Volunteers must be at least 12 years old. All volunteers under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian complete the Youth Liability Waiver before volunteering. Volunteer duties assigned to a minor will comply with all appropriate laws and regulations on child labor. All minor volunteers under age 15 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years of age.

Volunteers may need to participate in a Safe Environment course and go through the process of being fingerprinted and background checked. If you are planning to serve in an area that requires a background check, you will be notified by the ministry leader that this must be completed prior to serving. This must be redone every five years.

Catholic Charities of Central Florida will accept qualified volunteers who need to complete community service hours for their school or organization. We DO NOT accept court-ordered community service volunteers.

Prospective volunteers should notify the ministry leader of the requirements before starting their service to ensure that their service will meet the stipulations set by their school or organization. After the volunteer completes the required service, the verifications of hours may be sent to the ministry leader or volunteers@cflcc.org.

The identities of our clients, their confidences, and their records are confidential by law. Confidentiality laws be strictly followed. We cannot serve our clients effectively unless they can talk freely without concern that their confidences will be revealed to others. Any employee or volunteer who violates confidentiality is subject to dismissal and may be subject to a lawsuit from the client.

DO:

1. Keep files face down on your desk and throughout the office so a client’s name cannot be seen.
2. Address clients as “Sir” or “Ma’am”, without the clients name if others are present.
3. Comply with a client’s written permission to disclose identity, confidences or records.
4. Observe the limits and conditions a client places on any permission to disclose information.

DO NOT:

1. Reveal a client’s identity in any way.
2. Address a client by name when other persons or other clients are in the office.
3. Disclose to anyone that a person is a client, including a client’s spouse or other family member.
4. Have files on your desk or anywhere else so that a client’s name can be seen by anyone.
5. Talk about your clients by name with your spouse or other relatives.
6. Store files in your desk overnight.

Requests for information about present or former clients may come from police or other law enforcement personnel, lawyers, or the courts. Do not disclose information unless instructed to by your supervisor. This applies even if you receive a subpoena. If you receive these requests, immediately tell your supervisor, who will work with agency leadership to determine whether and how the request must be honored.

Some exceptions to confidentiality may require disclosures about clients. Immediately inform your supervisor of information about clients which leads you to believe that you, the client, or anyone else may be in danger or that a client may be involved–directly or indirectly–in the abuse or neglect of themselves, a child, aged person, or disabled person.

A Catholic Charities volunteer, acting in an official capacity, shall not take any action that would result in the volunteer’s financial benefit. You cannot ask for or receive for yourself or for a member of your household, directly or indirectly, any monies or gifts from the community. Do not accept valuable gifts (worth over $20) or money from staff, clients, donors, or other volunteers.

Catholic Charities of Central Florida reserves the right to dismiss a volunteer from their position at any time with or without prior notice for any reason. Some examples of grounds for dismissal include but are not limited to: conduct issues, breaches of confidentiality, theft or misuse of Catholic Charities property, disrespecting a Catholic Charities guest or employee, and unreliable volunteer attendance.

All public relations or media concerns must be handled by the Communications team. No media contact shall be made or received by a volunteer. Any media contact received by a volunteer must be forwarded to the Digital Communications & Volunteer Coordinator at communications@cflcc.org.

All volunteers are expected to be conscientious of their duties, the value of their time in our agency, and of the staff, volunteers, and clients who may be counting on their punctual service. If a volunteer is unable to arrive on time or must be absent for a scheduled shift, they must let their supervisor or another staff member know as soon as possible. Continued absenteeism from assigned shifts, trainings, or meetings, with or without notice, may lead to reassignment of the volunteer or termination of the volunteer’s service.

Volunteers must dress appropriately for their volunteer role. Whether working in our offices as a clerical volunteer or out in the field, we ask volunteers to avoid wearing any of the following inappropriate
attire items:

• Sandals, slippers, or inappropriate shoes for your volunteer role
• Revealing clothing, including but not limited to: halter or strapless dresses, short-shorts,
• T-shirts displaying offensive language or pictures, see-through shirts, half shirts or tank tops.

Radical departure from conventional dress or personal grooming will not be permitted. Catholic Charities will not be held liable for damage to a volunteer’s clothing or accessories while performing their duties. Volunteers may be asked to change or leave their shift if wearing any inappropriate clothing items.