211 and Volunteer Centre Services Report and Toolkit - June 2011

211 and Volunteer Centre Services

Report and Tool Kit June 2011

Produced by the project:

“Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services”

Prepared by the project collaborative:

Rosanna Thoms, Executive Director, 211 Information Niagara - Lead Cathy Taylor, Executive Director, Volunteer Centre of Guelph Wellington – Lead Ann Coburn, Director, Volunteer Halton Carroll Francis, Supervisor, 211, Region of Peel Jane Hennig, Executive Director, Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo Pam Hillier, Executive Director, 211, Community Connection Marie Klassen, Executive Director, 211, Lakehead Social Planning Council Bill Morris, Executive Director, Ontario 211 Services Corporation Lianne Picot, Executive Director, Contact South Simcoe Community Information Centre Melanie Winterle Executive Director, and Annie Bigelow, Volunteer Hamilton

With Jonquil Eyre, Project Manager

This project received financial support from:

and Ontario 211 Services Corporation.

211 and Volunteer Centres: Report and Tool Kit

Prepared by the Collaborative – June 2011 2

Contents

INTRODUCTION 3

1. REPORT 4

1.1 The Project 4

1.2 The Collaborative Partners 6

1.3 Environmental Scan 8

1.4 Province Wide 211 System Support 10

1.5 Communication 11

1.6 Governance 12

1.7 Organizations Using Volunteers 12

1.8 Online Volunteer Websites 13

1.9 Emergency Response and Recovery 13

1.10 Brand Clarity and Promotion 16

1.11 Cross-Sectoral Workshop 16

1.12 Recommendations 17

1.13 Next Steps 18

2 TOOL KIT 19

2.1 Promising Practices for Effective Partnerships 19

2.2 Continuum of Options 22

2.3 Partnership Agreement 23

2.4 Memorandum of Agreement and Transfer Protocol Template 24

2.5 Guiding Questions for 211 CIRS 28

2.6 Business Continuity and Emergency Response and Recovery 30

2.7 211 Regions and Volunteer Centres 33

2.8 Online Volunteer Resources 34



Introduction

This document is in two parts. The first is a report on the project. The second part is a tool kit containing the practical tools developed by the project.

A valuable outcome of the project called “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” has been the commitment of 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres to continue to work together to strengthen the communities in which they provide services. This includes working with and supporting each other’s services to strengthen volunteering in Ontario. Being a province-wide service, operating 24/7/365, being standards based1 and multilingual are assets that 211 Centres bring to the partnership. An outcome of this project has been to demonstrate the value of advancing consistent and basic standards for volunteer opportunity posting and searching sites. The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) has expertise in how to implement this.2

The audience for this 211 and Volunteer Centres Report and Tool Kit includes Volunteer Centres, 211 Centres and other information and referral (I&R) providers and human service organizations interested in supporting volunteerism in Ontario. It is hoped that this work in Ontario may also be useful in other provinces. Some tools may provide models that are useful in other sectors.

One goal of the project has been to expand the utility of 211 service to strengthen volunteering in Ontario. To this end this 211 and Volunteer Centres Report and Tool Kit has been designed to be tangible, practical and applicable for implementation including the recommendations.

Part 1, the Report, includes information about the project and the collaborative, the environmental scan and some of the components of shared interest such as online resources and contributing to emergency responses. It concludes with the recommendations from this discovery phase of the project and next steps. These recommendations were endorsed by 211 and Volunteer Centre participants at the cross-sectoral workshop in May 2011.

Part 2, the Tool Kit shares the valuable learning from this collaborative project about how to build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships. While such a list may seem obvious, our work together repeatedly raised the frequency of the neglect of these behaviours in working relationships despite an urgent need for them to be able to work effectively. This is followed by tools mostly in the form of templates that can be customized to make them easy to use.

1 There are agreed upon data and service standards, and an accreditation process. 2 In late 2010 OVCN received Ontario Trillium Funding to focus on business planning and setting

standards which will assist with OVCN’s capacity to do this.



1. Report

1.1 The Project

Representatives of 211 Centres and Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) members began working together toward the goals of this project in 2009. Enabled by financial support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario 211 Services Corporation (O211SC), a formal collaborative for the “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” project was formed in April 2010. The project goal was to determine how collaboration between 211 and Volunteer Centres could bring value to Ontario residents and their communities. As a discovery project, the focus was on ‘whether to’, ‘if so, how’, ‘what would work best’ and to work out the details in protocols and models that are documented in the Tool Kit as the basis for implementation.

The collaborative recognizes that it has been an ambitious and complex project to complete in a year. With Ontario Trillium Foundation’s particular interest in collaboration and their new partnership with the Province of Ontario, collaborative members have been particularly interested in the opportunity to practice and demonstrate a ‘best practice’. 211 is a public information and referral utility and it was thought that by working together it could also become a useful number to associate with volunteering, and thereby a way to strengthen voluntarism. Recently the phrase “to give and get help”, which is often used in the US, was being used in Ontario 211 presentations without clarity of what it referred to or discussion with Volunteer Centres. This project has provided a platform to discuss messaging and has coincided with 211 branding work in Ontario which resulted in the selection of the tag line “211 when you don’t know where to turn”. Both sectors are interested in effective, clear and consistent communication with the Ontario public.

Vision The collaborative developmental vision focussed on both process and outcomes.

Principles

Four principles guided the work of the collaborative:

(i) Our commitment is to open communication, transparency of information and shared decision making which will be documented.

A process that focuses on the value and assets of the participating organizations based on honest dialogue and integrity.

A true collaborative which provides a partnership model with strong values and principles, that participants can be proud of.

Community engagement that heightens community awareness of 211 and volunteer centres and results in healthier communities



(ii) Time is a scarce resource, meetings (by phone or in person) will be planned with clear objectives, agendas and intended outcomes, and participants will prepare ahead.

(iii) Both approval for and concerns about ideas will be raised so that they can be discussed. Collaborative members will work to address problems and move the work forward. In the event of needing it, there is a commitment to using a conflict resolution process.

(iv) That attendance in meetings is optional but if a person is unable to attend they will inform the project manager and they will feel free to contribute to the discussion by sharing ideas ahead of time through a colleague or the project manager.

There were three areas of expected results. (See Table 1)

Table 1 1. Expected Results: Increase capacity of Volunteer Centre operators and 211 operators to work together to enhance volunteerism in Ontario.

Performance Indicators Outcomes as of May 2011

a. Building Community Capacity collaborative meets regularly

b. Joint Project Management Plan developed c. Joint Communications Plan developed and

implemented d. Combined InformOntario [211] and OVCN

conference in March [May] 2011

e. Regular newsletters to OVCN and InformOntario members on the project

• The collaborative met regularly – 9 times, 4 in person and 5 by phone.

• A work plan was developed (May 27th 2010) and guided the work.

• At every meeting the question of others who need to know was asked. Communication messages were by consensus.

• A short presentation with handout was made in May 2010 to the InformOntario conference.

• A one day workshop was held on May 25th 2011 which all 211 Centres and 16 Volunteer Centres attended.

• Five E-bulletins were distributed to a growing list that became 86 people. The 5th E-bulletin was distributed more broadly.

