Handbook Revision, October 2016
This revision of the Volunteer and Community Engagement Policy Handbook was published on October 1, 2016. Summaries of new or revised items are provided below.
Revision of the entire Volunteer and Community Engagement Policy Handbook
The entire handbook has been revised. Changes include:
• A more encompassing introductory 1000 section, including definitions of common OVCE terms.
• Separating out background check information into its own section (7000).
• Appendix I: no changes to content, but the name was changed from “Donations Policy” to “Donations Procedures” to clarify the purpose of this appendix as providing supplementary details on securing donations and maintaining required documentation.
• Appendix II: deleted.
The new sections include:
1000 Office of Volunteer and Community Engagement Overview
1100 OVCE Resources
1200 Definitions
1300 OVCE Structure
1310 APS and CPS Regional/District Community Engagement Specialists
1320 Regional/District Directors and Program Administrators
1330 All DFPS Employees
1400 Protecting Client Confidentiality
1500 Ensuring Client Safety
1600 Legal Requirements for Volunteer Programs
1700 Equal Opportunity for Volunteers
2000 Policy Governing Resource Rooms
2100 DFPS Resource Room Staff
2110 When a Resource Room Has No Dedicated Staff
2200 Approved Resource Room Inventory Systems
2300 Requesting and Obtaining Gift Cards in Resource Rooms
2310 Tracking and Documentation of Gift Cards
2311 Retention of Gift Card Documentation
2400 Initiating a Resource Room
2500 On-Site Resource Rooms
2600 Reconciliation of Resource Room Records
3000 Stakeholder Relations
3100 Memorandums of Understanding
3200 Advisory Committees and Informal Workgroups
3210 Establishing an Advisory Committee or Informal Workgroup
3220 Determining the Need for an Advisory Committee
3230 Convening a Workgroup for Stakeholder Input
3240 Commissioner Approval for Establishment of an Advisory Committee
4000 Acceptance and Use of Donations
4100 Prohibition Against Soliciting on Behalf of DFPS, its Programs, or Employees
4200 Permissible Solicitation on Behalf of DFPS Clients
4210 Handling Monetary and In-Kind Donations
4211 Monetary Donations
4212 In-Kind (Non-Monetary) Donations
4220 Use of Retail or Other Gift Cards
4221 Access to Gift Cards
4300 Securing Meeting Space
4400 Donations from Contractors, Vendors, or Licensees
5000 DFPS Volunteer Policy
5100 Court Ordered Community Service Volunteers
5200 Volunteer Groups
5210 Ongoing Collaborative Group Efforts
5300 Types of Services Performed by Volunteers
5310 Types of Services Not Appropriate for Volunteers
5400 Inquiries From Potential Volunteers
5500 Arranging Interviews for Suitable Candidates
5510 Information to Be Provided to the Volunteer During the Interview
5600 Processing Volunteer Paperwork
5700 Volunteer Training
5800 Granting Computer Access to Volunteers
5810 Move, Add, or Remove Change Request
5820 Use of IMPACT by Volunteers
5900 Approving Volunteers to Transport Clients
5910 Prerequisites to Transporting Clients on Behalf of DFPS
5920 When a Driver Record Check Cannot Be Obtained
6000 Interns and Youth Volunteers
6100 Student Interns
6110 Recruitment of Student Interns
6120 Placement Requirements for Student Interns
6200 Youth Volunteers
6210 Supervision of Youth Volunteers
6220 Volunteer Youth Groups
7000 Background Check Procedures
7100 Unsatisfactory Background Check Results
7110 Volunteers with Previous DFPS Case Histories
7120 Volunteers with Current DFPS Cases
7130 Questionable Background Checks
7200 Background Check Restrictions and Exceptions
7210 Background Checks for Employees of Donating Vendors
7300 Background Checks for County Appointed Child Welfare Boards (CWBs)
7400 Background Checks for Adult Protective Services Boards
7500 Confidential and Sensitive Information
8000 Responsibilities of Volunteers and Volunteer Supervisors
8100 Dispute Resolution
8200 Attendance Policy
8300 Personal Use of State Property
8400 Reimbursement of Expenses
8410 Reimbursement Procedures
8500 Liability, DFPS Responsibility, and Immunity
8510 Liability and DFPS Responsibility
8520 Immunity from Civil Liability for Good Faith Actions
8530 Insurance and Accident Reporting
8540 Reporting Accidents
8541 Notification of Intent to Sue
8600 Driving
Appendix I: Donations Procedures
_____________________________________________________________
For reference, the old version of the handbook had these sections:
Section 1000
1000 Community Partner Relations
1100 Community-Based Groups and Other Partnerships
1110 Formal Partnership Agreements
1120 Protecting Client Confidentiality
1130 Ensuring Client Safety
1140 Roles of DFPS Staff and External Partners
1141 DFPS Staff Service on Community Partner Committees and Boards
1142 Dual Employment Policy
1200 Use of Community Resources
1210 Staff Expenditure of Personal Funds
1300 Emergency Resource Rooms (ERRs)
1310 Protocol for the DFPS Relationship With ERRs
1311 Dedicated Resource Room Staff
1312 Initiating an ERR
1313 Approved Inventory Systems
1400 Use of Credit Cards Prohibited
1500 Use of Retail or Other Gift Cards
1510 Access to Gift Cards
1520 Requesting and Obtaining Gift Cards
1530 Tracking and Documentation
1540 Reconciliation
1550 Donations of Gift Cards by the General Public
Section 2000
2000 Acceptance and Use of Donations
2100 Donations of Cash, Goods, or Services
2110 Prohibition Against Soliciting on Behalf of DFPS, its Programs, or Employees
2120 Permissible Solicitation on Behalf of DFPS Clients
