Volunteer FAQs
General
Connect2One, Learn2Tech and Face2Face visits are one hour and fifteen minutes per participant, per week.
Connect2You are two hour sessions. Interests2Enjoy are also two hour sessions. However, you may require additional time to prepare content for In2Games (Trivia) or In2Culture (Travel) for example.
This is the minimum requirement as an Inclusee Volunteer. However, you are more than welcome to dedicate more time if you wish.
Yes. For security reasons, volunteers are required to possess their own equipment, have adequate anti-virus, reliable internet, and a safe place to conduct their volunteering session. Volunteers can use a smart phone, tablet or computer to conduct digital visits. A laptop or computer is recommended for Learn2Tech.
Yes! Prospective volunteers can undertake more than one role at Inclusee by selecting interested roles on the application form.
Virtual volunteering provides flexibility and supports volunteers in balancing their volunteer role with work, study, family, and other commitments.
Our Connect2One and Learn2Tech programs can offer after hours and weekend sessions, depending on the participant. However, the Connect2You and Interests2Enjoy programs are held during business hours only.
- Volunteers are assigned a Connection Support Officer (CSO) or Experience Support Officer (ESO) for ongoing support.
- Monthly review emails from your CSO/ESO to check how visits/volunteering are progressing. This is your opportunity to provide information on your visits and the participant/s, ask questions, raise concerns, etc. You can also contact your CSO/ESO outside of the scheduled monthly review email, if you have any questions or concerns.
- Inclusee provides ongoing training and resources on our training site.
- Access to free telephone counselling through our Employee Assistance Provider. This can be accessed in relation to your role or if you need support outside of Inclusee.
- After volunteering for one month or more with us, volunteers will be offered to complete Lifeline’s “Mental Health Literacy and Psychological First Aid: A whole person approach” online training units.
- Designated Volunteer Services Department here to support you.
- Online social events.
- Volunteer Handbook and Resources.
Applicants will have access to our dedicated training hub, which outlines the key duties and responsibilities of our volunteer roles.
A Position Description will be provided if your application is successful. The Position Description also outlines key tasks that you are NOT responsible for delivering.
The Volunteer Handbook will provide further information regarding your role and will be provided upon commencement. However, if you are uncertain about what is required or have any questions or concerns, please contact Volunteer Services via email at volunteer@inclusee.org.au or phone on 1800 287 687.
We understand your circumstances may have changed since initially registering. If you require additional time or would like to withdraw your application, please email volunteer@inclusee.org.au.
If/when your circumstances change, please contact our Volunteer Services team and we will reactivate your application.
Our Virtual volunteer visits occur via MS Teams. Inclusee will provide further information, training guides and login details for successful applicants. In some instances, Digital Visits may be conducted via Skype or Telephone.
Whilst we aim to match a volunteer and participant based on shared interests, it also depends on availability and any preferences. We often find our volunteers and participants enjoy learning and discussing new things, as well as their shared interests.
Applicants are asked during the interview if they have any preferred preferences regarding their potential match so we can find the right fit.
Volunteers and participants can also request a re-match at any stage. This is discussed further at the interview.
This depends on the type of Visa and any restrictions listed on your Visa. It will also depend on how long you will be in Australia. Contact us directly on 1800 287 687 for further information.
Yes, Inclusee is an approved organisation with Centrelink. Unfortunately Inclusee cannot guarantee minimum mutual obligations when registering for the program.
Our ability to support you in meeting your minimum requirements will depend on the number of hours you require, program/role and Participants available. Once you have been offered a role with us and we can meet some or all your mutual obligations, Inclusee will sign your Centrelink form every three months.
If you would like a letter to confirm you have registered for the program and are completing the screening process for your Job Network Provider or for Centrelink, please email Volunteer Services at volunteer@inclusee.org.au.
If you have been a citizen or permanent resident of another country after turning 16, you will be required to complete a Statutory Declaration stating that you have not committed or been convicted of a criminal offence in another country, as well as completing a National Criminal Record Check arranged by Inclusee.
These are requirements of our Government Funding agreement and cannot be waived.
Inclusee will send an email advising of the process and will initiate an invitation link to complete your application, which will be emailed to you from National Crime Check.
All information / ID provided for the check, is submitted directly to National Crime Check. Both you and Inclusee will be notified of the results.
These are requirements of our Government Funding agreement and cannot be waived.
There is no charge for applicants to complete the police check. Inclusee covers the cost of any associated fees.
Yes, if the police check is less than 3 months old and is for the required category (unsupervised contact with a vulnerable group), the police check may be accepted.
Please note, Inclusee reserves the right to request volunteers to complete a police check through our provider before commencing.
Police checks are currently renewed every three years. However, this is subject to change at the discretion of Inclusee. Volunteers are asked to notify us immediately if there are any changes to their criminal history. We regularly check with our volunteers if there have been any changes to their criminal record. This includes new charges, pending court hearings and new convictions.
Due to Government mandates, all Face2Face volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated against COIVD-19 in the aged care sector. Applicants will be required to provide vaccination certificates showing their vaccination and booster dates.
There are no mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for our Virtual Visiting Volunteering programs.
Yes! Inclusee is committed to your safety. If/when your application is successful and a match is identified, you will be posted a PPE pack containing face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and two Rapid Antigen Tests.