2. Expected Results: Extend access to volunteer opportunities in Ontario through the 211 network


a. Models and protocols for 211 and OVCN to jointly support volunteers and organizations requiring volunteers

b. Consultation with health, social services, Aboriginal, Francophone, immigrant and refugee services on volunteer use, organization needs and roles for 211 services and volunteer sectors

c. Principles and value base for joint practice established

d. Model of practice developed. e. Recommendation on how the term “211 to

Give Help” will be branded and promoted in Ontario taken to March [May] conference.

• Models and protocols were drafted, demonstrated and used at the May workshop.

• There were four community consultations using focus groups in Brantford, Thunder Bay, Stratford and Owen Sound. Participants represented a broad range of sectors. There was also communication with diverse provincial organizations through the 5th project E-bulletin.

• Principles of practice were developed. • Volunteer Centres participated in completion

of a survey related to 211 branding.



3. Expected Results: Enhanced role for 211 and OVCN membership for second tier support in community emergency planning


a. 211 providers meet AIRS disaster preparedness standards

b. OVCN members are involved at local planning tables and represented provincially

• Discussion began about the role of 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres in second tier emergency response and recovery. Case examples and checklists were included in the project Report and Tool Kit. 211 Centres are continually building their capacity in this area.

1.2 The Collaborative Partners

Ten organizations launched and participated in the collaborative. Five of these are involved with 211 service and five with Volunteer Centre services. (See Table 2)

Table 2 211 Services Volunteer Services

Information Niagara – Lead, 211 Centre for Central South/Central West Region

Region of Peel, 211 Centre for Dufferin-Peel Region

Community Connection, 211 Centre for Central East Region

Lakehead Social Planning Council, 211 Centre for Northern Region

Ontario 211 Services Corporation (Funding partner and kept informed through documents and liaison with Project Manager)

Volunteer Centre of Guelph Wellington – Lead Volunteer Centre Contact South Simcoe Community Information Centre (Active May - November 2010) Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo Volunteer Halton

Volunteer Hamilton

Roles and responsibilities of the project lead, Information Niagara, and the leading Volunteer Centre, the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington, as well as all collaborative members and the project manager were developed and agreed upon at the beginning of the project. A detailed work plan including the dates and objectives of meetings was also developed and agreed on.

211 Centres

The 211 network consists of eight 211 Centres and the Ontario 211 Services Corporation. In common among the 211 Centres are the common standards and brand of 211 which is a 24/7/365, multilingual, national public utility. To be a 211 Centre, organizations need to be licenced, meet or exceed minimum standards and achieve Alliance of Information and Referral



Systems (AIRS) accreditation. Staff must be Certified Information and Referral Specialists (CIRS) and people working with data must be Certified Resource Specialists (CRS).

211 is multi channel: phone and via the web, www.211Ontario.ca. In addition to phone, there are chat and TTY services. Each of the 211 Centres is expanding their service areas to deliver 211 throughout their region with the objective of 100% of Ontario being served by 211 phone service in 2011. Information and referral data supporting the 211 service includes community, health, social and related government services.

Ontario Volunteer Centre Network

The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is a network of 24 Volunteer Centres in Ontario. Volunteer Centres are themselves networking organizations that work across the nonprofit sector connecting community benefit organizations with resources. They promote, encourage and support volunteerism and civic engagement within their geographic area(s) and link community members with opportunities to serve their communities. They are critical intermediary organizations that enhance the capacity and impact of the voluntary sector as a whole.

Mandate of OVCN: To provide a provincial network and provincial voice to strengthen the individual and collective ability of Volunteer Centres in Ontario to promote and develop volunteerism.

Purpose of OVCN: To strengthen the capacity of Volunteer Centres to provide leadership in volunteerism. To provide a forum to discuss issues and policies which are of concern to Volunteer Centres and to establish ad hoc committees from time to time to study issues which are of mutual concern to Volunteer Centres in Ontario. To strengthen the relationship among Volunteer Centres.

Data

Data for about 56,000 agency services and programs in Ontario is maintained by 211 Centres and other information and referral providers. Volunteer Centres that utilize the Community Information Online Consortium (CIOC) software use this data set and can trust that it is being maintained. However CIOC is used in common by only about 50% of Volunteer Centres (2008 survey). Other Volunteer Centres maintain their own data for the agencies with whom they work to support volunteering.

In addition to agency records Volunteer Centres maintain data on volunteer opportunities, and complementary information which they each do differently, e.g. list of Executive Directors, Board Chairs, community events and fast facts for frequently asked questions.

http://www.211ontario.ca/�



1.3 Environmental Scan

211 Region Current Relationship between the 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres in the 211 Region

Central 211 Region

• Findhelp Information Services and Volunteer Toronto have a working relationship which includes a service level agreement (SLA) about working together on an ongoing basis and making warm transfers when required.

Central East 211 Region

• Community Connection has had a working relationship with Contact, (South Simcoe) and Community Link (Midland) for more than two decades (before each became a Volunteer Centre), due to being long term partners on the Information Providers Coalition for Simcoe County. These Volunteer Centres are also Community Information Centres.

• Community information is shared through a common CIOC database, (with a shared CIOC license) and volunteer portal.

• Calls are referred or transferred as appropriate.

• Midland’s volunteer opportunities information is on CIOC software and is therefore shared with Community Connection.

• Contact, South Simcoe, has its own specially created database system.

Halton 211 Region

• Volunteer Halton is part of Community Development Halton with which the Social Services department works closely.

• The Region of Halton, which provides the 211 service, refers callers to Volunteer Halton.

• The relationship between Volunteer Halton and Halton Information Providers (HIP) includes a shared database and resources.

Central South/Central West 211 Region

• Information Niagara has working relationships with Volunteer Hamilton, Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington and Volunteer Action Centre of K-W and Area.

• There are future plans for connection with United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries/ Volunteer Cambridge, and Woolwich Community Services

• Information Niagara also served as the Volunteer Centre until United Way funding was withdrawn.

• Information Niagara, Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington and Volunteer Hamilton use CIOC volunteer software.

• Volunteer Action Centre of K-W and Area has customized volunteer software.

• Information Haldimand-Norfolk has its own CIOC information and referral database.



211 Region Current Relationship between the 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres in the 211 Region

Dufferin Peel

• Region of Peel has a working relationship with Volunteer Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon (VMBC) which does not have its own database.

• VMBC works with Community Information Partners of Peel (CIPP) regarding data.

• The Region provides funding to VMBC which has purchased the CIOC volunteer module.

• There is a spoken understanding regarding transfers, currently warm transfers.

• VMBC is very interested in working with 211.

Eastern 211 Region

• Community Information Centre of Ottawa and Volunteer Ottawa have a working Memorandum of Agreement.

• The Kingston Volunteer Centre has been closed. The Community Information Centre of Ottawa has the Kingston volunteer database but as it does not have the Volunteer Centre role the database is not current. The United Way of Kingston is providing a level of Volunteer Centre services.

• The relationships with the Volunteer Bureau of Leeds and Grenville and Volunteer and Information Quinte are developing.

Northern 211 Region

• Lakehead Social Planning Council has a working relationship with Volunteer Thunder Bay.

• The relationships with the Volunteer Sault Sainte Marie (run by United Way) and Volunteer Sudbury are developing.

