Client:
Cabinet Office (On behalf of Tribal Education)

Date completed:

October 2008

Project description: 

Action research was commissioned by Tribal to review the need for a standard in relation to organisations who involve volunteers at risk of social exclusion.  The research was conducted in two main stages:

1. A review of existing standards applicable to the voluntary and community sector and assessment of the need for a further ‘GoldStar’ standard. This work concluded that the Investing in Volunteers standard which is owned by the UK Volunteering Forum (UKVF) and managed by Volunteering England in England was most applicable to GoldStar. 
   
   
2. The establishment of a Steering Group through Volunteering England to undertake an in-depth review of the existing Investors in Volunteers (IiV) Standard and its suitability as a quality standard for organisations who involve volunteers at risk of social exclusion.

Whilst the review concluded that there should be no need for a separate ‘GoldStar’ standard, there was considered to be an important need for IiV to be revised and updated so that the standard fully reflects all aspects of inclusiveness in relation to volunteering. Proposed changes to the IiV standard were agreed by the Steering Group in this regard.
 

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