bbbsVolunteer Application

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Welcome!

 

Thank you for your interest in volunteering. We receive support from many funders. The information below will help BBBS learn more about our volunteers.  If you have any questions, please call 561-727-3450.


Our participants come to us with a wide range of personal characteristics. Participant eligibility shall be determined without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or disability. 

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Basic Information




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Program Information
Community Based:  Adult mentor commits to 4 hours minimum per month.  Matches participate in activities of mutual interest.  Agency provides monthly sponsored activities such as fishing, golf lessons and  baseball games. 
*Volunteer must have a valid Driver's License and current car insurance.       
                                                      

School Based:
  Adults and high school students are paired one on one with elementary aged students at after school sites in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The mentor commits to mentoring one hour once a week during the school year.  Together the pairs complete homework, work on academic skills and play games together.                                                                                                                                                                                         
School to Work:  Adult volunteer commits to about 2 hours per month to mentor a Palm Beach or Martin County High School student virtually. The Volunteer and Student work together on developing employability and life skills, increasing the student's social capital, plans after graduation and financial literacy. 






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Previous Experience



Volunteer Pre-Interview Questionnaire


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Prior to your in-person interview, we would like you to answer the questions below. It is imperative that you are completely candid in all responses.









References and Background Check

Please provide at least three references. These individuals may be contacted by phone or email. 
  1. Spouse/Spousal equivalent or Family Member. If no Spouse/Spousal equivalent is available, reference must have knowledge of the applicant’s home and be able to assess volunteer’s appropriateness to serve as a Big.
  2. Work, school, or a personal reference. Reference must have known the applicant for at least 2 years.
  3. Work, school, or a personal reference. Reference must have known the applicant for at least 2 years.
  4. Youth Serving Organization.  Reference required if you volunteered, work, or have worked with children in the past 5 years.
Spousal/Familial Reference







Work, School, or Personal Reference







Work, School, or Personal Reference








Volunteer Experience











Release, Consent and Agreement

I choose to apply to be a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.  For this reason, I give the following permission to the agency:


I do hereby authorize representatives of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties to seek and obtain any information regarding myself deemed necessary by them, to provide quality, safe services to children in their programs.  This authorization includes requesting or releasing confidential information from/to the following individuals or agencies:  schools, social services, organizations, therapists, physicians, government agencies.


I understand that this will be considered confidential; and will not be released to other individuals or organizations without my specific consent.  I am aware that this consent will expire when my volunteer work is formally terminated with the agency.  I am also aware that this consent may be revoked by me at any time. My signature indicates that I know what information will be disclosed and the purpose for which it will be used.  My signature also means I have read this form or had it read to me and explained in language I can understand.


I agree and consent to the use of profile information in such form and manner as deemed appropriate by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties for recruitment and development purposes.


I hereby release, remise and forever discharge Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, its officers, and employees, successors and assigns from any and all rights of action, liability, demands or claims accruing or to accrue out of this use or resulting from any rights of action, liability, demands or claims relating to libel, slander or invasion of the right of privacy.

The references and youth organizations that I have worked for or been involved with as a volunteer whose information I have provided may be contacted by telephone or email.


I am in no way obligated to perform any volunteer services.


I hereby authorize Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties to secure information it deems necessary from the following sources: medical records, employers, educational institutions, the military, criminal records, National and State Sexual Offenders and Predators Check, and any other pertinent sources to evaluate my potential as a volunteer. Continued involvement will be based on the information discovered.


Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties has the right to accept or deny program participants and is not obligated to match me with a youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters is not required to provide me with a reason if I am not accepted or matched with a youth.

Confidentiality Agreement 

A.   A.  In order for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties to provide a responsible and professional service, volunteers, children and parents or guardians will be asked to divulge personal information about themselves. The agency respects the confidentiality of client and volunteer records and with the exception of the situations listed below, shares information only among the agency professional staff.

 

1.       For the purpose of program evaluation, audit, or accreditation, certain outside bodies such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and grantors, i.e. Children’s Service Council of Martin County, may have access to client or volunteer records.

 

2.       Members of the Board of Directors may have limited and specific access to client files only upon authorization by formal motion of the Board of Directors.

