Information for community partners

This policy is intended to establish and maintain clear, consistent standards of good  practice for charities and third sector organisations using Oxford Brookes Student  Volunteer Centre to promote UK-based volunteering opportunities to students. 

For more information, please contact: volunteering@brookes.ac.uk 

Our aim is to: 

• Act as a link between students at Oxford Brookes and the wider community.
• Advertise and promote mutually beneficial volunteering opportunities, enabling  students to make a positive impact within the community through sharing their skills  and enthusiasm whilst boosting their confidence and employability. 
• Support and encourage students to engage in volunteering activity and to then reflect on their experience volunteering.

Oxford Brookes will

• Provide a free and professional brokerage service. We do not select volunteers for  external organisations through brokerage.  
• Promote local and national volunteering opportunities to all students across the  University, working closely with faculties and departments to direct students to  relevant roles. 
• Maintain regular contact with the Community Partner, offering ongoing support and  the opportunity for feedback. 
• Invite Community Partners to register interest for relevant events, such as Oxford  Brookes’ Volunteer Fair and Volunteer Thursdays and social media promotion. 
• Gather data to assess student interest and the success of opportunities. 
• Recognise and celebrate the achievements of student volunteers.

The Community Partner will

• Confirm ‘not for profit status’ i.e. are you a registered charity, social enterprise (CIC,  Cooperative etc), academic intuition and provide your relevant registration number.
• Provide a clear volunteer role description on the volunteering portal, where  expectations are realistic and achievable and where voluntary activity will not replace the work of paid staff. 
• Provide Oxford Brookes with evidence of Public Liability Insurance which includes volunteers and have robust  Health and Safety protocols, Accident and Emergency, First Aid and Fire Safety procedures in place.
• Inform Oxford Brookes if students will be lone working or volunteering in a client’s home. Oxford Brookes does not promote opportunities where the student will be  volunteering at a service user’s home unless both parties have a DBS and are accompanied by the charity's staff. 
• Carry out any risk assessments and address any safeguarding issues in relation  to your volunteering posts 
• Comply with all relevant UK legislation. 
• Respond to queries from prospective volunteers in a timely manner and contact all  applicants with the outcome of their application. 
• Undertake any necessary checks as required, such as DBS checks, visa eligibility  checks for international students and references.  
• Provide appropriate training and induction for volunteers to carry out their assigned  tasks safely and efficiently. 
• Provide ongoing support and supervision, ensuring volunteers are aware of all  relevant policies and procedures. 
• Give reasonable support to any volunteer who has additional accessibility needs on the basis of disability, learning difference or health condition.
• Keep accurate records of Oxford Brookes students who are volunteering in line  with GDPR regulations. 
• Keep Oxford Brookes informed of any changes to the role or within the organisation  that will impact on volunteers and keep contact details up to date.
• Offer feedback to Oxford Brookes.  

Volunteers expectations

• Volunteers have the right to expect certain support and to be respected and not discriminated against.
• Volunteers will not be expected to undertake any tasks they do not feel comfortable with or be asked to give more time than they feel able to.
• All volunteer personal details will remain confidential.
• To be provided with a role description, to include: what is expected of them, time and other commitments, skills they will need etc.
• To not to be used to replace the work of paid staff
• To be able to claim for out-of-pocket expenses with prior agreement.

Please note

• We adopt NCVO’s definition of volunteering: 

‘Volunteering is when someone spends unpaid time doing something to benefit others. Helping your close friends or relatives isn't volunteering. But doing something to benefit the environment (and through that, other people) is. Volunteering can be formal and organised by organisations, or informal within communities. It should always be a free choice made by the person giving up their time.’

You can find further information about the distinction of volunteering and  voluntary work on the NCVO website. 

• It is good practice to have a written volunteer agreement in place. You can find guidance about volunteer agreements on the NCVO website.  
• Students fit volunteering around their academic studies and other responsibilities,  such as part time work. We advise students not to exceed 15 hours a week for  activities outside their studies.  
• The academic year is split into two semesters. A high number of students leave  Oxford and return home during University vacation periods.

Please refer to our semester dates. 

Please be aware that we are unable to advertise the following on our volunteering  portal: 

• International roles: We aim to support the local community and continue to make Oxfordshire and its surrounding areas even better places to live! 
• Roles that could be classed as voluntary work or employment or internships.
• We work hard to ensure opportunities are mutually beneficial, offering students  the opportunity to gain and develop transferable skills. Please refer to NCVO’s  definition of volunteering above. If you would like to advertise an internship or paid role please visit our Employer page

You can find further guidance on volunteers’ rights at www.gov.uk/volunteering.  

• Roles deemed unsuitable for students or that may possibly bring Oxford Brookes University into disrepute.  

We may refuse to promote further roles from any organisation who breach this  understanding and, at our sole discretion, remove (or not publish) advertisements  which we consider to contravene UK law, or to be otherwise unsuitable.  

• Charities that are not registered and do not have effective health and safety  protocols, policies or insurance in place.
• Fundraising activities that are solely focused on collecting charitable donations or leafleting.

By registering on our Volunteer Portal you agree that:

• We may use your contact information for the purposes of communicating with you about events and/or activities which you have booked with us, or to promote opportunities we feel may be of interest to you and/or your organisation (e.g. careers fairs).
• We may promote your opportunities via social media (X, Facebook, Instagram and via newsletters) without informing you of these communications.
• It is your responsibility to keep contact details up-to-date or to notify us of any changes at your organisation.
• If your account has been inactive for two years, we may deactivate your account without seeking your prior consent.
• Oxford Brookes Careers complies with the University’s Information Management protocols, including its Information Security Policy, to ensure the maintenance of confidentiality, integrity and the appropriate availability of data.
• Please note: Oxford Brookes Careers accepts no liability for the actions of Oxford Brookes students or graduates that you recruit.
• Oxford Brookes Careers accepts no responsibility for information supplied, opinions expressed, or events organised by an organisation.

Feedback on our services

We welcome your feedback, both positive and negative, as it drives the continuous quality  improvement of our services. Should you be unhappy with any aspect of our service and  wish to raise a concern, please email us at volunteering@brookes.ac.uk in the first instance. If we cannot resolve your concern, it will  be passed to the Head of the Careers Service. We aim to provide an initial  acknowledgement within three working days.  

Updated: July 2025

Next review: July 2026