.

If there is sufficient evidence that a volunteer has acted inappropriately, that individual will be struck
off the North London Cares volunteer database immediately and without warning, and will not be
eligible to participate in future North London Cares programmes.

Complaints made by volunteers about the neighbours they spend time with will be investigated in
the same way. Where evidence is presented to suggest that a neighbour has acted inappropriately,
that neighbour will not be invited to return to North London Cares events in future, nor will they be
permitted to receive support from North London Cares centrally or from our volunteers. The reasons
for this will be explained in full.

There may be discretionary circumstances in which North London Cares does not choose to
respond to a complaint at all. These circumstances may include:

When someone pursues a complaint that we have already responded to reasonably;

When a complaint is obviously abusive, prejudiced or unfounded;

When a complainant is harassing a North London Cares employee, volunteer or neighbour;

When a complainant is incoherent, illegible or aggressive;

When a complainant is not specific or has clearly been sent to complain to other
organisations simultaneously as part of a coordinated campaign; or
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When a complaint is anonymous or unsubstantiated.

If a complaint is made by any party and subsequently dropped, we will do all we can to move on
from the situation without further investigation, action or residual feeling. However, it is our priority
to protect all North London Cares stakeholders according to our safeguarding policy and to ensure
they are receiving a safe and enjoyable experience from our work. Discretion will therefore be
applied, and the decision of the Chief Executive and Board is final.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013









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Disciplinary
North London Cares most valuable asset is its people, particularly our valued employees, who are
the heart and soul of the organisation. Our goal is to ensure employees are made to feel welcome,
valued, included, supported and encouraged to succeed. We will always seek to communicate
openly and effectively with employees. The chief executive and the board will in the first instance
manage any issues that may arise informally, before considering disciplinary procedures. However,
in some circumstances, it may become necessary to enter formal disciplinary actions in the best
interests of North London Cares.

A formal disciplinary action may be applied at any time during an employees employment with
North London Cares. It must always take one of the following forms:

A verbal warning to the employee, including a clear explanation of the reasons for that
warning. This action will take place in response to minor offences, including but not exclusive
to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for work or events; rudeness to
volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment, resources or the internet; breach
of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or appearance; repeated misuse of
funds; etc. It must be made clear that the verbal warning will be recorded and constitutes a
formal disciplinary action.
A first written warning to the employee, setting out the reasons for that formal warning. This
action will take place in response to a first serious offence or repeated minor offences,
including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for
work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment,
resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or
appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the first written
warning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.
A second written warning to the employee, again setting out reasons for that formal
warning. This action will take place in response to a second serious offence or repeated
minor offences, including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated
lateness for work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of
equipment, resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate
language or appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the
second written warning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.
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A final warning to the employee to take the form of a meeting with the board. This action is
the most serious disciplinary action and constitutes the final warning before dismissal. The
meeting should be recorded in minutes. It must be made clear that the final warning meeting
is part of the formal disciplinary process.

Any of the above actions can be entered into at any time without the necessary engagement of the
prior steps. However, there must be a minimum of three of the four stages, recorded and
understood, before dismissal can occur. At each stage, an employee may appeal in writing to the
board, which will meet to discuss the action within three working days. The board will respond to
the employees grievance in writing within seven days. At each stage of formal disciplinary action
the decision of the board is final.



CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013