DHMH POLICY NUMBER 02.05.01

Cross-Reference: Volunteer Services

TITLE: POLICY ON VOLUNTEER SERVICES

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on how to conduct activities within the realm of volunteer services. This policy outlines the operation and functions of volunteer units and the responsibilities of those parties involved in the administration of volunteer services.

II. DEFINITIONS

A. Center - shall mean a facility, building, special room, institution, agency, or community based program where services are provided.

B. Resident(s) - shall mean a patient, client, resident, child or day care person receiving services through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

C. Volunteer - shall mean any person who gives direct or indirect service to residents without financial remuneration. Financial remuneration shall not mean stipends from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents or other Federal, State or local grants. All students, except those who are providing services in conjunction with their professional training, shall be considered volunteers.

D. Coordinator of Volunteer Services (Coordinator) - shall mean that person in a center who directs the volunteer services and has the merit system classification known as Volunteer Activities Coordinator or, in those centers that do not have a specific classification known as Volunteer Activities Coordinator, that person who has been designated as the Coordinator of Volunteer Activities by the head of the Center.

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III. POLICY STATEMENTS

A. General

    1. The Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene gives high priority to the development of volunteer services. The Secretary recognizes that the good use of volunteer services enhances the quality and amount of services to residents, and facilitates positive relationships between center and community and between residents and community. In order to provide an effective volunteer service each center shall provide for a Coordinator of Volunteer Activities.

    2. The Coordinator of Volunteer Activities shall report to the head of the center or his designee. The Coordinator shall complement and supplement, within available donated resources, ongoing and new services in order to provide the best possible services to the persons we serve. (Monthly reports due by the 15th of the following month. Example: January's report is due by February 15th.)

    3. The Director, Division of Volunteer Services, Professional Resource Service, DHMH, shall be the liaison between the centers, the Coordinators of Volunteer Activities and the Office of the Secretary, the Council of Auxiliaries and the Council of Clergy. The Director, Division of Volunteer Services, shall visit the centers to make periodic evaluations with the head of the center and the Coordinator of Volunteer Activities to ascertain the effectiveness of this policy and to standardize procedures within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

    4. Centers shall recognize volunteers at least once each year at a "Volunteer Recognition Day" and provide assistance for the annual department-wide "Volunteer Recognition Day."

    5. Coordinators of Volunteer Services shall attend periodic training sessions and all scheduled meetings of the Coordinators of Volunteer Activities under the guidance and/or chairmanship of the Director, Division of Volunteer Services, DHMH.

    6. All of the laws, policies and procedures of the State of Maryland, the control agencies of the State of Maryland, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shall be followed.

B. Seeking for and Utilizing Volunteers, Money, Goods and Services

    1. The Coordinator of Volunteer Services shall recruit, interview, register, orient, train, assign, and, if necessary, terminate individual volunteers and volunteer organizations. This statement shall not deter any employee from

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encouraging volunteerism or an ancillary organization from recruiting members. However, all volunteers and volunteer organizations must be registered and approved by the Coordinators.

    2. The Coordinator of Volunteer Services shall keep the staff of a center informed of all offers of service, group activities, donations, etc., from individuals volunteers or groups of volunteers.

    3. Gifts of money, goods, and services to be given to the center shall be encouraged and sought after by the Coordinator of Volunteer Services. Gifts shall be used as instructed by the donor or, in the absence of donor instructions, be used to meet the needs of residents as the needs are received by the Coordinator and approved by the head of the center or his designee.

    4. The acknowledgment of gifts of money, goods and services is the responsibility of and shall be done by the Coordinator of Volunteer Services and the center EXCEPT where specific instructions, in writing, are given to the individual Coordinator(s) by the head of the center, limiting all or part of the responsibility of the Coordinator to acknowledge gifts of money, goods and services.

    5. All staff shall inform the head of the center and the Coordinator of Volunteer Services of every gift of money and goods and the offer of service.

    6. All donated items such as personal need items, games, puzzles, stationery, costume jewelry, phonograph records, tapes, male and female cosmetics, toilet articles and other miscellaneous items shall be received, inventoried, stored and distributed through the offices of the Coordinator of Volunteer Services.

    7. Accurate records of services rendered by volunteers and of funds and goods donated by the volunteer and community shall be maintained by the Coordinator of Volunteer Services (see Exhibit 1) and such shall be reported monthly to the head of the center and the Director, Division of Volunteer Services, DHMH (see Exhibit 2).