• Referrals are made to Volunteer Centres.

South West 211 Region

• City of Windsor has a working relationship with United Way of Windsor-Essex County Volunteer Centre.

• In Windsor the licence for the CIOC volunteer module is held by the university, but the volunteer database is not maintained. There has been discussion about the Volunteer Centre becoming the direct responsibility of Windsor 211.

• Relationships are developing with United Way of Chatham-Kent which serves as the Volunteer Centre and Pillar Non-Profit Network in London.



1.4 Province Wide 211 System Support

One goal of both 211 and volunteer services is to connect citizens to their community so that their lives are improved in healthy and vibrant communities. There are eight 211 Centres that as a network with O211SC are implementing a 211 system to ensure that all residents have access to 211 service by the end of 2011. There are approximately 24 Volunteer Centres that form OVCN and together provide volunteer services to 80% of Ontario’s residents. There are additional emerging Volunteer Centres and volunteer services.

This project determined that every person in Ontario who has an interest in volunteering should have a pathway to follow. Where there is a Volunteer Centre the project recommendations enhance a smooth referral process. For the approximately 2.5 million (20%) of Ontarians who do not have access to a Volunteer Centre, this project recommends that 211 service be utilized to enhance the likelihood of a person with a talent and time to give as a volunteer being linked with a non-profit organization that wants to benefit from that skill and experience.3

The primary outcome of the project is the consensus that 211 service can support volunteer engagement by connecting Ontario residents to volunteer resources. Although this already occurs when any 211 caller inquires about volunteering, this project proposes a variety of tools and protocols to ensure improved service and consistency, by using existing resources better and developing new resources to strengthen the response. Value to clients has been the basis for establishing the priorities and criteria.

Volunteer Centres vary greatly in the geographic location they serve. A few serve large populations such as Volunteer Toronto (population of 2.4 million) and Volunteer Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon (population of 1.2 million). Many Volunteer Centres are highly engaged in multiple aspects of their community. Regardless of their size, where a Volunteer Centre exists, a range of services are offered. Some Volunteer Centres provide services only to their member agencies. Services include assisting agencies to post volunteer opportunities and responding by phone and often to walk-in clients by linking interested people to agencies requiring volunteers. Most Volunteer Centres also offer online websites where agencies can post volunteer opportunities and where potential volunteers can search. A protocol between 211 Centres and existing Volunteer Centres will ensure that a 211 caller is referred in the way that best uses the local Volunteer Centre service. For example this might be to the web site or to a site for resources on volunteering.

Where there is no Volunteer Centre, focus groups confirmed that posting or finding out about volunteer opportunities is often haphazard, time consuming and has limited success. In these situations there are optional procedures for a person who calls 211. The first is that the skilled person answering the 211 call, who will be a Certified Information and Referral Specialist

3 The drivers for enhancing the effectiveness of recruiting volunteers include the value to individuals, agencies and their clients, and communities. There is significant literature on the contribution of volunteering to good health.



(CIRS), will have a set of guiding questions and suitable responses, developed by this project to assist them to refer the caller in the most appropriate way. (See 2.5)

Additional support to volunteering in locations without Volunteer Centres will be online volunteer opportunity databases. These can serve large areas and be searchable in a number of ways. Also proposed to support all volunteer activity will be the online repository of related information about volunteering that would be applicable across the province or nationally. 4

(See 2.7 for volunteer services in 211 regions)

1.5 Communication

An important characteristic of communication during the project was consistency of messaging. The leads reviewed drafts and all collaborative members reviewed any materials that were for external use. The project undertook to maintain continuous communication with interested parties throughout the project. This was achieved by five one or two page E-bulletins providing updates on the project which were distributed by email. By the fourth bulletin in January 2011 it was being distributed to 86 people who had requested to be on the distribution list.

Another vehicle for communication was attendance at and a short presentation to participants at the InformOntario Conference in May 2010. Project updates were also distributed through the Ontario 211 Services Corporation newsletter “In Touch” in July 2010 and February 2011.

Mid-project, an evaluation was conducted using a questionnaire that was completed by all members of the collaborative. It provided insight into how to make improvements and strengthen the relationship and project work.

In November and December 2010 four focus groups were conducted. They were held in Northern 211 region in Thunder Bay, in Central East 211 region, in each of Stratford and Owen Sound, and in Central South/Central West 211 region in Brantford. The focus group participants, 46 in all, brought experience from a range of sectors including: aged care, hospitals, Friendship Centres, food banks, Aboriginal services, municipalities, colleges and schools, United Way, housing, disability services, hospices, Red Cross, mental health, museums, shelters, St John’s Ambulance and libraries. The discussion in each location tested the ideas that had developed to that point in the project and explored how 211 could help to strengthen volunteering in areas without a Volunteer Centre. In Thunder Bay, where there is a Volunteer Centre, the focus was on Aboriginal services particularly in areas outside Thunder Bay.

Towards the conclusion of the project a fifth E-Bulletin summarized the outcomes of the project and provided online links to this 211 and Volunteer Centres Report and Tool Kit as a further resource. In addition to being sent to the distribution list it was more broadly distributed including

4 The re-launched website of the partnership between Volunteer Canada and Manual Life www.getinvolved.ca could become such a website.

http://www.getinvolved.ca/�



to the Ontario Non Profit Network. The purpose of this communication was information dissemination about the project focussing on both process and outcomes. One particular focus was the project experience with building successful partnerships in the hope that the project learning would be useful to others.

A one day workshop was held in Toronto on May 25th 2011 to engage all 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres in Ontario. The purpose of the workshop was to present, review, improve and apply the draft protocols that were developed during the collaborative project so that participants could work with others in their geographic location to develop their regional protocol in readiness for implementation.

1.6 Governance

The organizations participating in the collaborative are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors or an elected Council of regional or municipal politicians. Because the outcomes of this project have implications for multiple agencies, there are accountabilities between organizations. This resulted in discussion about how organizations that work together should engage their Boards. It was agreed that decisions such as those arising from this project will require discussion with the Boards of Directors of 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres because:

• Board awareness of new initiatives is important

• Board discussion would be required if there are financial or legal implications, and

• Accountability is required in a new partnership, whether it is financial or not.

1.7 Organizations Using Volunteers

‘Volunteer opportunities’ is a subject in the classification of records in the human services database accessed on www.211ontario.ca. This province wide database has information on 56,000 organizations and services and supports information and referral in Ontario. Many agency records describe the types of volunteer roles for which they recruit. If the organization has a website, the website URL is also provided on 211Ontario.ca, enabling an online user to pursue more detail about the organization and the volunteer opportunities.

An axiom of information and referral is that being given the wrong information is worse than no information. Wrong information frustrates and misleads people who might give up on their search before resolving their issue. Mis-information could discourage a potential volunteer. Ensuring that the individual knows how to get current and accurate information is key.

By contacting the organization that uses volunteers a potential volunteer can find the most recent information about the nature of opportunities and their current requirements. An example




of the changing need, is a theatre that will be vigorously recruiting volunteers one day and indicating the next day that they have too many.

