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Terms of participation

For volunteers

  1. I affirm that my interest in volunteering is based on personal choice and is undertaken freely without the expectation of monetary reward.
  2. I am aware that:
    1. Disaster and emergency management organisations (Organisations) who use the Emergency Volunteering site to source volunteers are independent entities responsible for their own actions, and are not agents of the volunteering peak body in my State or Territory.
    2. The Emergency Volunteering site acts as a referral agency ONLY and cannot guarantee that any volunteer opportunity will become available as opportunities are SOLELY RELIANT ON ORGANISATIONS' needs and also depend on my availability, skills and location;
    3. The Emergency Volunteering site is not responsible for the operations or conduct of Organisations nor for volunteers referred to them;
    4. The information provided by the Emergency Volunteering site is limited to that provided to it by Organisations without being checked or tested.

  3. I consent that at times of immediate disaster and need, I give permission for the registration details provided by me to, if required, be forwarded to a relevant State/Territory peak body for volunteering in a State/Territory impacted by disaster or in need. My registration details will be passed on for the sole purpose of communicating latest emergency updates to me and for the potential matching of my expression of interest to volunteer with recovery volunteering opportunities in that jurisdiction. In providing consent I acknowledge that registration details provided by me may be provided to an Organisation in future, in the event of another emergency and that if I no longer wish to be registered, I will update my registration information accordingly.

    Please appreciate that in most cases volunteers will not be engaged during or immediately after a disaster as impacted communities need to be ready for and able to accommodate and request assistance. Your help is more likely to be needed in the longer-term recovery period. Volunteering opportunities you could be connected to may be with local organisations working in disaster recovery or more general recovery and rebuilding opportunities.

  4. I consent to allow the personal details provided by me to be forwarded to an Organisation, for the sole purpose of obtaining a volunteer position with the Organisation and to use the data for subsequent follow-up for research and statistical analysis. I agree that the volunteering peak body in my State or Territory may also use the details I have provided to follow up with me to request feedback.
  5. I acknowledge that any volunteer position I attend will be the result of agreement reached between me and the Organisation.
  6. I accept full responsibility to check the currency and adequacy of the Organisation's insurance cover before starting volunteer work and acknowledge and agree that whilst the Emergency Volunteering site does ask that each Organisation it deals with has insurance to cover volunteers, the volunteering peak in my State or Territory does not sight any policies for limitations or exclusions of insurance coverage. We ask that you protect yourself by requesting this information directly from the Organisation BEFORE commencing any volunteer position.

  7. I am aware that during the volunteering activity the volunteering peak body in my State or Territory and the Organisations that engage volunteers may photograph or film the activities and the volunteers taking part. These images will be shared on social media and for purposes of illustrating the disaster event and positive impact resulting from the engagement of coordinated volunteering efforts. Any photos taken will only be done so by authorised personnel to be used for non-commercial purposes.

    I consent to allow images to be taken of me. I acknowledge that I am within my rights to inform the photographer that I do not wish to be photographed or filmed.

    I understand that volunteers are asked to respect the privacy of those impacted by the disaster and are therefore I agree not to photograph, film or record in any way, any people affected by the disaster, their property, or their homes (inside and outside).

Volunteer Disclaimer

By attending any volunteering opportunity through a referral from the Emergency Volunteering site, I agree that in so doing to the greatest extent that may be permitted by law that the volunteering peak body in my State or Territory shall have no liability whatsoever to me as a result of making such details available to any Organisation, including but not limited to disaster and emergency management organisations, who may from time to time take part, avail themselves or be involved in the Emergency Volunteering site. Furthermore, I acknowledge that insofar as I shall be linked with or referred to any Organisation as part of the Emergency Volunteering site, that I will make my own assessment to determine as to whether such Organisation and its requirements are appropriate for my needs and skills.

Volunteering in other states

Please note that terms and conditions will vary from state to state/territory.

For organisations

Please read these terms and conditions carefully before agreeing to participate in the Emergency Volunteering and Community Recovery site. Please note, we will only begin matching volunteers with opportunities after the Request form has been received.

This agreement is between the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory and Your Organisation as follows:

1. Status of organisation

Your Organisation agrees:

  1. It is a Volunteer Involving Organisation
  2. If requested, it will give to the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory reasonable proof that it is a community organisation.

In this agreement:

  1. "community organisation" means any of the following that organises the doing of community work by volunteers
    1. a corporation;
    2. a registered political party as defined under the Electoral Act 1992 or the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Commonwealth)
    3. a local government
    4. any public authority constituted under an Act.
  2. "Community work" means work that is not for private financial gain and that is done for a charitable, benevolent, philanthropic, sporting, recreational, educational or cultural purpose.
  3. "Organises" includes directed or supervised.
  4. "Volunteer" means a person who does unpaid community work on a voluntary basis.
  5. "Work" includes any activity.

2. Effecting and keeping current insurance policies

Your Organisation agrees:

  1. It will effect and keep current Public Liability Insurance and Volunteer Personal Accident Insurance for volunteer workers;
  2. If requested, it will give to the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory, within a reasonable period of time, copies of the insurance policies mentioned in paragraph (1) and copies of the certificates of currency for the policies.