 

3.       Information shall only be provided to law enforcement officials or the courts if subpoenaed.

 

4.       Information shall be provided to the agency’s legal counsel in the event of litigation involving the agency.

 

5.       Suspected child abuse will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

 

6.       If any agency worker receives information indicating that a client or volunteer may be dangerous to himself or others, steps may be taken to protect the appropriate parties.

 

B.   All records are considered the property of the agency.

 

C.   Records are not available for review by clients or volunteers.

Child Safety Guidelines

 

 Prohibited Activities:

    • Overnight Visits
    • Use of Alcohol and Illicit Drugs
    • Non Disclosure of Firearms at enrollment and throughout the life of the match(see Policies/Procedure[i])
    • Non Disclosure of suspected Child Abuse/Neglect  (see Reporting Policy/   Procedure [ii] )

 

  • Transportation
    • Safety Belts
      • Florida law requires the use of seat belts or child restraint devices by drivers of motor vehicles, all front seat passengers and all children riding in a vehicle under 18.
      • Florida’s safety belt law is a primary enforcement law, meaning that an officer can stop a vehicle and issue a citation simply for observing a safety belt or restraint violation.
      • Children should be in the rear seats until at least age 12, since deployed front seat air bags can be dangerous to children.
    • Child Restraints – Car Seats and Booster Seats
      • Florida law requires children age 5 and under to be secured properly in a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device.
      • Children ages 0 to 3 must be in child restraint devices of a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child seat.
      • Children age 4 and 5 must be in a separate carrier, integrated child seat or booster seat.
      • The best child seat is one that fits the child, fits your car and that drivers will use correctly every time.
      • Read the car seat’s instruction manual and the portion of your vehicle’s owner manual when you install a car seat.
      • Remember to check for car seat and booster seat recalls.

o   School-based & School to Work mentors are prohibited from transporting children.

o   Only assigned and approved Big should transport Little.

    • Firearms are prohibited in any vehicle that is transporting a Little

 

  • Communication/Parental Approval of all activities
    • Parents/Guardians will be informed and approve all activities in advance.
    • Communication should be open at all times between match parties and agency staff (children should never be asked to keep a secret).
    • Respect for all match parties will be demonstrated at all times.
    • Emergency contact information will be provided and exchanged between match parties and agency staff.

 

  • Limit Setting through Positive Reinforcement
    • Positive limit setting strategies will be outlined based upon the age of the child and any developmental concerns (i.e. ADHD, Special Needs, etc.)
    • Corporal punishment, verbally and/or emotionally abusive means of discipline by Bigs is strictly prohibited and will result in match termination and/or possible reporting of suspected abuse to Florida’s Child Abuse Hotline – if deemed appropriate.
  • Preventing Over-Involvement with the Child and/ or the Child's family
    • Gift Buying should be approved in advance by the parent/guardian and agency staff notified when a gift of an excessive nature is given to a child.
    • Monetary donations or donations for services by the Big to the child’s family should be discussed and approved by the agency’s match support staff in advance.
    • Excessive contact over the agreed upon schedule should be discussed with the agency staff (especially critical in the early stages of a match relationship).
    • Involvement of other children on outings should be discussed in advance with the child’s parent/guardian and agency staff.
  • Interactions between volunteers and children will show respect for privacy and personal boundaries.
    • Children have the right to feel safe at all times.  Appropriate and positive interactions between Bigs and Littles are essential in supporting positive youth development and making youth feel valued.  Conversely, inappropriate or harmful interactions can potentially injure a child physically and/or emotionally.  Maintaining a balanced approach to development and monitoring of the match to ensure adherence to agency ground rules in this area is critical to positive youth development and child safety. 
    • Volunteer will refrain from activities that pose a risk for injury.
    • Agency ground rules surrounding volunteer and child interactions support strategies that help children establish a clear set of personal safety boundaries promoting skill-building that may prevent the child from becoming the victim of violence and/or exploitation (bullying, child sexual abuse, internet exploitation, dating violence, etc.) and/or encourage a child to disclose abuse or victimization.

 

      • Volunteers are encouraged to be sensitive to whether a hug or other form of physical touch would be comfortable to a child or not. School-Based Mentoring must abide by the Code of Conduct of the Palm Beach and Martin Counties School Districts. 
      • Certain types of physical contact such as: tickling, wrestling, pinching, patting, or asking a child to sit on an adult’s lap are more likely to violate a child’s personal boundaries. 
      • Display or discussion of any materials of a sexual nature is strictly prohibited.
      • Volunteers need to provide separate, private areas for a child to: change clothes, bathe, shower and/or nap.
      • Volunteers should never sleep or nap with a child in the same bed, sleeping bag or couch.
      • Volunteers should never come between a parent and their child. Volunteers need to respect a parent’s role and authority.