1.8 Online Volunteer Websites

In an attempt to support volunteerism, particularly in locations without a Volunteer Centre, a number of initiatives have been undertaken to create websites on which volunteer opportunities can be posted. In some cases people offering their volunteer services can also post their skills and availability. Some websites include a collection of resources that are useful to potential volunteers. Many agencies attempt to recruit volunteers on their own websites, e.g. Canadian Universities, Canadian Cancer Society and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Focus group participants described the process of searching for volunteer opportunities as disorganised and difficult where there is no Volunteer Centre.

The case study in the box describes the website www.volunteerconnection.ca which provides a resource focussed on addressing the volunteer needs of the Ontario Central East 211 region.

In early 2011 in a partnership between Volunteer Canada, Manulife Financial, Q Media and TV Ontario, the website www.getinvolved.ca was redeveloped and re-launched. It includes both volunteers offering services and volunteer opportunities. This is another resource for non-profit organizations nationally.

1.9 Emergency Response and Recovery

211 Centres and Volunteer Centres have significant roles to play in emergency response and recovery. 211 is the one point of non-911 phone entry at times of crisis and is used in US and Canadian emergency plans for this purpose. As part of the accreditation process with the

Central East Case Study

Community Connection has developed a region-wide website, www.volunteerconnection.ca, to support organizations in need of volunteers and to help volunteers find opportunities. The website has evolved over a number of years through a series of funded projects from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN, and partnerships with four United Ways and the local labour board. The website, which uses CIOC software, offers searchable volunteer opportunities for the entire Central East region. The website continues to be in development.

Simcoe County is served by two full service volunteer centres. Community Link serves the north part of the County and Contact serves the south part. Calls to 211 about volunteering are treated as regular information and referral calls. Inquiries about volunteering are referred to existing volunteer centres in a caller’s community. For communities where there is no volunteer centre, 211 staff conduct their regular caller assessment (interests, location) and refer callers to organizations that best fit their needs.

http://www.volunteerconnection.ca/�





Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS), 211 Centres are required to assess and provide referrals for inquirers and connect people to critical resources in times of disaster.

The collaborative found that thinking of emergency preparedness having two phases may be useful. The first is the organization’s own business continuity or contingency planning. The second is the organization being positioned to help others. Checklists that raise some of the areas for consideration for these two phases are identified in the Tool Kit section 2.6.

The following case studies illustrate the involvement of 211 and volunteer services which are at different stages of development.

Case Study: Central South/Central West 211 Region

The Central South/Central West 211 Region includes the municipalities of Brant, Haldimand Norfolk, Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo and Wellington.

• The Niagara Region emergency response and recovery plan builds on the long term relationship between Information Niagara and the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Through the Director of Communications, several meetings of Information Niagara and Regional staff were arranged. The Executive Director from Information Niagara was invited to accompany Regional staff to the Emergency Centre in Peterborough. There they learned how the Centre would work including who would be there using the bank of computers and what their responsibilities would be. As a part the Niagara Region Emergency Plan the number 211 will be advertised as the number to call to divert non-emergency calls away from 911 and any overflow from non-emergency calls. The Executive Director from Information Niagara was involved in the selection of related Regional software. Next steps in Niagara Region will include testing.

• In Waterloo Region a protocol is in place with 911 providing 211 with an inside line to access 911 of needed. The Kitchener-Waterloo Emergency Management Committee which includes Fire Chiefs, the School Board and Police Boards has asked for a presentation from Information Niagara which will deliver 211 service to Waterloo Region. The Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo is part of the Waterloo Region’s Community Pandemic Influenza Plan. In the event of a pandemic the Volunteer Centre, will be one of the organizations responsible for operating the Volunteer Coordination Centre. This is described and illustrated in the Plan’s chapter on Community Support Services (Chap. 10, pp.112-113) http://www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca/en/pandemicplan/PandemicInfluenzePreparednessPlan.asp In addition to supporting an essential community resource and service, the Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo found that it was beneficial to the organization’s other services to be involved in the development of the Plan. Participation provided access to templates for screening, volunteer applications, waivers, confidentiality agreements, interview guidelines and risk management tools, all of which had been reviewed by the Region’s legal services. Participation also provided an opportunity to inform senior staff at the Region about the role of the volunteer service and to be invited to other municipal strategic planning opportunities with the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo.

• In the City of Guelph and Wellington County the Volunteer Centre of Guelph Wellington has had preliminary discussion with emergency preparedness staff in Wellington County.

http://www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca/en/pandemicplan/PandemicInfluenzePreparednessPlan.asp�



The geographic communities served by respective emergency plans require both 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres to be adaptable in their approach. In some cases this requires working with multiple community emergency plans. In others it requires collaboration among multiple Volunteer Centres to support a single regional plan.

211 is part of a number of Ontario community emergency response and recovery network plans and 211 Centres are working to establish relationships where they do not yet exist.

Case Study: Central East 211 Region

Central East 211 Region includes the counties and municipalities of Bruce, Grey, Haliburton, Huron, Kawartha Lakes, Muskoka, Northumberland, Parry Sound, Perth, Peterborough and Simcoe.

• In Bruce, Grey, Muskoka and Simcoe Counties, Community Connection which is the organization providing 211 service to the Region, is in the early stages of emergency response and recovery planning. Relationships have been developed with the District of Muskoka to create and maintain a specialized database to be used during disaster response and an agreement is in development for Community Connection to provide a 24/7 public disaster information line. In Simcoe County, work is underway to determine how 211 can support a vulnerable populations emergency response plan. Other relationships have been developed with Red Cross Disaster Services managers in these counties and a training program is being developed to support more formal partnerships with Red Cross, which would include mass recruitment and deployment of volunteers. Volunteer Centres do not currently contribute to emergency response and recovery planning in an organized way but as working partners with Community Connection, they would be able to help organize support. Systems have not yet been set up for mass recruitment of volunteers.

Some Volunteer Centres are well positioned to assist with volunteer recruitment and deployment in times of crisis and some are part of their community’s emergency response and recovery network plan. Another role of 211 Centres is to receive calls from people who want to offer assistance and contact the 211 Centre to find out how to do so.

Case Study: Northern 211 Region

Northern 211 Region includes the counties and municipalities of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Rainy River, Sault Sainte Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

• The Lakehead Social Planning Council, which delivers the 211 service, has begun the dialogue with the City of Thunder Bay emergency planning group which includes Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the police and the Red Cross. 211 will be part of the overall plan which is in development.

• 211 is also the contact point for people who need or want to give help. Examples over the last few years include responding to fires and floods in First Nations communities. Typically a communiqué is sent by the City of Thunder Bay, and individuals who need or are able to help are advised to call 211 which co-ordinates and refers appropriately.



1.10 Brand Clarity and Promotion

As a result of recent work on branding, the 211 system has developed a new tag line and simplified the oval 211 logo as illustrated here. A person wanting to find out about volunteering and volunteer opportunities and unclear about where to get more information can call 211. Arising from this project protocols will exist between 211 Centres and any volunteer centres in their region. This will help to ensure that callers are directed to the best resources to address their interest in volunteering in a timely way.

1.11 Cross-Sectoral Workshop

Twenty-eight 211 and Volunteer Centre participants from over 20 communities across Ontario met for a one day workshop in Toronto on May 25th 2011.5

The workshop received a very positive participant evaluation. The ratings of “very good” are presented graphically in Figure 1. Qualitative feedback highlighted a number of areas as valuable: relationship building and networking, increased knowledge and understanding, the practical work done of developing transfer protocols, and tangible tools provided in this Report and Tool Kit which was distributed as a working draft.

