The Fourth Wheel Part 2: Legal foundations and Volunteer Safety

• The organisation is always fully responsible if a volunteer acts on its behalf.
• A volunteer may be held partly responsible if they deliberately breach instructions.
• Any task that requires medical expertise—such as lifting patients, administering medication, or performing care procedures—is strictly beyond the scope of the volunteer.
• Every action a volunteer takes must be approved, clarified, and recorded.

• A volunteer application form is the first step in assessing motivation, skills, and personal boundaries.
• A volunteer agreement outlines the roles, duration, and responsibilities of both the volunteer and the organisation.
• A code of ethics is a clear guide on boundaries, respect, and confidentiality.
• Volunteer policy and regulations—specify who is accepted, when, and under whose supervision.
• Consent for the processing of personal data (including photographs and biometric data).
• A training logbook is legal proof that the volunteer has received proper instruction.
• Safety checklists and quick guides serve as clear, visual reminders of what is and isn’t allowed.

• A volunteer is neither a patient’s friend nor a family member.
• Contact with a family following a patient’s death is only made at the family’s request and with organisational approval.
• Volunteers do not discuss their personal experiences or emotional struggles with patients.
• The coordinator must observe volunteers’ emotional well-being and organise supervision when necessary.

Each volunteer must complete:

• Sanitary and hygiene education.
• Safety and emergency training.
• Confidentiality and ethics briefing.
• Health clearance (medical records, chest X-ray, certificates from psychiatrist and addiction specialist).

The organisation must:

• Oversee all visits via the coordinator.
• Prevent unauthorised and unsupervised visits.
• Maintain an emergency evacuation plan and protocols.

• Begin with a basic document package (application, agreement, code of ethics).
• Conduct mandatory orientation and record it in the training logbook.
• Appoint a volunteer coordinator as the link between staff and volunteers.
• Gradually add additional policies and documents.
• Establish psychological support and supervision.
• Develop clear scenarios and action plans for everyday and critical situations.

• Transparency, respect, safety, humanity.
• Volunteers are essential to the team, but they have distinct roles and responsibilities.
• Policies and procedures are not bureaucracy; they represent a way of showing care for everyone involved