Right, so I started painting those again.
I'm running out of the one paint.
I thought maybe I'll use the darker one now and break it up a bit with that one.
It's not much different.
I don't know where is the wall, to be honest, because it just looks so streaky.
It's had about three or four coats now, some of it.
Well, there we are.
It's up there now anyway.
So again, lots of people are asking about being volunteers.
You can volunteer with us.
We're quite flexible.
We do 75% discount for volunteers on most items.
There's only a few that I ring fence.
And we have unlimited breaks and we supply free tea and coffee and snacks.
So, if you're going to work with us, and if you're a customer as well, because obviously we've got a chap that was shoplifting going through our rubbish last week, we don't really want him as a customer.
So if you're a customer and you've got any criminal convictions pending or specified by social services, that you're not allowed around children unsupervised or vulnerable adults or vulnerable women or vulnerable groups of people, then we don't want you in as a customer either.
We do have children on the premises on a regular basis.
And obviously, you know, being an aspiring children's charity, it's not just one or two.
It's not like, you know, you'd bump into children in Asda's, but this is a designated aspiring children's charity.
So children are going to be on the premises.
So if you're a volunteer, you're going to need an enhanced rolling DBS check.
Now, they are £12 a year, I believe.
If you're working for us, we will reimburse you for that.
But if your DBS comes back, it has to be an enhanced one because you're working with children.
And if you've changed your name by deed poll, I need to know.
And I also need to know if you've got any criminal convictions pending.
Well, we'll know anyway, because it's a rolling DBS.
So you can access it any time of the year, you know, because obviously we need to protect the children that's on the premises.
And it's inevitable that there's going to be children on the premises.
Now this, obviously I'm updating this because yesterday we had a conversation with the police who came out to take some more statements.
Probably got a filing cabinet now in the police station.
Well, in each police station.
And they have agreed that because there is children on the three of our premises that they need to increase the police presence while these dickheads are about, basically.
Because obviously they need to protect children by law and vulnerable groups.
And vulnerable women.
And pregnant women.
And people in general.
So they are going to increase police presence at our three locations.
So I'm very pleased with that.
And there's also, they've put flags up on our business name.
You know, aspiring charity name.
That when the calls come in, or if there's any statements made, then they are to cross reference with other counties.
And they are also to look into previous history.
Because some people just get in the way with a slap on the wrist with staff.
So I think the police are starting to have enough now to being called all the time.
And to be honest, they should have put this in force in the first place.
They would if it was a school.
They would if it was a children's dance center or if it was something like that.
This is a specific children's aspiring charity.
Once we get our charity number, then we will be a charity.
So it is inevitable that they will be children outside the premises, inside the premises.
And under 18, so older children and younger people.
So you would need a rolling DBS.
But also if you have had your children removed from you, then I will need social services to contact me before you can, even if you have a clean DBS, right?
I will still need social services to contact me.
If your children are on the at-risk register, I need that information and I need to speak to your social workers.
Because if you have physically abused a child in your care and your child is on the at-risk register and they are investigating it and not saying you have, but if they are investigating it and you could be 100% innocent, it does happen.
But you could potentially injure another child emotionally while you're on the premises of being a volunteer.
So as a business owner, somebody who has worked in business a very long time, somebody who has worked in education for a very long time, and somebody who has worked in the health profession for, well, a long time, because I was a classroom assistant for a long time,
and obviously with my nursing training and having a degree as well, then I am specifying that you need this and I will not take you on.
And social workers have a duty of care to provide me with that information.
So if there's a social worker sat out there going, oh no, no, no, no, no, you can't do that under the Equality Act.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can, because I'm safeguarding children.
And I know that from a legal standpoint.
So any social workers out there, if you are aware that I were volunteers, children are on the at-risk register or child in need, then you also have a duty of care to inform me.
So I'll just put that one out.
And another one is that I've had somebody who wants, we've had a couple of people who wants to volunteer that have social workers for whatever reason.
So they're adults, either vulnerable adults or their adults with learning difficulties or things like that.
Now, if you have a social worker, then your social worker needs to arrange to either be present while you're volunteering, because we can't look after you.
OK, we are here to run a business.
I'm here to run a business.
OK, and I haven't got time to look after anybody's health and social well-being with additional needs.
Now, as an employer, I have to do it.
But if you've got additional needs and you're under a social worker, your social worker needs to arrange a support worker to come in to volunteer with you.
They need to arrange your rolling DBS.
They need to pay for that, not me.
And they are a support worker or a carer.
I mean, you could be somebody who has physical needs and only need a carer three times a day.
OK, because if you're having carer in the house three times a day, then you're going to need to have your carers who are going to need to come to the shop to take care of you.
OK, our staff can't do that.
