It would seem that there has been a cautious but generally positive response to the Conservative's Voluntary Action in the 21st Century although it should it be said, at this stage of a Government an Opposition's role is to provide a broad-brush approach as to what their policy agenda will be, so the devil may well be in the detail.

An interesting debate in the Commons on Wednesday (4th June) on volunteering. One thing that particularly caught my eye was the discussion about the success or otherwise of the Experience Corps and v, following on from the Conservatives' suggestion that some of the Government's initiatives are little more than 'a launch, a lunch and a logo.'

The Conservatives have published their green paper on the Voluntary Sector.

It can be found on the Conservatives website here.

The Office of the Third Sector has launched new guidance on CRB checks for volunteers in response to the Commission on the Future of Volunteering recommendations. AVM helped advise on the guidance prior to launch.

The guidance clarifies a number of issues in particular the bad practice of 'blanket' checks, although we are aware that some statutory agencies still insist on this. The Criminal Records Bureau has previously advised us that where this happens to let them know.

We are also pleased to note the greater emphasis placed on CRB checks as being just part of the risk management process.

The Institute for Volunteering Research has published the first piece of major research into volunteer management capacity 'Management matters - a national survey of volunteer management capacity'

As part of the the Guardian's 'What else can I do' this week they are looking at 'Mike' who is a Volunteer Officer earning £21,400 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/02/14

1. Mike might move into management, employed by a district or borough-wide council for voluntary services, taking responsibility for the volunteer development team and its budget. The role brings new challenges, more responsibility and takes him up the career ladder. He would earn around £27,594.

• campaign and speak out on issues that are key to people who manage volunteers;
• facilitate and support effective peer-to-peer networking of those involved in volunteer management locally, regionally and nationally; and
• develop information and good practice resources on volunteer management.

The Association of Volunteer Managers is an independent body that aims to support, represent and champion people who manage volunteers in England regardless of field, discipline or sector. It was set up by and for people who manage and involve volunteers in the work of their organisations. 

The Association of Volunteer Managers works to:

People First –Total Solutions are undertaking a Global Volunteer Management Survey to look at the  state of volunteer management globally.

The survey closes 1 March 2008. The survey is completely anonymous.