The day was organized to combine relationship building with colleagues, getting information and making practical progress on regional protocols and agreements. The collaborative presented and invited review and improvement of the draft protocols that had been developed during this collaborative project. The workshop included networking activities and dedicated time to work with partners in each region so that participants could leave the workshop with customized protocols ready to be implemented.

5 To optimize the investment in travel, OVCN organized a workshop on the previous day.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Addressed questions

Information useful other initiatives

Furthered ideas about partnerships

Developed draft protocols for use

Met your expectations

Increased knowledge of 211 or V.C.s

Engaged you: interesting & productive

Increased your confidence

Network with people

Figure 1 Percentage of participants rating as very good



Workshop participants endorsed the project recommendations.

1.12 Recommendations

Recommendations

1 That anyone interested in volunteering in Ontario may call 211 and will be provided with a pathway to do so. The pathway will vary depending on existing local services. (Note that from an information and referral perspective this is similar to calling 211 for other programs and services.)

2 That a protocol exist between 211 Centres and all Volunteer Centres in their 211 region ensuring a standard and efficient approach for referral of callers with volunteer enquiries.

3 That all Certified Information and Referral Specialists (CIRS) answering 211 calls in areas without a Volunteer Centre, be provided with a template of standard broadly based questions to ask a caller interested in volunteer opportunities and suitable responses to provide. [See template in 2.5]

4 That as much as possible a non profit organization wanting to publicly post a volunteer opportunity will be provided with a pathway to do so. 211 and OVCN will act as catalysts for collaboration in supporting a volunteer opportunities website where possible in locations without a Volunteer Centre.

5 That effectiveness in partnership creation and development can be enhanced by consistently applying a set of practices. [See checklist in 2.1]

6 That development of an improved information management system (IMS) to support 211 service, include consideration of linkages to volunteer opportunity databases so that agency program and service data is maintained once for both uses. Records should include “this agency engages volunteers’.

7 That OVCN act as catalyst to create or support a website that contains resources for volunteering to which volunteer opportunities websites could be linked

8 That 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres work together to be part of emergency response and recovery municipal plans.

9

That communication between 211 Centres and OVCN be maintained and built on based on the new trust that has been developed. Representatives from 211 Centres and OVCN will continue to collaborate for at least one year and address issues that arise. This could be a twice annual meeting at which information is shared and reported back to respective constituencies. (This could include collaboration at the system and provincial level as well as MOUs and partnerships happening at the local and regional levels.)

10 That implementation of these recommendations be enabled by identifying leadership and determining any resource implications. Also that implementation be monitored, supported and evaluated.



1.13 Next Steps

Both partners are parts of bigger networks that have national connections. Communicating this project and its outcomes to each of the networks and embedding the implementation of the recommendations will be a phased approach. It will begin in Ontario.

□ The collaborative recognized an obligation to share what has been done and what had been learned. The distribution of E-bulletin #5 included selected provincial organizations.

□ This 211 and Volunteer Centre Services Report and Tool Kit will be made available online on 211 and OVCN websites and distributed to all participants at the May 25 2011 cross-sectoral Workshop.

□ Follow up has been provided to support the completion and implementation of

Memoranda of Agreement and Transfer Protocols developed at the Workshop.

□ Discussion has begun on further collaboration between 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres in their relationship with and support to municipal emergency response and recovery plans.

□ The project leads from 211 and OVCN have an ongoing working relationship and

through this intend to assume leadership in furthering the recommendations from the project. They will meet twice annually for at least one year and support regional relationships and the implementation of relevant tools to enable practice of the recommendations. This includes determining how to best and appropriately implement the recommendations including what projected costs there may be and who will take leadership.

□ There is a goal to ensure that all United Ways are informed about this project.

□ Ongoing work includes exploration of joint marketing, creating volunteer databases

where none currently exist, and associated resource requirements and sources for implementation, e.g. OTF, O211SC, United Ways and community foundations.

□ On an ongoing basis monitoring the partnership will include addressing concerns that

arise, and celebrating successes.



2. Tool Kit

2.13 Promising Practices for Effective Partnerships

Background

One of the objectives of the project was to identify promising practices for effective partnerships. The following have been identified as useful for supporting effective collaborative processes for front line agencies including 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres. The practices also provide a model for coordinating bodies such as O211SC or OVCN as an umbrella organization, and can be applied in multiple other areas.

The project identified the following as important, perhaps essential, components of an effective partnership. They cluster into five areas:

Communication Useful questions

Spoken and written communication must be clear, open, transparent and honest.

Is the language clear?

Has ignoring or burying contentious topics been avoided?

Is essential information known by those affected by it?

Are decisions made and recorded appropriately?

When agreed upon, information must be able to be kept confidential.

Is it clear with whom this information can or should be shared?

Is it appropriate for this information to be confidential?

Disagreement and dispute must be welcomed but all contributions to discussion and exchange must be constructive and considerate.

Have we invited concerns, risks and issues to be raised?

Have they been appropriately acted on?

Is our thinking rigorous in relation to risks?

Is our approach courteous?

Comments should not be taken outside of context.

Are we communicating clearly inside and outside meetings?

Discussion about the project and colleagues in other settings must be constructive. Gossip and mudslinging has legs and contaminates relationships.

Are we working toward win-win solutions?

Are all conversations professional and respectful?

(1) Communication (2) Respect (3) Mutual knowledge and understanding (4) Exchange and sharing (5) Productivity



Respect Useful questions

Trusting and meaningful relationships are contingent on being mutually respectful and transparent.

Has everyone been given opportunity to participate?

Is essential information provided openly and willingly?

Has withholding information to gain power or advantage been avoided?

Respect applies to when people are together and extends to when they are out of earshot.

Are conversations away from each other consistent with conversations together?

Is there a genuine respect or is it limited to appearing to be respectful?

Once a good relationship with another agency exists each should be in the forefront of the other’s mind when considering roles for the other.

Are we looking out for opportunities for our partner?

How is working together demonstrated?

Mutual Knowledge and Understanding

Useful questions

Be intentional, rather than reactive, in getting to know the political and funding environment for the other organization(s) as well as one’s own.

Is consideration of my partner part of my organizational plan?

Do we share information openly?

Have we considered each other’s risks?

Be informed about each other’s context. Do we know each other’s networks?

Understand stakeholder positions. Know each other well enough to know the similarities and differences between this and similar organizations.

Have we talked about our respective strategic directions?

Do we know what our shared concerns are?

Understand reciprocity and be able to align objectives and capacities.

Have we identified what we would do better by working together?

Understand how each organization benefits the community and work for mutual understanding of the roles. Help to dispel myths about the other.

Are we advocates for each other?

Do we help each other succeed?

Do we correct inaccuracies about each other?

Bring other relevant experiences and knowledge e.g. provincial initiatives, policy changes, to inform the process.

Are we considering the larger environment for our work?



Exchange and Sharing Useful questions

Share information and bring back opportunities to each other and other non-profits.

Is our approach one of helping all sectors to thrive?