2130 Handling Monetary and In-Kind Donations
2131 Monetary Donations
2132 In-Kind (Non-Monetary) Donations
2140 Securing Meeting Space
2150 Donations from Contractors, Vendors, or Licensees
2160 Entities and Organizations That Also Operate CCL-Regulated Child Care Operations
2200 Use of State Resources to Support Charitable Activities
2210 Supporting Volunteers and Charitable Activities
2211 Facilities, Supplies, and Services
2212 Laptops, Cell Phones, and Pagers
2213 Vehicles
2214 Appreciation Events
2215 Reimbursement
2216 State Contracts
2220 Use of State Time for Charitable Activities
Section 3000
3000 Legal Basis for Involvement of Volunteers
3100 Provisions in the Texas Government Code
3200 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
3300 Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
Section 4000
4000 Roles of Volunteers and DFPS Staff
4100 Definition of a Volunteer
4110 Types of Services Performed by Volunteers
4120 Types of Services Not Appropriate for Volunteers
4200 Volunteer Resource Development
4300 Role of Executive Staff
4400 Role of Office of Volunteer and Community Engagement
4410 Office of Volunteer and Community Engagement Staff
4500 Role of Program (APS and CPS) State Office Community Engagement Specialists
4510 APS and CPS Regional Community Initiative Specialists
4600 Role of Regional Management
4700 Role of Volunteer Supervisor
4800 Role of Volunteer Liaison
4900 Role of Staff
Section 5000
5000 Volunteer Management
5100 Volunteer Resource Planning and Job Development
5110 Establishing a Volunteer Resource Plan and Job Descriptions
5200 Recruitment and Interviewing
5210 Recruitment: Motivation and Mobilization
5220 Handling Inquiries From Volunteers
5230 Arranging Interviews for Suitable Candidates
5231 Information to Be Provided to the Volunteer During the Interview
5232 Interviewing Techniques
5300 Determining Appropriate Volunteer Placement
5310 Motivation as a Placement Indicator
5320 Volunteer Training
Section 6000
6000 Volunteer Applications and Processing: Overview of DFPS Requirements
6100 Working With Specific Types of Volunteers
6110 Student Interns
6120 Youth Volunteers
6130 Court Ordered Community Service Volunteers
6200 Volunteer Groups
6300 Qualification Levels
6310 Volunteers With Direct Access
6320 Volunteers With No Direct Access
6400 Background Checks
6410 Background Check Procedures
6420 Unsatisfactory Background Check Results
6421 Volunteers With Previous DFPS Case Histories
6422 Volunteers With Current DFPS Cases
6423 Relaying Unsatisfactory Results
6430 Background Check Restrictions and Exceptions
6440 Background Checks for Employees of Donating Vendors
6450 Background Checks for County Appointed Child Welfare Boards (CWBs)
6460 Background Checks for Adult Protective Services Boards
6500 Confidential and Sensitive Information
6600 Granting Computer Access to Volunteers
6610 Appropriate Use, Confidentiality, and Prohibitions
6611 Criteria for Computer Access
6612 Move/Add/Remove Change Request
6613 Use of IMPACT by Volunteers
6614 Sign-On Requirements
6615 Volunteers Who Receive Benefits or Have Relatives Who Do
6620 Security Related Training and Computer Use
6700 Building Security
6710 Identification
6720 After-Hours Access to DFPS Sites
6800 Transporting Clients
6810 Prerequisites to Transporting Clients on Behalf of DFPS
6811 Supervisory Responsibilities
6812 When a Driving Record Check Cannot Be Obtained
6900 Tuberculosis Testing
Section 7000
7000 Responsibilities and Rights of Volunteers
7100 Orientation
7200 Rights of Volunteers
7300 Americans With Disabilities Act Guidelines
7400 Attendance Policy
7500 Personal Use of State Property
7600 Reimbursement of Expenses
7700 Liability, Agency Responsibility, and Immunity
7710 Liability and Agency Responsibility
7720 Immunity From Civil Liability for Good Faith Actions
7730 Insurance and Accident Reporting
7731 Types of Insurance and Eligibility
7731.1 Excess Accident Medical Coverage
7731.2 Excess Volunteer Liability
7731.3 Excess Auto Liability Coverage
7732 Central Volunteer Roster
7733 Termination of an Insured Volunteer’s Service
7734 Reporting Accidents
7734.1 Notification of Intent to Sue
Section 8000
8000 Supervision of Volunteers
8100 Staff Training in Volunteer Management
8110 Designated Volunteer Supervisors
8200 Maintaining Required Documentation
8210 Personnel Files
8211 Staff Who Are Responsible for Files
8212 Required Content of Personnel Files
8220 Documentation of Volunteer Involvement With Clients
8230 Use of the Automated Volunteer Tracking System
8300 Evaluation of Volunteers
8310 Evaluation Requirement
8320 Dealing With Difficulties and Improving Performance
8321 Requirement to Address Volunteer Performance Problems
8400 Recognition of Volunteers and Staff
8410 Personalizing Volunteer Recognition
8420 Monetary Value of Awards
8430 Recognizing Staff’s Role in Volunteer Programs
8500 Resignations
8600 Dismissals and Follow-up
8610 Possible Alternatives to Dismissal
8620 Required Actions for Dismissals of Volunteers
8621 Grounds for Termination
8622 Extreme Circumstances
Appendices
Appendix I: Donations Policy
Appendix II: Community Engagement at DFPS
Appendix II-A: Community Engagement at DFPS
Appendix II-B: Stakeholder Involvement
Appendix II-C: Internal Coordination and Communication
Appendix II-D: Communications Plan
Appendix II-E: Planning for Success and Sustainability
Appendix II-F: Staff Training for Community Engagement Success
Appendix II-G: Staff Roles and Responsibilities