Voluntary
Placement
This pack is to be used where the
Council has agreed to accommodate a voluntary placement.
Please ensure this pack is
completed in full prior to the start of the voluntary placement.
Please send the completed pack to
netzero@spelthorne.gov.uk
This pack contains:
1.
Voluntary Placement
confirmation form
2.
Voluntary Placement
Agreement
3.
Risk
Assessment
4.
Privacy
Notice
5.
Useful information for
voluntary placement students
6.
First day induction
materials (including GDPR and Health and Safety
essentials)
Overview
What is a Placement?
The purpose of this placement is
to increase students’ awareness of the climate change
industry and public sector operations. Students are usually Masters
students and will work with us for 30 business days as required by
their Masters course.
Students will be given a stipend
of £300 (£50/week) across their time with the Council to
cover expenses. This will be paid out £150 halfway through
their placement and half at the end of their time through the
Council’s payment process.
Responsibilities of the
service/manager
Managers who accept a voluntary
placement must ensure that:
- The work programme will cover the
full duration of the placement.
- Adequate supervision is given at
all times. Supervision must be provided by someone who understands
why the student is here, and who can, if required, give a report on
the student’s work.
- A safety induction is given on the
first day of the placement (by the manager or other team
member)
- Guidance and instruction regarding
data protection is given on the first day (by the manager or other
team member), specific to the service and work that will be carried
out.
- The student has the opportunity to
meet other team members and colleagues from other departments where
possible.
- Cooperation is given to the
university. If required a feedback form can be filled
out.
Responsibilities of the
student
Students are expected, both by the
Council and their university, to carry out their duties to the best
of their ability and to attend punctually on all days of the
placement (unless advised otherwise).
It is expected that students
will:
- get stuck in and contribute to the
department they are working in
- attend work on time
- follow Council rules
- be diligent about health and
safety
- inform us if for any reason if
they cannot attend as planned.
What if there are
problems?
Any problems should be shared with
the Climate Change or HR team. If students are found to be
abusing the terms of the placement, the placement will be
terminated and their university informed.
If the placement is terminated the
student will receive the money they are owed up until that date at
a rate of £50 per week.
Voluntary
Placement Confirmation Form
To be completed by placement
coordinator/manager:
Placement dates: _______________
to _______________
Department:
Name of placement
coordinator/manager:
Contact number:
To be completed by voluntary
placement student:
Full name:
Preferred name:
Telephone number:
Email address:
Address:
University:
University contact
number:
Emergency contact:
Emergency contact
number:
Emergency contact
relationship:
Voluntary
Placement Agreement
Dear [NAME OF STUDENT],
Agreement for Voluntary Placement
This letter sets out what Spelthorne Borough
Council (the “Council”) reasonably expects from
your voluntary placement.
1.
The Council appreciates you
undertaking your voluntary placement with us and is committed to
providing students with a supportive, rewarding, and engaging
environment.
Your placement will be with Climate Change Team
and starts on [DATE]. Your placement will last 30 business
days. Voluntary placement students will receive a stipend of
£300 to cover expenses for the full 30 business days. This
stipend is not a salary or wage, and no employment relationship is
created.
We expect you to perform your role to the best
of your ability and to follow our policies, internal procedures and
standards, including our health and safety and equal opportunities
policies, and to comply with Spelthorne’s Personal Data
Protection Policy. You can expect us to deal with you in accordance
with our equal opportunities policy.
2.
Induction and
training
The Council will provide to you an induction to
explain what we do and what you can expect from your placement. We
will also provide training to enable you to undertake any required
tasks you may be set and to ensure your health and
safety.
3.
Supervision and
support
Your main point of contact during your voluntary
placement with us is Tim Snook (t.snook@spelthorne.gov.uk). If you
have any problems or complaints you may contact Tim Snook
(t.snook@spelthorne.gov.uk).
Please give Tim Snook
(t.snook@spelthorne.gov.uk) as much notice as possible if you are
unable to attend your placement when expected.
4.
Insurance
We will provide adequate insurance cover for you
while you are undertaking a voluntary placement approved and
authorised by the Council.
5.
Data Protection
In the course of providing your voluntary
placement, you may have to handle personal data relating to
officers, customers, suppliers or residents of the
Council.
We expect you not to use any Personal Data you
may have access to and you must not disclose this information to
any person either during your voluntary placement experience with
the Council or at any time afterwards.