Yes. Face masks are currently mandated for Face2Face Visits in Aged Care and residential facilities. For Face2Face visits that are in the participant’s own home, face masks are still required.
Onboarding
Online induction and training are provided and strongly encouraged. However, it is not mandatory unless you are applying to become a Learn2Tech Digital Mentor. There is also compulsory COVID-19 training for our Face2Face volunteers.
Applicants will be provided with login details to Inclusee Training Hub.
The Training Hub contains our online courses included Induction and program training such as Connect2One. It also contains resources and new courses are uploaded throughout the year.
The online training for this role is under two hours and applicants have 7 days to complete.
Check your Junk/Spam folder. If you are still unable to locate the email or need your password reset, please contact volunteer@inclusee.org.au
We aim to make the process as efficient and streamlined as possible. However, an application may be delayed if:
- Any compulsory training is not completed within 7 days of receiving our initial email.
- The police check application has not been completed in a timely manner.
- Instances where a police check needs to be manually reviewed by our provider.
- When a Statutory Declaration is not returned in a timely manner (where applicable)
- The applicant is not responding to our follow up requests.
- A suitable match is not available.
You will require approximately 30 - 45 minutes for the interview. During the interview, our team will provide an overview of the program and process, learn more about you and your motivation for joining Inclusee, discuss the matching process and answer any questions you may have.
Once you have completed the application process, including any training (if required), our team will contact you to arrange an interview. Once an application is received, we aim to interview our applicants as quickly as possible.
During the screening process, we will be looking for a potential match, subject to application outcome. Once you have completed the screening process, you will receive an application update.
We will inform you in writing if your application has been successful or unsuccessful. If successful, you will receive confirmation regarding a match (if a match is available), along with information regarding your Connection Support Officer (CSO) or Experiences Support Officer (ESO), your role and participant information.
Your assigned CSO or ESO will be in contact to discuss rostering arrangements / visits (if you have applied for a visiting position).
Programs
Most of our participants are starting from the absolute basics. Usually we start with getting them familiar with using the device such as turning it on and off and usage movements such as tapping and swiping. The first foundation is usually helping them set up an email address. Other interests include learning social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), how to use Google to search, using YouTube to find videos, downloading apps and video calling programs/apps.
No. If you are comfortable with technology we can guide you and provide assistance with different operating systems (Apple vs Android).
You can contact your Connection Support Officer or Experience Support Officer and alert them to the issue via phone or email, or you can call 1800 287 687 to speak with the technical team and see if they can troubleshoot with you and the participant.
Interests2enjoy are 2-hour weekly Zoom sessions, facilitated by a volunteer for a small group of participants. We will provide you with the Zoom account details for the sessions.
No experience is required. Ideally you are confident in a group setting, patient, and happy to have fun! Our participants love to join in and engage with the group.
Our Connect2One sessions are hosted via Google Hangouts. Our Volunteers work on a rotational basis to cover short sessions during the opening hours of 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday. We provide the Google Hangouts login details so there is no need to set up your own account.
No. As long as you make us aware from the beginning that you need someone who is flexible with day and time, we can find a participant who is happy to work with that. We have many shift workers who require flexibility.
Polixen
It is important you are adding the details exactly as it appears on your email with the login details. Please note the following:
- Where there is a capital letter used.
- The username is your first name and surname with no spaces. Please use a capital letter at the beginning of your first name and surname eg: JohnDoe.
- Your password is your abbreviated state in capitals, and postcode, eg: QLD4161. If this has changed you will need to let Volunteer Services know so we can update your address.
With some devices, the app screen does not quite fit. In order to submit your job note, if you are stuck on the note with the keyboard showing, you will need to press anywhere that is not in the text box. This will minimise your keyboard. If you cannot see the red 'Add Job Notes' button, you may need to scroll down slightly on the screen to reveal the button at the bottom of your device screen.
The manual time wheel is very sensitive. We suggest you use the 'use scheduled times’ button', then press on 'check in time' to bring up the time wheel. It is sometimes less sensitive, but ensure you are selecting AM/PM, as this can change easily and create issues for you recording the time if it is incorrect. If you fulfilled your normal hour but it wasn’t at the time listed on the app, this is okay, just use the scheduled time. The duration is what is important to our recording systems, not the actual physical time it took place.
Please refer to the Cancellation Policy.
Ensure you add job notes indicating if more than 24 hours notice was given on the cancellation or if less than 24 hours notice was given and the reason for the cancellation.
Please add in a 5-minute scheduled time slot, so it brings it to our attention.
We still count this, as you called them at your scheduled time with the intention of doing your session. Please record this by using the 'Use Scheduled Times' button and place a job note stating you phoned the participant but there was no answer.
At this point in time, it is not mandatory to use the app. However, we strongly encourage you to do so if you have the ability and device. This app will directly feed into the system that we use to report to the Australian Government for our funding allocation, which is what keeps our program running. We require accurate information within a very short turn around time at the end of each month. All entries into the Polixen app are to be entered by the 5th of the following month, at the latest. If you are not able to use the app, or do not have a smart device, you will need to notify your Connection Support Officer and check in with them monthly, providing accurate information, so they can manually place it into the system on your behalf. By working together with us you are helping us to continue providing much needed services to our participants and achieving our mission to reduce isolation and loneliness.