And we also have ever vulnerable staff working for us that are not qualified for your care needs.
OK, now I am, but I mail myself.
So as a reasonable adjustment for myself, I think that I'm well within my right to specify that if you need additional needs and you need to have one to one support when you're on the premises.
And that also includes social workers making sure as your service user and their client, making sure that they make sure you get to the premises and go home from the premises safely.
So just for you to be aware, because we had somebody come in this week to say, So when my son asked could he volunteer, the social worker needed to do this.
And I said, yeah, yeah, they do, because they need to let Pip know.
You know, there's a million things that the social worker needs to do.
Social worker can't just say yes, so and so can go and volunteer there.
No, they can't.
Yeah.
So while it's my job as an employer, because I'm still an employee, even if you're a volunteer, to make reasonable adjustments, that's fine.
I can make loads of reasonable adjustments.
I mean, crumbs, I've been lying down here with my head on the pads painting because that's the reasonable adjustment I need painting sideways like this.
But if you are under a social worker, that social worker needs to deem the level of care that you need while you're in the building volunteering.
And they need to do that by law.
So just for you to be aware, if you want to volunteer, that's what we're going to be expecting from you.
And that's what we're going to be asking.
So and the same goes for any volunteers that's already in place.
If you know, you knowingly are aware that you've been charged with something or you've got something pending, you need to let me know.
All right.
So if you've gone out in your garden and your neighbors upset you and you've thrown a bucket of water over them and the police are investigating, you need to let us know because we've got children on the premises.
So that means that, you know, if you get charged for assault, for hitting somebody, throwing something at somebody, for example, yeah, then or harassment, we need to know.
Okay.
Because the children's safety is paramount.
I've got a rolling DBS, an enhanced one, and obviously there's nothing on mine.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to apply for something like this, would I?
So that's just to let everybody know about the volunteering.
While we can be as flexible as I can with volunteering.
So you don't have to say, oh, I'm coming in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
If you are a vulnerable adult, an adult with learning disabilities that has a social worker, then you will need to have a support worker or a carer with you or a social worker, depending on how they deem the level of care that you need while you're in the building,
then you also need to have a specified day.
Okay.
Because I need to make sure that either I'm in or there's a member of staff with relevant qualifications in to also protect you from our employer point of view.
So that is a reasonable adjustment that as an employer that I would specify.
So it's no good, for example, if you got learning difficulties, you come in Wednesday one week.
I know you're in the building.
So I'm present.
Somebody else is.
And then the following week, your care assistant says, oh, we do Thursday this week.
And don't tell me.
Okay, because we can't do that.
It needs to be on a specified day that we know that you're coming in.
So a lot of information, a lot of technical stuff there.
But it's what you what would be expected of you if you worked with children.
So if you were employed in a school, childminding, working in a soft play facility, I don't know if they've got an ice cream van.
I don't know if they DBS check.
Are ice cream van drivers?
Do they?
I think they should.
So if you were working anywhere with children, that is what would be expected.
And that is what I expect as an employer.
And then if you are volunteering for us and you are subsequently investigated and be charged with something or social services make recommendations that you're not allowed around children unsupervised, then obviously we can terminate your employment as a volunteer and your position as a volunteer.
And me paying for your DBS will be terminated at that you're rolling enhanced DBS.
Used to be £12 a year, I think that will be terminated at that point as well.
And I also reserve the right to suspend you from working if you are under investigation by the police for, I don't know, I reserve the right to suspend you from being a volunteer.
I think we've only actually got like two sacks or three sacks on record.
And one, well, one was suspended for a while because of the ways that she was talking to other volunteers.
And it wasn't the one everybody's thinking of because she was sacked instantly.
There was another one there was.
And then we've had to sack her.
So obviously on my record of volunteers, obviously that information is recorded as well.
So if you're suspended for any reason, it'll be recorded on my record.
Why?
And when you've been reinstated or if you've been dismissed as a volunteer.
And obviously if needed to and somebody official came in and asked me and I was asked to give official evidence, I would have to pass that evidence on to the relevant authorities because I, you know, I would need to fill in one of my incident forms as well and my risk assessments.
All right.
So the other thing is like if you've got complex needs, we need to do risk assessments before you come into the building.
So you can't just turn up and say I want to volunteer and volunteer on Monday while you're there because we need to do the risk assessments before you come in.
All right.
So give me a shout if anybody is thinking of volunteering.
You're not sure if you fall in that category or you're not sure about the procedures, et cetera.
So originally you will have to apply for your DBS and the data protection laws.
And then if we agree when your rolling DBS is available, if we agree to take you on as a volunteer, then I will pick up the yearly cost of that.
Basically is what it says or what I'm trying to convey there in a video.
So there we are.
Thanks, guys.
