CLDSC Member Bulletin – 02 June 2021

VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK SPECIAL EDITION

Welcome to our special edition of the CLDSC Member Bulletin – dedicated to CLD volunteers across Scotland.  The theme of this year’s Volunteers’ Week Scotland is Thank You.  Here at CLD Standards Council, we recognise and appreciate the contribution volunteers make to CLD practice and this bulletin is all about you and the people who support you to make such a difference in communities.  Thank you!

Thank You from Dr Marion Allison, Director CLD Standards Council

Volunteers week is here! What better way to acknowledge the tremendous contribution that our CLD volunteers make to the young people, learners and communities of Scotland?  Week in, week out, in all kinds of weathers our CLD volunteers selflessly give their time, skills, knowledge and friendship to others. Volunteers are the life blood of the CLD profession – what often starts off as a bid to help ends in a full blown career with people often telling us that they are amazed that they can get paid to do work that is nothing less than a vocation. At the CLD Standards Council we are delighted that our CLD volunteers are active members – helping to shape and support communities across the country. We are truly grateful for all that you do and would like to say a huge big thank you to each and every one of you! 

CLDSC Membership open to volunteer CLD practitioners

Volunteers who practise CLD can apply to become Associate members of the CLD Standards Council.

There are lots of benefits of CLDSC registration for volunteers – 

  • Networking – Many CLD volunteers operate with minimal contact with qualified CLD practitioners and would welcome the opportunities for networking afforded by CLDSC through the CLD Regional Networks, events and conferences, as well as virtual networking through the i-develop website.
  • Helping volunteers make more of a difference – Many volunteers not only say they enjoy what they are doing, they say they want to do it well and make as much difference as they can. The range of learning opportunities available to members can help them do this.
  • A pathway to paid work – A lot of CLD workers started out as a volunteers and got the bug.  Lots of volunteers also use their CLD practice to enhance their CV and find that the CLD competencies are transferrable to other fields of work too. 

How to become an Associate Member of CLDSC

  • Complete a short application form – you can apply online.
  • Associate membership does NOT require a formal qualification.
  • Demonstrate the values, principles, competences, Code of Ethics and commitment to continuing professional learning that underpin the sector. 
  • Commit to complete the required hours of professional learning each year. This is pro rata based on volunteer hours. So, for example, 6 hours volunteering a week would equal 6 hours a year professional learning.
  • Find a referee who can confirm their volunteering experience, suitability and commitment to the principles. 

So if you work with volunteers who you think could meet the requirements why not suggest Associate membership to them?

Read about other volunteers stories and becoming an Associate member on i-develop.

CLDSC Standards Mark 

To support and recognise the fabulous work that is undertaken by CLD volunteers (and staff too!), we are able to offer the organisation you work/volunteer with an opportunity to have your CLD Professional Learning quality assured by the CLDSC. The Standards Mark process looks at the whole range of CLD professional learning opportunities offered by the organisation, not one specific programme, as well as the learning culture of the organisation.

The Standards Mark nurtures a culture of learning in our sector so that individual practitioners’ engagement with CLD professional learning can contribute to the development of the whole CLD profession. This demonstrates and enhances commitment to a culture of learning underpinned by the values and competences of CLD and commitment to our Code of Ethics.

  • Learning is celebrated, recognised and encouraged
  • Learning is reflected on and shared
  • Individuals can explore learning related to their role in volunteering and possibly continue onto a career in CLD. 

Go on, ask your organisation if they have CLDSC Standards Mark Approval. Encourage them to recognise the good stuff that you do and the great CLD Professional Learning they offer.  Give them this link to more information on Standards Mark approval. 

Or, you could encourage them to sign up to a 2 hour virtual support event on one of the dates below to find out more about achieving CLDSC Standards Mark Approval:

  • 15 June 2021            11:00 to 13:00
  • 21 June 2021            14:00 to 16:00
  • 29 June 2021            15:00 to 17:00

Sign up for the support events on Eventbrite. 

For more details and information on Standards Mark, contact Susie Bisset at susan.bisset@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.

i-develop volunteer resources

Did you know we have dedicated spaces on i-develop for volunteers and volunteering? The Volunteering in CLD pages are designed to be used by CLD volunteers themselves as well as those who deploy and support them.  There is a section with general guidance on deploying volunteers, and information and guidance specific to CLD volunteers contributed by colleagues across the sector.  You’ll also find some research information too.

If you’re particularly interested in volunteering in ESOL, there’s a separate page for that with Discussion Fora for volunteers and volunteer coordinators, as well as links to resources on volunteer recruitment, policies, the Framework for Good Practice in Working with Volunteers in ESOL and lots more. 

Volunteer Spotlights

To kickstart the volunteer spotlights, we thought we’d highlight some of the volunteering work that staff in CLD Standards Council and Education Scotland CLD Team undertake.  Check out the #BecauseOfCLD hashtag! 

So many CLD volunteers contribute to and support their communities.  If you know a volunteer you’d like to showcase, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk so we can do a CLD Volunteer Practitioner Spotlight feature on our website.

CLD Volunteers Get Connected

If you want to chat with fellow volunteers, we’ve got a few options available!  

  1. Post a question or comment in the Volunteer Discussion Forum on i-develop
  2. Post a comment or share a resource in the CPD Discussion Forum on i-develop
  3. Join our Slack workspace for messages on desktop, tablet or mobile app.  

Email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk for the joining link.

#CLDVolunteers2021 Virtual Wave

Thanks to everyone who has already pinned their activity, group, resource or good old-fashioned “Thank you’s” to our Virtual Wave Padlet.  So good to see so much going on across all parts of Scotland!  There’s still time to add your pins as we’ll keep #CLDVirtualWave going until the end of Volunteers’ Week, so please join in! 

Education Scotland CLD Team Blog 

Don’t forget to have a look at the Education Scotland CLD Team’s blog for links to Volunteers Week information and much more!