Information regarding data protection is
attached in Annex 1 and we urge you to take a close look at it
before you start your voluntary placement. There are very serious
consequences for the Council and its staff if they breach the Data
Protection legislation, we therefore urge you that if in doubt you
always need to speak to your manager/placement
coordinator.
6.
Confidentiality
In the course of your voluntary placement, you
may also have access to confidential information (including
financial information) relating to the Council, the Council’s
residents or suppliers. We expect you not to use or disclose this
information to any person either during your voluntary placement or
at any time afterwards.
This Agreement is binding in honour only, is not
intended to be a legally binding contract between you and the
Council and may be cancelled at any time at the discretion of
either Party.
Neither of us intends any employment
relationship to be created either now or at any time in the future,
as a result of the operation of this Agreement.
Please acknowledge that you
understand and accept the contents of this letter by signing,
dating and returning the enclosed copy.
Yours sincerely,
|
................................................................
|
|
On behalf of Spelthorne Borough
Council
|
|
I understand the contents of this
letter.
|
|
|
|
Signed
.....................................................
|
|
[NAME OF STUDENT]
|
|
|
|
Date
........................................................]
|
Privacy Notice
This notice explains
what personal data (information) we hold about you, how we collect,
how we use and may share information about you. We are required to
give you this information under data protection law.
Who
we are
Spelthorne Borough
Council (SBC) collects, uses and is responsible for certain
personal information about you. When we do so we are regulated
under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK
GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). We are
responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal
information. Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at
data.protection@spelthorne.gov.uk.
Voluntary Placements
that are well-planned and well-organised have an important role in
developing students’ employability skills, personal and
social skills and helps them learn about the world of
work.
Personal
information we collect and use
Information collected by us:
Over the course of
applying for your voluntary placement we collect the following
personal information when you provide it to us:
·
your personal
information (such as name, address, date of birth, contact number,
email address)
·
name, contact number
of emergency contact,
·
work placement subject
requested,
·
interests, exams,
personal statement, current educational establishment .
If you complete a voluntary
placement with us we may also collect information relating to your
time with us – e.g. record of absence
How we use your personal information?
We use your personal
information to:
·
ensure you meet the
criteria for the Voluntary Placement Programme
·
source you a
meaningful placement (this will involve us sharing information
provided with other SBC departments and associated services to
enable them to make an informed decision about offering a suitable
placement)
·
contact you by email
with updates regarding placement opportunities or suggest
alternatives if your original choice is not available
·
other SBC departments
may need to contact you to discuss placement
arrangements
·
issue you (the
applicant) with a certificate at the end of successful
placement
·
record and collect
data on the voluntary placement programme to monitor our
outcomes
How long your personal data will be kept
We will hold your
personal information securely which will be only accessible by
employees who have specific access. We will hold your personal
information for no longer than one year, after which the
information is made inaccessible to system users or securely
destroyed.
Reasons we can
collect and use your personal information
We collect and use
your personal information to carry out tasks with your consent. We
rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:
Article 6 (1)(c) processing is necessary for compliance with a
legal obligation to which the controller is subject
Who we share your personal information with
We share your personal
information with:
·
teams within SBC that
offer work placements
·
associated services
(such as education services and facilities management)
We will share personal
information with law enforcement or other authorities if required
by applicable law.
Your
rights
Under UK GDPR you have
rights which you can exercise free of charge which allow you
to:
·
know what we are doing
with your information and why we are doing it
·
ask to see what
information we hold about you (subject access request)
·
ask us to correct any
mistakes in the information we hold about you
·
object to direct
marketing
·
make a complaint to
the Information Commissioner's Office
·
withdraw consent (if
applicable)
Depending on our
reason for using your information you may also be entitled
to:
·
ask us to delete
information we hold about you
·
have your information
transferred electronically to yourself or to another
organisation
·
object to decisions
being made that significantly affect you
·
object to how we are
using your information
·
stop us using your
information in certain ways
We will always seek to
comply with your request however we may be required to hold or use
your information to comply with legal duties. Please note, your
request may delay or prevent us delivering a service to
you.
For further
information about your rights, including the circumstances in which
they apply, see
the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office
(ICO) on individuals’ rights
under UK GDPR.
If you would like to
exercise a right, please contact the Information Governance Team
at data.protection@spelthorne.gov.uk
Keeping your
personal information secure
We have appropriate
security measures in place to prevent personal information from
being accidentally lost, or used or accessed in an unauthorised
way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have
a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your
information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject
to a duty of confidentiality.
We also have
procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security
breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a
suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do
so.