C. Requests for and Use of Volunteer Funds or Services

    1. All staff requests for volunteer funds, services or items shall be made to the Coordinator of Volunteer Services. All non-routine requests shall be made in writing to the Coordinator, who shall request the head of the center to approve/disapprove the request.

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    2. A center shall use unrestricted funds (funds not donated for a specific reason and accepted by the Governor for that specific reason) that are raised for or donated to the welfare/volunteer services fund(s) (Non-Budgeted-Fund 07, Program 41) of the center only for the benefit of the residents to provide those benefits over and above those normally funded by the center and those which will enhance comfort, entertainment, recreation and ease of living. Unrestricted funds shall not be used for the benefit of employees.

    3. The accountant for the center shall submit a monthly statement showing the current positions of all welfare accounts (restricted and unrestricted) to the Coordinator of Volunteer Services. The individual accounts of the resident are not considered welfare accounts for the purposes of this policy.

    4. Periodically the Coordinator of Volunteer Services will request approval for funds from the welfare account(s) for a list of proposed forthcoming special activities, functions and purchases from the head of the center. Upon approval by the head of the center, the accountant shall earmark approved funds in the welfare account for the period of time indicated in the request. The head of the center may designate the Coordinator to approve requests and, when required, seek approval of the head of the center.

D. Scheduling and Assignment of Activities and Events

    1. Special activities and events of all volunteer organizations that are to be held on the grounds of the center or that involve residents of the center are to be scheduled in advance by the Coordinator of Volunteer Services following consultation with and approval of the center head or his designee. The Coordinator shall notify all concerned organizations and others, in writing, of the action taken and the date of scheduling of approved activities and events.

    2. All funds raising activities and events of all ancillary organizations that are to be held on or off the grounds of the center or that involve the residents of the center are to be scheduled in advance by the Coordinator of Volunteer Services following consultation and approval by the head of the center or his designee. The Coordinator shall notify all concerned organizations and others, in writing, of the action taken and the date of scheduling of approved activities and events.

    3. No volunteer activity will be assigned to a unit, cottage and/or ward of a center without the consent of the staff person in charge.

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IV. RESPONSIBILITIES

A. The Responsibility of the Head of the Center

    1. The head of the center or his designee shall maintain the same relationship with the Coordinator of Volunteer Services as with any other department head.

    2. The head of the center shall utilize the consultant, advisory, training, etc., services of the Director, Division of Volunteer Services, as needed and be available to the office in the same manner as to any other member of Professional Resource Services.

    3. The head of the center or his/her designee shall implement and enforce this policy and establish systems and procedures to implement and enforce this policy with the help of the Coordinator of Volunteer Services and others as outlined in Section B below.

B. The Responsibility of the Coordinator of Volunteer Services

The Coordinator, under the direction of the head of the center and in coordination with other pertinent personnel of the center, and using the Director, Division of Volunteer Services, DHMH, as a resource person, shall devise such systems and procedures as needed for their particular center to fulfill the requirements of this policy.

C. The Responsibility of the Director, Division of Volunteer Services, Professional     Resource Services, DHMH

The Director, Division of Volunteer Services or his designee shall:

    1. Offer supportive consultation to the Coordinators of Volunteer Services and the heads of centers for developing and/or using:

        a. methods and procedures to assure the most effective recruitment and utilization of volunteer services.

        b. methods and procedures for the fulfillment of the requirements of this policy.

    2. Supply the Coordinators with copies of rules, regulations, policies, procedures and laws that pertain to the activities of the position.

    3. Alert the Coordinators and the centers of changes in the rules, regulations and laws pertaining to volunteer activities.

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    4. Act as liaison between the Coordinators and the Office of the Secretary so as to achieve the intent of this policy, the Council of Auxiliaries and the Council of Clergy.

    5. Provide for ongoing training for Coordinators by conducting meetings, conferences, workshops, etc.

    6. Keep abreast of training courses outside of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and inform and advise the Coordinators and heads of the center of same.

    7. Make periodic evaluations to ascertain the effectiveness of volunteer services and this policy.

    8. Submit a written report at least once each fiscal year to the head of the center, giving overall observations based on the periodic evaluation of the volunteer service and recommendations, if any, to benefit the volunteer service.

APPROVED:  Martin P. Wasserman, M.D., J.D.

Secretary

Signature on File     Effective Date:  April 15, 1998