3. No partnership or agency

Your Organisation (and its employees, agents and representatives) agrees:

  1. not to represent itself, and to use its best endeavours to ensure that its officers, employees, agents and subcontractors do not represent themselves, as being an officer, employee, partner or agent of the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory or is otherwise able to bind or represent the the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory;
  2. it is not, by virtue of this agreement, an officer, employee, partner or agent of the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory, nor does Your Organisation have any power or authority to bind or represent the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory;
  3. that nothing in this agreement shall create a partnership, agency or joint venture between the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory and Your Organisation, and neither party shall enter into or have authority to enter into any engagement or make any representation or warranty on behalf of or pledge the credit of or otherwise bind or oblige the other party.

4. Independent organisation

Your Organisation agrees:

  1. It is an independent organisation responsible for its own actions and not an agent of the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory;
  2. The Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory is not responsible for the operations of Your Organisation or conduct of a potential volunteer or a volunteer working at Your Organisation's work place.

5. What the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory is, and is not, responsible for

The Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory agrees it is responsible for providing the following information to a prospective volunteer:

  • The details of volunteering opportunities with organisations based on information provided on the Request form;

The Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory agrees it is responsible for providing the following information to Your Organisation:

  • The details of volunteers (as provided by the registrants) who are willing to volunteer based on the information provided by Your Organisation on the Request form.

6. What Your Organisation is responsible for

Your Organisation agrees it is responsible for:

  1. Deciding if a prospective volunteer has the appropriate attributes and skills and is a fit and proper person to be engaged in work by Your Organisation; and
  2. Supervising the work, monitoring the conduct and ensuring the health, safety and welfare of a volunteer at Your Organisation's workplace;
  3. Providing any relevant reimbursements to volunteers
  4. Providing insurance for each volunteer to protect against injury, loss or damage experienced. You will provide us with current insurance information with the understanding that Your Organisation's insurance will fully cover any loss or injury incurred by any volunteer, whilst working with Your Organisation, where such loss or injury was sustained at any time during their engagement with Your Organisation (including during their travel to and from the volunteer opportunity and their home); and
  5. Entering into a proper agreement with a prospective volunteer before the volunteer starts volunteering at Your Organisation's work place.

7. Circulating details about Your Organisation and volunteer opportunities on websites and through media outlets

Your Organisation agrees that the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory may list contact details of Your Organisation and available volunteer opportunities on their website(s) including but not limited to emergency.volunteer.org.au as well as any other channels deemed appropriate in relation to the emergency including but not limited to social media and radio interviews.

8. Complying with code of practice and having regard to National Standards

Your Organisation agrees:

  1. To have due regard (as far as is practicable) to the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.

9. Advising the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory about outcomes of links with potential volunteers

A State or Territory Peak Body may contact you at the conclusion of an emergency to gather data on volunteering for reporting purposes. You agree to provide feedback as appropriate.

10. Agreement taking effect

Your Organisation agrees this agreement takes effect when the Request form is submitted electronically (via the Emergency Volunteering site) by Your Organisation to the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory.

11. Costs

Your Organisation acknowledges:

  1. That each organisation will be responsible for meeting the costs of goods and services necessary to conduct their own activities.
  2. Your responsibilities in understanding, clarifying and applying through your own arrangements for disaster relief assistance in the application of financial assistance during emergency events.

12. Media commitments

You agree that if requested by the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory, you will provide any feedback or data collected by Your Organisation to assist the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory in reporting on the Emergency Volunteering outcomes and activities. This may be needed to assist the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory in reporting.

You agree to assist with aspects of community education in order to effectively manage the community's expectations of volunteer involvement in disasters, as well as the promotional efforts of the Emergency Volunteering site as and when requested by the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory, including allowing the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory to use the name of Your Organisation in any associated marketing or promotion materials, working closely with your communications department.

13. Organisational disclaimer

By sourcing volunteer registrants from the Emergency Volunteering site, you agree that in so doing (to the greatest extent that may be permitted at law) that the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory shall have no liability whatsoever to you as a result of making known to you the existence of one or more individuals whose skills and personal aspirations may be considered by you to be appropriate for Your Organisation's needs. Accordingly, you acknowledge that in electing to take on the volunteer services of one or more individuals registered through the Emergency Volunteering site that you have done so only after independently making your own enquiries and assessment as to whether the skills and background of any such individual are appropriate for the needs of Your Organisation.

In addition to the above, you agree to these statements:

  1. You will provide the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory with all the information we need to support your volunteer recruitment efforts.
  2. You will allocate a key contact who will liaise with the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory for the duration of the related activities.
  3. You will provide an appropriate level of care, occupational health and safety for the volunteers and practice volunteer management in accordance with the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.
  4. You will take into consideration any constructive feedback provided by the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory.
  5. You agree to provide content or comments to our media liaisons for both online and print articles and/or allow the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory to use such content obtained from you, your website (if any) and/or volunteer's feedback, where you have received prior notification from us of the use of such materials.
  6. You have thought about and put in place mechanisms to plan and manage your volunteer program. You have understood the need to provide information and an appropriate level of supervision to volunteers to help them to stay healthy and safe during disaster volunteering efforts.
  7. You have read and will abide by the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement Code of Practice for Organisations that Involve Volunteers.
  8. You have understood the evaluation procedure for providing feedback to the Volunteering peak body in your State/Territory.

Liability

Volunteering WA and Eduka provide this service and website as a benefit to the community but accept no liability in relation to any matches made through the website.

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