Have we avoided getting ahead at the cost of others?

Share best practices in management and resources.

Do we share each of our strengths with the other?

Do we raise concerns with each other?

Identify barriers, share them and work through challenges, reluctance and trepidation.

Have we created a vehicle to raise concerns with each other?

Do we recognize different kinds of challenges?

Have we deliberately set out to identify barriers and challenges?

Celebrate successes of short and long term impacts together.

Have we identified evaluation points?

Do we identify successes?

Ensure self-determination of both players, so that neither feels it is “done to us”.

Have we identified each other’s needs?

Reach consensus with the constituencies each partner represents.

Have we engaged people more broadly than the leaders or representatives?

How can we be sure people have had a voice?

Productivity Useful questions

Utilize the skills and abilities of the participants. Feeling underused, overlooked or under-appreciated erodes enthusiasm for the relationship and the project.

Do we know each other’ skills?

How have we brought each other’s skill’s to the partnership?

Acknowledge the changing environment for each partner’s work. This might include national influences, or staffing, policy or funding changes.

What environmental factors are most important to each player?

Do policy or funding changes create a risk?

Ensure results, develop an agreed upon plan and keep the work moving so that organizational and individual investment has outcomes.

Are we outcome focussed?

Do we evaluate outcomes?



2.14 Continuum of Options

A continuum of options was developed to address the project determination that every person in Ontario who has an interest in volunteering should have a pathway to follow.

The figure below identifies five possible avenues. Where the caller’s community has the least volunteer services the person can make a free call to 211 where the inquiry will receive the professional problem solving of all 211 calls supported by a guide to suitable questions and responses. As the volunteer resources available to the community increases, the options for the individual increase. There are full service Volunteer Centres serving over 20 municipalities.

Options for Serving Potential Volunteers and Organizations that Need Volunteers

In locations without a Volunteer Centre Volunteer Centre exists

1 2 3 4 5

Call 211 and Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) problem-solves with caller

Potential volunteer searches the information and referral database www.211Ontario.ca using the term ‘volunteer’ and adding their location.

A national website with social media look and feel, www.getinvolved.ca was re-launched in early 2011 by Volunteer Canada, Manulife Financial and TV Ontario. There are other websites such as Charity Village and provincial charities.

Online volunteer opportunities databases also exist using an online volunteer module which offers posting, searching and other functionality, e.g. www.volunteerconnection.ca which currently serves 10 of the 11 counties in Central East 211 Region. OVCN and 211 Centres would be catalysts for the creation of such sites, to which other organizations could link.

Full service

Volunteer Centre

exists to respond

Phone Online Online Online Phone

and online

CIRS will have a script to guide questioning and referrals.

The community information is contributed by over 25 data partners across Ontario. www.211Ontario.ca is maintained weekly.

Quality control is important. Monitoring for accuracy and currency depends on the website.

These sites require ongoing monitoring to ensure appropriate and accurate posting, as well as currency of information.

A protocol will exist

for transfer from 211

to Volunteer

Centre and vice

versa







2.15 Partnership Agreement

This working agreement describes the basis for the partnership of 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres and the roles and responsibilities of each. The project “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” provided the foundation for a commitment between 211 Centres and OVCN member Volunteer Centres to continue to work together. The project demonstrated how 211 and the role of Volunteer Centres can help communities by strengthening volunteering.

Ontario 211 Centres are a network of organizations that are working closely together and with the Ontario 211 Services Corporation to implement a 211 system. This includes consistent standards of service and data, shared reporting and interest and involvement in building sustainable funding for 211 service.

Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is a network of member Volunteer Centres that promote, encourage and support volunteerism and civic engagement within their geographic area(s) and link community members with opportunities to serve their communities.

Roles and responsibilities:

• All 211 Centres will communicate with Volunteer Centres in their 211 region and develop a protocol on how calls about volunteering will be directed to them.

• In locations without a Volunteer Centre, OVCN in partnership with 211 and leveraging national and local capacity will work to support the existence of websites for online public posting of volunteer opportunities.

• OVCN will support the development of an easy to use online repository of information about volunteering for province-wide or broader use. The contents will include resources to assist potential volunteers, agencies, managers of volunteers and others working with volunteers. Resources will be informative and relevant to people interested in volunteering, to 211 Centres receiving inquiries about volunteering, and contribute to overall growth of professionalism in the field of volunteering.

• Twice yearly the leads from the “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” project (Information Niagara and the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington) will meet to monitor the outcomes of the project and address any issues that arise with their constituencies. Each will be responsible for communicating with their respective networks.



2.16 Memorandum of Agreement and Transfer Protocol Template

Background

This transfer protocol arises from the commitment that was built during the project “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” in 2010-2011. The goal of 211 Centres and OVCN member Volunteer Centres is to continue to work together to support volunteerism across Ontario.

The purpose of this protocol is to ensure smooth and effective referral of inquiries to a 211 phone service about volunteering to existing Volunteer Centres. The first step is for OVCN member Volunteer Centres to inform 211 Centres about the best way to direct an inquiry about volunteering.

Individuals interested in volunteering can be diverted from their goal by barriers to accessing information or time consuming and haphazard processes. Callers will be best assisted if 211 Centres direct callers in the way that is determined to be the most appropriate by the local Volunteer Centre. As part of the standard tracking process 211 Centres will track the number of calls transferred to Volunteer Centres. These statistics will be shared with each other and on an agreed upon regular basis, the Volunteer Centre will provide feedback on the referral process to the 211 Centre. Annually the protocol will be reviewed.

Template

Between Partners:

(Volunteer Centres)

and

(211 Centre)

Regarding

211 Centre and Volunteer Centre collaboration in (geographic area)

Rationale

The parties to this agreement wish to put into effect a memorandum of agreement for the following reasons, in order of priority:

• To detail how 211 service provision will interact with Volunteer Centres for the benefit of their communities

• To establish a shared understanding of protocols and communication between the parties • To provide opportunities for meaningful collaboration between the parties



Volunteer Centres agree:

• To maintain an on-line database of volunteer opportunities accessible to the public at no cost

• Any changes to access to this database be shared immediately with the 211 Centre

211 Centre agrees:

• To maintain 211 telephone service in (geographic area) accessible to the public at no cost • Any changes to access to this telephone service be shared immediately with the Volunteer

Centres

Conditions

Parties to this agreement will:

• Establish and maintain a “Transfer Protocol” related to telephone inquiries on the 211 telephone system [see attached]

• Commit to sharing information that may affect this partnership e.g. funding changes, staffing changes, system updates (e.g. Ontario 211 Services Corporation and Ontario Volunteer Centre Network), etc.

• Meet bi-annually to discuss this partnership, share information, review protocols, etc. Parties to this agreement may identify agenda items to be discussed. The location of meetings will rotate. Costs involved with attending such meetings will be the responsibility of each organization.

• Commit to sharing appropriate statistics and reports to assist one another in their program delivery and evaluation. Baseline reports will initially include number of inquiries and method of transfer to Volunteer Centres.

• Commit to sharing opportunities for service improvement or difficulties in meeting this agreement within 5 business days.

Terms

• This agreement is renewable, with a review scheduled annually through a face-to-face meeting of all parties. A review may also be activated at any time by any of the parties.

