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Volunteer Framework

At Northeast Health Wangaratta we care about our volunteers and the enormous contribution they make to our organisation. Our volunteers are viewed as being integral members of our workforce and NHW is focused to ensure the same level of governance is applied to their management as any other employee. NHW was proud to sponsor our Volunteer Manager as the lead partner representing the LoHVE Network (Leaders of Health Volunteer Engagement)  with La Trobe University’s John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research to develop a Competency Framework for Volunteer Management. Funding was obtained from Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the final reports and framework were launched by DHHS in June 2021.

The Research

Two separate pieces of research were undertaken;

From these two pieces of research and further consultation and co-design with the LoHVE network, the Competency Framework was developed.

The Framework

The main aim of the Framework is to inform decision makers in the development of Position Descriptions for Leaders of Health Based Volunteer Engagement, based on the specific and desired requirements of each organisation. The Framework will determine the level at which a role should be considered and paid, as a reflection of the competencies required and the characteristics of the health service and its own volunteer program. The framework will also guide the development of education and training opportunities for leaders of health-based volunteer programs and assist them in determining their own professional development needs, both at the individual and team level.

Finally, it will provide a basis for Leaders of Health-based Volunteer Engagement to assess their own levels of competency and provide opportunities to further develop the Leaders themselves and the services which they oversee.