Volunteers

[Guest]

hi all,

 

you may remember i posted something a few weeks back about a member of staff on long term sick leave.

 

anyway she decided she wouldn't be coming back which was a relief as she was very difficult! but she has decided she wants to come in and volunteer, in fact she has TOLD me she will and which day and what she will do when she is there. she came in once already on the one day a week i am regularly out for admin duties, without telling me beforehand. she then wound up the member of staff who has been covering for her telling her to complain that i am not giving her the job (i am advertising to try and get someone qualified or with more experience - basically just trying to get a range of applicants and choose the best person. - the committee agreed initially with me doing this.)

 

we are now at crisis point - i am on the verge of leaving as i don't feel i can work with her stirring up trouble and she has told me she wants to come in for the foreseeable future again on the one day a week I am not there. however she has written and complained to me about me not communicating with her - how will this improve when we are not there on the same day.

 

the chair of the committee has suggested a meeting face to face with me, her and maybe two committee members. i think this is a good idea but am not hopeful i will be supported.

 

i think a volunteer policy draft may be useful to give ideas of what is appropriate behaviour/role for a volunteer. because she helped set up the grop (so did i) and she is active in the church (i am not religious) she seems to always be treated with kid gloves by the committee and i am expected to put up with her.

 

if i leave i can't finish my EYPS which i am approaching validation stage now - was on 6 month [athway - as i wont have a setting to be visited apart from anything else.

 

help please!

 

L x

[Rea]

A difficult situation especially as she helped to set the group with you. But you need to let her know that her role has changed now that she's no longer staff, and as much as you value her help she cant have the same level of input in the day to day running as she once did.

Ask her what she would expect from any other volunteer, and see if she then looks at how she's doing things in a different light.

 

It is hard to see something you've set up being done in a maybe a different way and losing control, when I left playgroup I used to visit and had to bite my tongue at some of the changes they'd made but I could see it wasnt my place to comment unless specifically asked.

 

I couldnt find any examples of volunteers policies on the forum, but if you could get hold of some you could maybe show the committee.

I'd also meet with the committee on your own first to air your views and get an agreement on the policy and how the problem is going to be handled before you meet with her.

Good luck