• Changes may be made at any time with all party agreement and with 30 days written notice. • No amendments to this agreement shall have any force or effect unless appended in writing

and signed by the all the parties.

Dispute Resolution

• Any disputes arising related to this agreement shall be dealt with immediately by all parties. • In the event of needing it, there is a commitment to using a conflict resolution process.



_________________________________ __________________________

Signed, Date Signed

Name: ___________________________ Title:______________________

Telephone: ________________________ Email:_____________________

_________________________________ __________________________

Signed, Date Signed

Name: ___________________________ Title:______________________

Telephone: ________________________ Email:_____________________

Transfer Protocol Template #1

A Volunteer Centre connects people with opportunities to participate in their community. They also offer other services, such as training and education, promotion of volunteerism and leadership related to volunteerism.

This is a protocol between .....................211 Centre and ......................Volunteer Centre.

When .........................211 Centre receives a call which is about or includes the caller expressing an interest in volunteering, the 211 service provider should ask “we have a Volunteer Centre that collects and maintains volunteer opportunities. Would you like to be connected by phone or go to their website?”

The caller should be informed about the online repository of volunteer information..........

The caller should be directed to the Volunteer Centre’s website .........................

The caller should consider the following ...... in preparation for calling the Volunteer Centre

During the business hours of ...............the caller should be directed to the Volunteer Centre ................................ Would you like to call them, or for me to transfer you?”

After hours, you may leave a message for the Volunteer Centre to call you back, or you can access their volunteer opportunities database which is available 24/7.



Transfer Protocol Template #2

This is one of the protocols that was developed.

A Volunteer Centre connects people with opportunities to participate in their community. They also offer other services, such as training and education, promotion of volunteerism and leadership related to volunteerism.

Partners:

Volunteer Centre(s)

With: 211 Centre

• This is a protocol between .......

When ...... 211 Centre, receives a call which is about or includes the caller expressing an interest in volunteering, the 211 service provider should ask “We have a Volunteer Centre that collects and maintains volunteer opportunities. Would you like me to transfer you now or would you like their phone number or go to their online database where you can search directly for volunteer opportunities?”

If the caller would like to be connected by phone, the 211 Centre asks “would you like to call them, or for me to transfer you?”

Warm transfers are the preferred method of handling telephone inquiries to the Volunteer Centre(s). The following numbers should be used either if the 211 Centre is proceeding with a warm transfer or giving out the telephone number (also identified as primary contact numbers in the CIOC record):

o Organization names and phone numbers

The following website addresses link directly to each Volunteer Centre’s online database of volunteer opportunities (also in the CIOC record):

o Organization names and websites

Please note the office hours of the Volunteer Centre(s)

o Organization names and office hours

If the caller is calling outside regular office hours or if the Volunteer Centre’s phone is busy, the 211 Centre will offer the phone number of the Volunteer Centre suggesting that the caller either call and leave a message, and/or go to the website to access their volunteer opportunities database which is available 24/7.

Each Volunteer Centre commits to returning messages within 24 hours/1 business day.



2.5 Guiding Questions for 211 CIRS

These guiding questions arise from the commitment of 211 Centres and OVCN member Volunteer Centres to continue to work together that was built during the project “Building Community Capacity through 211 and Volunteer Centre Services” in 2010-2011.

These guiding questions have been designed by volunteer and 211 services to assist 211 Certified Information and Referral Specialists (CIRS) who answer 211 calls, to respond appropriately especially in locations where there is no Volunteer Centre.

When a 211 Centre receives a call which is about or includes the caller expressing an interest in volunteering, the 211 Centre should use the following approach.

Guiding script for 211 CIRS with a 211 inquiry about volunteering:

Location 211: “Where are you calling from?” (This is a standard 211 question.)

211: Would you like to volunteer in your area? (Note: there are some virtual volunteering opportunities, using the internet, phone etc.)

(CIRS determines whether or not a Volunteer Centre serves the caller’s area. See table in 2.7)

Options

A Volunteer Centre? Action

Yes Apply the transfer protocol agreed with the Volunteer Centre. [See 2.4]

If there is no Volunteer Centre:

Note: Every 211 call aims to provide the caller with information that helps them to resolve the problem(s) they present. An inquiry about volunteering might be assisted by including:

211: Are you thinking about providing practical help e.g. preparing food, or using particular skills you have? (If skills) Which skills would you like to use?

211: There is no Volunteer Centre in your area, but we can tell you about some organizations and programs that exist in your area or refer you to websites. Which would you like?

Finding organizations and programs that exist in caller area:

211: I will ask you some additional questions about your interest.

211: Do you have an idea of which organization you would like to volunteer with?

(If yes, make referral.)

If no,



211: Have you had a chance to think about the area (subsector) in which you would like to volunteer?

Prompts:

□ With animals

□ In the arts

□ With children

□ With people who are developmentally delayed

□ In emergency services

□ In the environmental area

□ With people who are homeless

□ In mental health

□ With refugees

□ With seniors

□ In sports

□ With youth

(With this information the CIRS searches the database, and the virtual library if it includes organizations that are seeking volunteers.)

211: (Provides suitable contact information or goes to agency websites to see if there are volunteer opportunities or a volunteer link posted.)

211: (Coaches the caller to call/email organizations directly to find out if they have current volunteer opportunities.) Websites 211: Do you have access to a computer? If yes, 211: There are some websites that include questions for you to ask organizations before you begin volunteering, also some information for you to consider about what you hope to contribute and get out of volunteering. If websites:

A Volunteer Centre? Optional Actions

No

1. Referral to an online website of volunteer opportunities e.g. a regional site such as www.volunteerconnection.ca for Central East Region or a national site such as www.getinvolved.ca

□ If person has access to internet and can search themselves, provide URL

□ If person does not have access to internet – search on their behalf

2. Refer caller to volunteer resources and information website





2.6 Business Continuity and Emergency Response and Recovery

Checklists that raise some of the areas for consideration of the two phases, business continuity and emergency response and recovery, follow6

(i) Emergency Operations and Business Contingency plan

:

Background

• This applies to 211 Centres and Volunteer Centres.

• The work to meet this standard which requires 211 Centres to be able to carry on basic services, is ongoing.

• This foundation should be in place to be able to assist others.

Considerations

□ A written plan that starts by identifying types of disasters: flood, fire, tornado, terrorist attack, chemical spill, pandemic, earthquake, power outages, medical emergencies, bomb threats, radiological threats, workplace violence etc internally and externally. Consider (i) history: types of emergencies that have occurred in the community, at your facility, or nearby? (ii) Geography: what can happen as a result of the location? (e.g., proximity to: flood-prone areas; hazardous material production, storage or use; major transportation routes; power plants, etc.) (iii) Human Error: what emergencies might be caused by employees? And (iv) physical: what types of emergencies could result from the design or construction of the facility?

□ Evacuation procedures designate exits, specify an assembly area, include provisions for ensuring that everyone has left the building, provide for damage assessment, and include instructions for shutting off gas, electricity and water when necessary. Also special arrangements for helping staff or visitors with a disability exit the building.

