In the Volunteer Support Team, we have many systems and terms we use that are so familiar to us we sometimes forget you may not know what we mean. GPG, iHASCO, Thirtyone:Eight and ThankQ to name a few!
So, what do they all mean...?
The Leaders' Area
As an Urban Saints Group volunteer, you have the benefit of being able to access the Leaders' Area of our website. Here you will find our Good Practice Guide (GPG), along with other information to assist you in running your Group, including Covid-19 guidance, safeguarding information and how to report a concern, as well as general information such as the difference between Urban Saints' Group roles, etc.
Accessing the area requires an email and password log-in, individual to each volunteer. If you need your log-in reset or a new one set up, you can contact us at volunteersupport@urbansaints.org, and we will be happy to help.
www.urbansaints.org/leaders-area
Leader's roles
We have five roles within an Urban Saints Group:
Main Leaders
Take overall responsibility for everything that happens in their Group. Main Leaders are appointed by Urban Saints and are Members of the organisation. Main Leader role description
Assistant Leaders
Work alongside the Main Leaders to assist in the running of the Group. Assistant Leader role description
Group Helpers
Help with the delivery of the Group’s programmes on a regular basis. Group Helper role description
Trainee Helpers
Aged 14 – 17 and will be automatically enrolled on the Urban Saints Trainee & Group Helper Programme developed for this role, working through the material whilst helping alongside the team. Trainee Helper role description
Occasional Helpers
Help at the Group from time to time on trips, residentials and when others on the team are away. Occasional Helper role description
The different roles require different levels of safer recruitment checks and training. If you are unsure if you are in the correct role, please discuss this with your Main Leader, and let us know if you need to change the role.
Click here to inform us of any role changes
Disclosure Checks
When you need a new disclosure check, we will provide you with all the details you need at the time. Here is some information on the systems we use. In England and Wales, we use an organisation called Thirtyone:Eight to process DBS checks for us. We will then complete and submit the application once an ID check is complete. For more information, visit www.urbansaints.org/dbschecks
Disclosures in Northern Ireland and Scotland are processed through the government departments, NIdirect and Disclosure Scotland. As with DBS, AccessNI and PVG applications cannot be submitted without an ID check completed.
AccessNI
AccessNI checks are required in Northern Ireland for all volunteers aged 18 and over and need to be renewed every 3 years or if there is a gap in serving for more than 1 year. The Volunteer Support Team are now counter signatories for AccessNI and can process these checks centrally from the Urban Saints Support Centre at Kestin House and will liaise directly with volunteers to guide you through the process. Wilson Beare will remain the lead signatory for Urban Saints in Northern Ireland. Find out more: www.urbansaints.org/accessni
The PVG scheme
The PVG scheme (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) provides the higher-level checks required for volunteers in Scotland. Once a volunteer is registered as a member of the PVG scheme Urban Saints will be updated on any information that needs disclosing until the volunteer decides to leave the scheme. Therefore, renewal is not required on the 3 yearly cycles as with DBS and AccessNI checks. Until recently, PVG applications have been done by completing paper forms, but now Disclosure Scotland has introduced a new online system. After the signatory at Urban Saints has completed a request form the volunteer will be sent a link to complete the application directly with Disclosure Scotland. Becca Ambrose is the lead signatory for Urban Saints in Scotland and will liaise directly with volunteers in Scotland. Find out more: www.urbansaints.org/pvg
ID checklist
An essential part of any disclosure check is the ID checklist. The ID checklist is a separate step to the section in a disclosure application form, where it asks for your passport, driving license or national insurance number. It must be completed in person with someone trusted by Urban Saints to carry out the check, such as you Group Main Leader or an Impact Team Leader. In Scotland, this must be Becca Ambrose.
The check involves showing three pieces of ID to the checker, who will need to verify the documents and your identity. The checker will need to enter the ID details onto the form issued by Urban Saints and then returned to us (the form is different for each nation, but the correct form will be sent to you by US when it is needed).
Only once this ID check is complete can we submit the disclosure application.
iHasco
We need all volunteers to complete training courses relevant to their role. As a minimum, all volunteers should complete Safeguarding Children, but some positions include extra training such as GDPR and Health & Safety, etc. We provide this training free through an online training platform called iHASCO. The courses include short videos and end with a multiple-choice test, taking no more than 45 to 60 minutes to complete.
Every volunteer will have an account set up and the relevant training assigned. If you can’t access your account, please speak to one of the Volunteer Support team. Find out more: www.urbansaints.org/volunteertraining
ThankQ
Sometimes you might hear us use the words thank you, misplaced in a sentence. That is because our database system is called ThankQ. Among other things, we hold a record of all our Groups and volunteers in this system. The information we have must be correct and up to date; so that we know who is actively involved in Urban Saints Groups and can contact each volunteer when we need to.
If you change any of your details, such as your address, phone number, surname, or if you have stopped serving with your Group, you can let us know using this form.