Volunteer Guidelines and Agreement Form

Please read the guidelines below the form and then complete and submit the form. Take me to the guidelines.

Name*
First Middle Last
I would like to volunteer at Jewish Family and Children’s Services.*
- Agree
I have spoken to the Volunteer Manager about my role. I understand what is expected of me as a volunteer and I will comply with all policies and guidelines established by JFCS.*
- Agree
I have been fully informed of the agency’s policies regarding Confidentiality and Reporting of Abuse and Neglect. I agree to abide by those policies.*
- Agree
I agree that I will have regular communication with my Volunteer Manager and will update them about any changes to my volunteer placement.*
- Agree
I will consult with my Volunteer Manager before terminating my volunteer commitment with a client of JFCS.*
- Agree
As a JFCS volunteer, I understand that I am not to solicit any business for myself, my employer, or any company with which I have a business interest from any client that I have been connected with through JFCS.*
- Agree
I have read and understand the agreement below. I understand JFCS reporting procedures and will implement them as needed.*
- Agree

Purpose of JFCS Volunteer Services

Volunteering and Community Building are at the core of JFCS’ service priorities. By involving community members in meaningful volunteer programs—such as assisting the homebound or individuals with disabilities—JFCS works to strengthen the entire Jewish and wider Bay Area communities.

Volunteering also demonstrates Jewish principles in practice: community responsibility, inter-generational ties, and repairing the world. Volunteer programs enable children, adults, and families to bring these Jewish values to life through community service and Jewish service learning.

Finally, JFCS volunteers play an important role as the eyes and ears of the organization. Volunteers provide important feedback that helps JFCS tailor our services to address evolving needs and improve the lives of the individuals and families we serve.

General Guidelines for Volunteers

As a volunteer of JFCS, you are an important member of our agency family. While volunteering on behalf of JFCS, you represent our agency to our clients and community. We ask that you read the following, and agree that you will follow these guidelines in your work with us.

Keep in regular communication with your volunteer manager. It is very important that you provide us with feedback on your volunteer experience, and that your JFCS Volunteer Manager is informed on a regular basis about your volunteer experience and that your Volunteer Manager is informed on a regular basis about your work. While your volunteering schedule will be flexible around your availability, if you commit to a volunteer visit or activity, know that we are counting on you to be there. Please let your volunteer manager know ahead of time if anything changes.
Please be sensitive when entering the home and life of a client. If your volunteer assignment involves working directly with JFCS clients, you will receive training prior to an assignment. Please follow the guidelines of the specific program to which you are assigned. Your involvement with the client should be limited to the volunteer role you have taken on. Keep your JFCS Volunteer Manager informed of any changes in the client’s situation or any concerns that you have. Remember that there are sometimes limits on what we can do to help a particular client.
Under no circumstances should volunteers give professional, legal, or medical advice to clients or their family unless this is specified in your volunteer job description. Nor should volunteers be involved with any personal care (bathing or toileting), medical procedures (administering medication, dressing wounds), driving clients or financial matters (bill paying, banking, investments). Keeping these boundaries is very important and helps to protect our clients and volunteers. Please let us know if you have any questions about this.

Confidentiality

JFCS holds our employees and volunteers to the highest standards of confidentiality. There are multiple state and federal laws that govern confidentiality of clients. Failure to maintain client information as confidential is considered a violation of privacy.

Volunteers are acting on behalf of JFCS and are therefore subject to the same requirements and laws regarding confidentiality as employed staff.

Confidential information includes:

The fact that a person is or has been a client of JFCS is that means that you should not tell anyone the names of clients at JFCS, including the names of any clients you work with, or share anything about the client, their problems, or the services they receive at JFCS with anyone aside from directly involved JFCS staff. This includes information given to you by the client, JFCS staff, or others.

Confidentiality does NOT include:

Suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or intent to physically harm another. The JFCS Volunteer Manager should be called immediately if you have any concerns along these lines. Our agency is a mandated reporter and must follow all regulations regarding supporting suspected abuse.
Intent to harm self.

Basic principles of confidentiality:

You are acting as an agency representative, and all information divulged by the client to an agency representative is held in the strictest of confidence. You cannot keep information shared with you by a client a “secret.” If a client asks to tell you something in confidence, you need to let them know that, as a representative of JFCS, you are obligated to communicate information shared with your JFCS Volunteer Manager if warranted due to any concerns about the client’s well-being.

You cannot communicate confidential information to anyone outside of JFCS. This includes the family and friends of the client.

Breach of confidentiality is sufficient grounds for termination of your volunteer relationship to JFCS and its clients.

Emergency Procedures

The 911 number can be used to call ambulances, fire, or police services. If you think an emergency exists call 911. Once you call 911, notify your JFCS Volunteer Manager.

Reporting of Child, Elder, or Dependent Adult Abuse or Neglect

Information disclosed by your client is confidential and will not be released to an outside agency or an individual without the client’s consent. JFCS and the State of California consider failure to maintain confidentiality of client information—including meetings with JFCS staff and representatives and any records kept by JFCS regarding contacts with a client—a violation of privacy.

However, there are several instances in which JFCS staff and volunteers are required by state law to disclose client information, specifically to report suspected elder or child abuse/neglect, homicidal threats against others, or suicidal intentions.

Types of Elder Adult Abuse

Abuse by Others: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, abduction, isolation, domestic violence, emotional or psychological abuse.

Self–Inflicted Abuse: Self-neglect includes behavior which threatens the elder’s own health or safety such as failure to provide themselves with adequate food, clothing, shelter, medication, or not taking proper safety precautions.

“No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.”—Unknown

Types of Child Abuse

Physical injury inflicted by other than accidental means, sexual abuse including sexual assault and sexual exploitation, willful cruelty or unjustifiable punishment, corporal punishment or injury that is willfully inflicted and resulting in a traumatic condition, neglect of a child if the perpetrator is a person responsible for the child’s welfare.

If your client reports to you that he or she has been abused or neglected, or you observe anything in the home that you believe constitutes abuse, call your JFCS Volunteer Manager immediately. If you are unable to reach a Volunteer Manager, call his/her supervisor at Jewish Family and Children’s Services. If you feel you client is in immediate danger, call 911 without delay.

Acceptance of Gifts

In general, JFCS agency policy prohibits volunteers or employers from accepting gifts of value, or money in any amount, or bequests of any kind from a client. If offered, the volunteer should immediately contact their Volunteer Manager.

Your Support of JFCS

JFCS could not do our work without the thousands of volunteer hours and financial support contributed by our volunteers and other donors. THANK YOU for joining our JFCS volunteer family and for your support!