Induction in youth work will normally include information about:

• the nature and purpose of youth work;
• the youth work organisation and its work with young people;
• roles and responsibilities of those involved;
• relevant policies and procedures.

A well planned volunteer induction  is a good way to welcome and support new volunteers and will help them feel more confident about their role.

Volunteer induction also provides an opportunity for youth clubs/groups to make sure that new volunteers have important information and training to enable them to be active as quickly as possible.

A Model for Volunteer Induction in Youth Work

The following diagram provides an overview of the different stages of volunteer induction.

Volunteer Induction Checklist

A Volunteer Induction Checklist provides the volunteer and the organisation with a checklist that can be signed off by the volunteer’s supervisor or contact person. This is a useful record for charting the progress of individual volunteers.

The Induction Portfolio

It is a good idea to get volunteers to date and sign any forms or materials they complete. You can encourage them to store their induction learning materials together in a portfolio or folder. Each topic in the Volunteer induction model (above) includes a list of documents you may wish to provide to volunteers to keep in their portfolio.