6 Sources include the AIRS Standards for Professional Information and Referral and Quality Indicators, Version 6 Revised January 2009, published by: Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, http://www.airs.org/files/public/AIRS_Standards_6_0Final.pdf. The source of the Business Continuity Planning Process figure is www.business.qld.gov.au/documents/business_continuity_plan_template.doc

http://www.airs.org/files/public/AIRS_Standards_6_0Final.pdf�

http://www.business.qld.gov.au/documents/business_continuity_plan_template.doc�



□ Communication plan before, during and after disaster (communication out and in for people to report on well being).

□ Roles, responsibilities and leadership before, during and after incident.

□ Emergency contact list. □ Telephone call tree.

□ Critical suppliers and emergency services list.

□ Alternative plan if building is unusable, back up plans re technology etc. □ Ability to carry on basic services or MOU to continue relocated off site– in either

case consideration for space to accommodate new people in appropriate conditions.

□ Family and individual preparedness so that staff can focus on organization and community knowing their families are prepared.

□ Emergency kits.

□ First aid and CPR training for staff.

□ Plan to recover and maintain service. □ Regular emergency drills including:

individual roles and responsibilities information about threats, hazards, and protective actions notification, warning and communications procedures means for locating staff and family members emergency response procedures evacuation, shelter, and accountability procedures location and use of common emergency equipment emergency shutdown procedures.

(ii) Becoming Part of the Community’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Network

Background

Organizations that are part of a community’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Network will need to:

• Understand the command and control structure within their jurisdiction and their organization’s role and that of other organizations in the response, relief and recovery phases of a disaster.



• Have formal agreements with government and other emergency operations and relief

agencies.

• Participate in community meetings that address plans for disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, relief and recovery.

It is anticipated that 211 will be the number to call for non-emergency aspects of response and recovery. 211 Centres are expected to:

□ Develop, maintain, and/or use an accurate, up-to-date computerized resource database that contains information about available community resources that provide services in times of disaster. (More details in AIRS standard #19)

□ Provide information and referral services to the community during (when

appropriate) and following a disaster or other emergency. (More details in AIRS standard #20)

□ Track inquirer requests for service and referrals and be prepared to produce reports

regarding requests for disaster-related services and referral activity. (More details in AIRS standard #21)

□ Have technology in place that facilitates the ability to maintain service delivery

during times of disaster or a localized emergency (including uninterruptable power supply. (More details in AIRS standard #22)

□ Train staff on emergency operations and business expectations and provide

ongoing training at least annually. (More details in AIRS standard #23)

Volunteer centres could:

□ Assist with management of volunteers by providing access to managers of volunteers.

□ Provide information about volunteer screening procedures.

□ Identify organizations that require volunteers to have to have specific skill sets or training e.g. first aid, CPR, counselling, child care, etc.

□ Provide information and training in related areas such as business continuity planning for non-profit organizations and emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.

□ Support volunteer recruitment and assignment.



2.7 211 Regions and Volunteer Centres

211 Centre and Volunteer Centre Mapping - June 2011

211 Region (N=8)

211 Service Provider

Region/ County/District/ Municipality (N=48)

Region/County/ Municipality

population (2006)Volunteer Centres in each area (N=26)

Bruce 65,349Grey 92,411

Simcoe 422,204

Contact South Simcoe Community Information Centre and Volunteer South Simcoe (Alliston) Information OrilliaVolunteer Services, Community Link North Simcoe, Midland

Kawartha Lakes 74,561Peterborough 133,080Parry Sound 40,918Muskoka 57,563Northumberland 80,963Haliburton 16,147Huron 59,325Perth 74,344 Volunteers in PerthCity of Toronto 2,503,281 Volunteer TorontoYork Region 892,712 Information Markham and Volunteer Centre

Yorkinfo Community Information and Volunteer CentreDurham Region 561,258

City of Hamilton 504,559 Volunteer HamiltonVolunteer Flamborough

Niagara Region 427,421 Information Niagara and Volunteer Connections, St CatharinesBrant 125,099 City of Brant/United WayHaldimand-Norfolk 107,812

Volunteer Action Centre of K-W and Area, KitchenerUnited Way of Cambridge/Volunteer Cambridge

Wellington CountyCity of Guelph

200,425 Volunteer Centre of Guelph, Wellington

Halton Region (popn: 439,256)

Regional Municipality of Halton, (Burlington)

Halton Regional Municipality

439,256 Volunteer Halton, (Community Development Halton) Burlington

Regional Municipality of Peel

1,159,405 Volunteer MBC, (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Mississauga

Dufferin 54,436

Renfrew County 97,545City of Ottawa 812,129 Volunteer OttawaPrescott and Russell 80,184Frontenac 143,865 United Way of KingstonLanark 63,785Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry

110,399

Lennox & Addington 40,542Hastings 130,474 Volunteer and Information Quinte, BellevilleLeeds & Grenville 99,206 Volunteer Bureau of Leeds and Grenville, BrockvillePrince Edward 25,496Kenora 64,419Rainy River 21,564Thunder Bay 149,063 Volunteer Thunder BayCochrane 82,503Algoma 117,461 Volunteer Sault Sainte MarieSudbury 157,857 Volunteer SudburyTimiskaming 33,283Manitoulin 13,090Nipissing 84,688Windsor-Essex 393,402 United Way of Windsor Essex County, WindsorOxford 102,756Elgin 85,351Middlesex (London) 422,333 Pillar Nonprofit Network, LondonLambton (Sarnia) 128,204Chatham-Kent 108,589 United Way of Chatham-Kent

Lakehead Social Planning Council, (Thunder Bay)

City of Windsor

Northern Region (popn: 723,928)

South West Region (popn: 1,240,635)

Waterloo Regional Municipality 478,121

Central South/Central West Region (popn: 1,843,437)

Community Connection, (Collingwood)

Region of Peel, (Brampton)

Community Information Centre, (Ottawa)

Findhelp Information Services, (Toronto)

Information Niagara, (St Catharines)

Central Eastern Region (popn: 1,116,865)

Central Ontario Region (popn: 3,957,251)

Dufferin Peel Region (popn: 1,213,841)

Eastern Region (popn: 1,578,129)



2.8 Online Volunteer Resources

A single (or limited number) of online repositories of resources on volunteering would help potential volunteers to clarify their own passion and motivation and hence increase the chance of their success as a volunteer. A single site would prevent all Volunteer Centres having to maintain such information. It would also be a resource for the Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) answering 211 calls.

The kind of information should include resources:

• To help potential volunteers understand their passion, skills, gifts and their goals for volunteering.

• Steps to take in how to volunteer, bringing a resume, intake processes, screening etc.

• Addressing “Can I volunteer today or do I need to set up an interview?”

• Describing the roles of a Volunteer Centre.

• What a police records check is and when and why it is needed

• About TB tests for health volunteers

• Information on accessibility training associated with the Ontario Disability Act

• For managers of volunteers about support and training.

• For managers of volunteers on how to recognize the potential volunteer’s skills and listen to what the volunteer wants and needs.

• To assist agencies with planning the utilization of volunteers, including when and where they are needed and how they will be trained, supported and recognized.

211 and Volunteer Centre Services Report and Toolkit - June 2011

Education

volunteer centres report

project collaborative

collaborative project

project managerthis

volunteer centres tocontinue

volunteer centre participants

project goal

project hasbeen