Volunteer Management Policy

Volunteers play a meaningful role in residential and home care settings, offering companionship, activities support, and community connection to older Australians. A clear volunteer management policy sets out how your organisation recruits, screens, trains, and supervises volunteers, keeping residents safe and your service compliant. This page explains what the policy should cover and provides a free downloadable template for aged care providers.

What This Policy Covers

A volunteer management policy for aged care addresses the full lifecycle of volunteer involvement in your service. It covers how volunteers are recruited and selected, what background checks and screenings are required before they begin, and how they are inducted into the organisation.

The policy also defines the boundaries of volunteer roles, supervision arrangements, conduct expectations, and the process for managing concerns or complaints about a volunteer. Termination of volunteer arrangements is included as well.

Why This Policy Matters for Aged Care Compliance

The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards place clear obligations on registered providers to govern their workforce, including people who are not employed staff. Standard 2: The Organisation requires providers to demonstrate sound governance over all people working within the service, paid or unpaid.

Across Australian states and territories, volunteers who have contact with older adults in care settings are required to hold a current Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) check or equivalent (such as a Working with Children Check where applicable). Failing to verify these checks before a volunteer commences creates a serious compliance gap.

Beyond regulatory obligations, a well-written volunteer management policy protects your residents, reduces organisational risk, and gives volunteers a clear understanding of what is expected of them from day one.

Key Requirements at a Glance

RequirementRelevant Standard or LegislationWho Is ResponsibleWWVP / WWCC check before commencementState/territory WWVP legislationVolunteer coordinator / HRFormal induction and orientationStrengthened Standard 2 (The Organisation)Facility manager / team leaderDefined role descriptionsStrengthened Standard 2 (The Organisation)Volunteer coordinatorSupervision and performance monitoringStrengthened Standard 2 (The Organisation)Direct supervisorConfidentiality and privacy obligationsPrivacy Act 1988 (Cth)All staff and volunteersIncident reporting obligationsAged Care Act 1997; Serious Incident Response SchemeVolunteer and supervisor

What a Good Volunteer Management Policy Should Include

Your policy should state the purpose of the volunteer program and how it aligns with person-centred care. It should describe the recruitment and selection process, including how you assess a volunteer's suitability for working with older adults.

Clear sections on induction, ongoing training, and supervision arrangements are important. So is a code of conduct that outlines expected behaviour, confidentiality requirements, and how to report incidents or concerns.

The policy should also cover what happens when a volunteer's conduct falls short of expectations, including how investigations are handled and when a volunteer's involvement may be ended. This mirrors the approach taken in your Staff Recruitment and Selection Policy, which covers similar screening and conduct standards for paid employees.

Finally, your volunteer management policy should link to your Work Health and Safety Policy to confirm that WHS obligations extend to volunteers as well as employees.

How Governa Helps Providers Stay Compliant

Governa's AI compliance platform, Norma, is built specifically for Australian aged care providers. Norma maps your policies against the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and flags gaps before an audit does.

When regulations change, such as updates to state-based WWVP requirements, Norma alerts you and prompts a policy review. You stay ahead of compliance obligations rather than scrambling to catch up.

This template is part of the Policy Templates Library, which includes over 35 ready-to-use documents across workforce, governance, clinical care, and consumer rights categories.

Download the Free Template

The downloadable volunteer management policy template below is pre-formatted and ready to customise for your facility. Fill in your organisation's details, review the procedures against your current practice, and have it approved by your governance body.

To see how Governa can automate policy reviews across your entire compliance framework, book a demo today.