[i] The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence recommends the following safeguards if you keep a gun in your home:  always keep your gun unloaded and locked up;  lock and store bullets in a separate location; make sure children don’t have access to the keys; ask police for advice on safe storage and gun locks; the best way to reduce gun risks is to remove the gun from the home.. (1996, 2nd Edition, Keep Your Family Safe from Firearm Injury)Agency policy requires that any and all firearms in the home be disclosed to agency staff prior to the match and be fully secured.  Firearms are prohibited in any vehicle during transporting of a Little.    

[ii] Volunteers and parents are required to communicate openly with agency staff any concerns for a child’s well-being, up to and including reporting any suspected child abuse to agency staff immediately.  State law  requires mandatory reporting by case managers.  Reports to law enforcement and child protection authorities will be handled by agency professional staff, in cooperation with the parties involved. 

Firearms and Weapons Guidelines and Attestation

Weapons, firearms and ammunition will be made inaccessible at all times to a child while in the Volunteer Big’s care.

 

Firearms in the home

A)   As a matter of personal safety for the children we serve, all firearms and weapons must be locked and secured whenever the “Little” is in the home.

 

 

Firearms in a vehicle

A)   As a matter of personal safety for the children we serve, all firearms and weapons are strictly prohibited in any vehicle that is being used to transport a “Little”.

 

 

Any weapons, firearms or ammunition ownership are licensed, permitted, registered, and handled in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws

 

As a Mentor participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach & Martin Counties, I agree to strictly comply with the above policies in order to ensure the safety of the children served.

Photo, Video, and Media Release
Publicity and promotional materials for Big Brothers Big Sisters are conducted in a variety of forms.  By selecting below I authorize Big Brothers Big Sisters to identify me in the media as a Big Brother or Big Sister using my full name.  I also give permission for the use of other forms of media including but not limited to written word, photo, video, social media, and voice recording.
Consent for Release of Background Information









Social Networking Policy 
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties (BBBSPBMC) recognizes online social networking sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) are well-known uses of communication and that many of the volunteers and children in our program are using these sites. Although we encourage our Bigs and Littles to be friends in addition to being mentors/mentees, not all social networking sites are appropriate for enhancing those relationships. 
  • The School Based and School to Work Programs does not permit their mentors to engage in social networking with their mentee. (This excludes approved BBBSPBMC virtual mentoring platforms such as iCouldBe and Cricket Together.)
  • The Community Based program mentors must adhere to the following policies if they choose to engage in social networking with their mentee.
SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY:
•Never post the last name of your Little or his/her parent/guardian. In addition, do not “tag” your Little in any picture you post.
•Never post any contact information about your Little or their family (this includes the child’s home address, school the child attends, where the parent works, etc)
•Never post anything (status, pictures, etc) that could be perceived as judgmental or offensive to your Little or his/her parent/guardian. In addition, be mindful of what others post on your personal site.
•Make sure that your page settings are set to private, so you can select who can view your information.
•Tell the parent/guardian about anything you post pertaining to your Little and ensure they approve of it.
•Do not post pictures that include any other Little or their Big on your personal page.
•Refer to social networking site restrictions on communicating/connecting with youth.
  • For example, users under the age of 13 years old are not allowed to sign up for a Facebook account; therefore do not “Friend” your Little on Facebook if he/she is under the age of 13.
Additional Considerations:
•Remember to be observant of your Little’s page, contact your Match Support Specialist if you see anything that is inappropriate or you are concerned about.
•BBBSPBMC has the right to view the content and assess all public material on the social networking sites utilized by prospective or current Bigs and other volunteers. Inappropriate information or visual material can be cause for non-acceptance as a volunteer or subject for review and potential match closure by BBBSPBMC.
•Consider making only specific aspects of your site viewable to your Little. Please reference the privacy settings on your site for more information.
•If you have any questions please contact your Match Support Specialist and refrain from accepting any invitation until you discuss your concerns with them.