Volunteer Programs and Paid Support: Clear Roles, Better Experiences

Ensure the safety of volunteers, participants and staff by establishing boundaries of support before activities begin.

Community programs may welcome someone with various support needs, but at times volunteers can end up providing personal care, behaviour response or transport that they never agreed to.

Where paid and unpaid roles blur, safety and inclusion suffer. The participant gets cut off following an avoidable incident, and the volunteers feel they are underprepared.

Why this matters for community service professionals

Community service professionals tend to be on the front lines where a referral, program or resource needs to become real. Good communication, access, timing, trust and follow-through make all the difference between a technically sound option and one that is useful. A person-led approach reveals these details and brings connection as a result, rather than an administrative process that needs to be checked off.

What better coordination looks like

When there is a clear participation plan, it sets out program responsibilities, paid support responsibilities and the person's choices.

Describe the activity demands

Describe the setting, duration, access, communication and supervision available, without labelling the person as a problem.

Allocate support tasks

Determine who supports with personal care, communication, medication, mobility, behaviour strategies and transport.

Prepare the first session

Establish an introduction, verify emergency contacts and review after the first visit.

Make the change last

A helpful change is specific and small enough to practise. Decide who will make the first move, where the decision will be documented, and when the person will be asked about the decision. Where the approach relies on multiple services, validate individual service agreements rather than take it on faith because it was agreed in a meeting. Keep what is working, change what isn't and eliminate temporary fixes that don't support the desired results.

Questions for the next review

What would “describe the activity demands” look like from their perspective?

What is actually guaranteed and what is still an assumption, or a request?

What will the person see happen that will let them and the team know if this is helping?

Keep the boundary clear

Volunteers should not be asked to do anything that they are not able to do, do not know how to do or are not insured to do. Essential paid support should not be reduced simply because a volunteer is present.

A practical example

An art program nearly lost a volunteer because of confusion over bathroom support. A simple role discussion confirmed the support worker would continue to be responsible during the class and volunteers would provide facilitation. The person joined successfully.