Contact
Please contact the
Information Governance Team at data.protection@spelthorne.gov.uk to
exercise any of your rights, or if you have a complaint about why
your information has been collected, how it has been used or how
long we have kept it for.
You can contact our
Data Protection Officer, the same email address.
UK GDPR also gives you
right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner who
may be contacted via the Information
Commissioner's website or call 03031
231113.
Useful
information for Voluntary Placement students
Food and drink:
Near to our offices
there is a parade of shops including a bakery and some fast food
restaurants.
Issues: If you have any problems during
your time with us, which you feel you cannot sort out with your
supervisor, please do not hesitate to contact Human Resources or
the Climate Change Team.
Workplace safety:
The Council takes very
seriously its duty of care and its responsibilities under the
Health and Safety at Work Act. In the unlikely event of there being
any other hazards identified which are not of a general nature and
which are appropriate to the work being undertaken, these will be
advised to you in advance of the placement.
Your initial induction will
normally be conducted by your supervisor or manager and will take
place on your first day. It will cover basic information i.e.
familiarisation with your workplace, introduction to immediate work
colleagues, staff facilities (toilets, vending machines and first
aid) and security procedures. Your supervisor will brief you
on the duties and responsibilities you are expected to undertake
while at Spelthorne. Please take careful note of what you are
told.
Security: Maintaining a secure working
environment needs everyone’s cooperation. All staff are
issued with identity cards which must be worn during working
hours. You will be issued with a ‘Spelthorne’
badge, which you must wear whilst at work.
Personal Property:
The Council cannot
accept responsibility for your private property if it is lost or
damaged in places of work. Please take care of your
belongings.
Fire Precautions:
Please make sure that
you have read the evacuation instructions, including locations of
assembly areas, which are on notice boards and next to fire
appliance points. Fire drills are normally carried out without
prior warning. Fire Wardens are appointed throughout the
Council Offices to assist with the safe evacuation of the building,
in an emergency please follow their guidance and leave the building
immediately by the nearest fire exit and go to your assembly
point.
Safety at work:
We are all responsible
for ensuring a safe working environment. If you think that a
hazard to health or safety exists please report the matter to your
supervisor immediately. If you are involved in an accident or
a dangerous incident, please complete an incident report form
promptly (available from your Supervisor) so that remedial action
can be taken.
First Aid: Fully trained first aiders, if
required, administer First Aid. Their names and locations
within Knowle Green are prominently displayed in each department
and at the Reception desks. Sites based away from Knowle
Green have their own arrangements of which you will be advised if
appropriate.
Finally: Good luck and enjoy
yourself!
Data Protection Awareness
Spelthorne
Borough Council is committed to protecting the information that it
processes within its services. Data processing includes anything we
do to, or with, personal information, such as filing, updating,
copying, checking, sharing and storing. We are obliged under law to
specifically protect personal data.
What is personal data?
Personal data is any information
relating to an identifiable living person, such as:
·
name, address, date of
birth, National Insurance Number
·
details of
employment,
·
medical
details,
·
financial
details,
Why data protection is
important
Spelthorne Borough Council is a
‘data controller’ and is legally required to ensure
that personal data is:
·
Fairly, transparently
and lawfully processed
·
Processed only for
specified purposes
·
Adequate, relevant and
limited to what is necessary
·
Accurate and kept up
to date
·
Not kept for longer
than is necessary
·
Kept secure (both
technically and procedurally)
·
Not transferred
outside of the EU without adequate protection
What do I need to do?
It is the responsibility of
everyone who works for the Council to make sure that personal data
is kept secure and confidential.
Please help us keep the personal
data that the Council holds safe by following the golden
rules.
Golden rules for handling personal data
·
If you learnt
something about someone at work – make sure that information
stays at work;
o
Only discuss it with
others at work if they need to know the information,
o
Do not discuss it
outside of work with others even if you THINK that they may know
it,
·
Return any paperwork
to work for confidential shredding,
·
Is someone asks you to
share personal data – ask why, what, and how. If you
are unsure ask your supervisor or line manager,
·
Incidents happen! Tell
us when personal data is lost, stolen or shared by
mistake,
·
Is someone asks you to
share personal data – ask why, what, and how. If you
are unsure ask your supervisor or line manager.
The
Council employs a Data Protection Officer who can be contacted for
any data protection queries:
Clare Williams
Email:
c.williams@spelthorne.gov.uk
or data.protection@spelthorne.gov.uk
Phone: 01784 448614
Room 110
