Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022-2023 - Flipbook - Page 16
To address the issues experienced in 2021-22 with our
e-learning platform, a new platform was implemented
during 2022-23, named TREE (train, read, educate,
enable). TREE went live on 31 March 2023.
Safeguarding remained a key priority for the organisation
with the Safeguarding Advisory Group meeting on a
quarterly basis, with 6 safeguarding advisors across the
operational teams.
We set a target to achieve over 10,500 volunteers and we
have successfully achieved 11,379 volunteers by year end
(2022: 9,050).
The safeguarding procedure and improvement plan were
both reviewed in the year with changes made to both. The
TCV criminal records checking procedure (CRC), and in
particular TCV’s administrative and recording processes,
have been the subject of revision and improvement as
the result of a review in 2022. These improvements have
focused on a revision of the procedure, the updating of
forms to require consideration of CRC status and the
provision of additional training to the staff responsible.
The increase in volunteers is represented by an increase in
both TCV regular and corporate volunteers, and numbers
are now approaching pre-coronavirus levels.
Reputation risk: including health and safety,
safeguarding, information security and volunteer
experiences
Our approach to preventing regulatory breaches remained
important during the year with training, procedures
and potential incidents relating to health & safety and
safeguarding carefully managed by specialist employee
managers and overseen by the ARC and the Board of
Trustees.
During 2022, TCV took part in a peer review of health and
safety standards in partnership with the Woodland Trust
and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. TCV scored 435 out of a
maximum 510 across the 34 subject areas covered by the
review, with 23 categories awarded full marks or in the top
category of compliance. Areas identified by the review for
further work have been compiled into a response plan for
implementation over an appropriate timeframe.
The over-arching conclusion of the auditors involved in
the peer review was that TCV had an outstanding health
and safety culture, with health and safety being seen by
its employees as fundamental to the charity, and with
employees trained and supported to implement their roles
in this context.
The volunteer survey is TCV’s annual approach for
identifying the experience of volunteers across TCV. This
process facilitates an understanding of the volunteer
experience and includes questions about motivations,
outcomes and the volunteers’ experience of TCV’s
approach to safeguarding.
The survey was completed in September 2022, and
achievedan18greturnrate.Thisgroupofrespondents
broadly reflected the age, sex and ethnic make up of the
wider TCV volunteer community.
The motivation of TCV volunteers falls into four broad
categories, the largest group being a ‘Wish to help
the environment’ followed by an ‘Interest in working
outdoors’, a ‘Desire to learn new skills’ and a ‘Wish to meet
new people’.
In relation to their experience while volunteering with TCV,
97ggaveanoverallratingofExcellentorGood/99gsaid
they felt their welfare was ‘always’ or ‘mostly’ safeguarded,
84gsaidtheirwellbeinghadimprovedsincevolunteering
withTCVand97gwouldrecommendTCVasa
