Part 2 - Process Guide to help those setting up groups of volunteers to assist neighbours in isolation. As a community my village has rallied around and come up with a process to mitigate the risks to the vulnerable. Please use/modify for your own community. We're all in this together!

1. Community Volunteer Response to COVID-19 –
Guide to How to Use Facebook Groups to
Coordinate Support
Part 2

2. Volunteer Contact Group – Volunteer Contact
Group members must
• Keep all requests/information in the closed group confidential/Adhere with GDPR
• Be happy to have their phone publicised (as outlined above)
• Offer their help free of charge (and if shopping is needed you shop first, get reimbursed
on the value of the receipt – so ensure you get one)
• Follow the process regarding the closed group logging and updating (instructions will be
provided)
• Follow the guidelines when needing to post on the Community Facebook Group, namely:
• Ensure that you don’t share any personal details of who has requested help
• Request people use Messenger (DM/PM you) and not respond directly to the post
• Close out the post once support has been coordinated
• Provide full contact details (not to be shared but just for the record of the Volunteer
Group)
• Follow CMO guidance for hygiene and safeguarding when visiting people in isolation

3. Volunteer Contact Group – CMO Guidance for
hygiene and safeguarding
Current CMO guidance for hygiene and safeguarding when visiting people in isolation
Prevent the spread of COVID-19 by following:
Public Health England (PHE) recommends that the following general cold and flu precautions are
taken to help prevent people from catching and spreading COVID-19:
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it
• put used tissues in the bin straight away
• wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
See hand washing guidance
• try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
• maintain at least a 2m distance between yourself and people with symptoms of COVID-19
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
If you are worried about symptoms, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other
healthcare environment

4. Volunteer Contact Group – Guidelines for people
who need supportBelow is guidelines to be given over the phone if someone calls to request support:
• Your contact details/details of your request will not be shared outside of the Volunteer
Contact Group - GDPR (See slide 11 – GDPR Guidance for Volunteer Contact Group)
• Any volunteer helping is doing so free of charge and on the basis that if you need
shopping, they shop first and get reimbursed based on the receipt
• The volunteers know about the CMO guidance for hygiene and safeguarding so don’t
take it to heart if the help seems impersonal
• If you have any concerns call me. Make sure you note my name and number name
somewhere safe.
• If I am not able to help, I will call you back to let you know what can be arranged and
discuss that with you
• There should NOT be any need to have a volunteer enter your home – if someone does
need to come in, when we discuss the above we will see if there is someone you know
that can act as the ‘middle person’ and will work out a plan that you are comfortable
with

5. Volunteer Contact Group – GDPR Guidance for
Volunteer Contact Group
• IMPORTANT: Please advise the caller that you will be collecting personal
information (PII- personally identifiable information) and you need to ask for
their verbal consent to take this information. Their information will only be used
for the purpose of helping them and will be held in confidence. The only people
with whom we will share their information will be the volunteer who agrees to
help.
• As a volunteer group we are using the method of Answering yes to a clear
oral consent request to obtain consent under GDPR.
• For further information on GDPR click here.

6. Volunteer Contact Group – Call Handling Guidance
– For use by Volunteer Contact Group
• (Please ensure you have read the ‘Guidelines for people who need
support’ on Slide 10)
1. Answer your phone and greet the person in a clear and calm manner.
• Reassure the caller that there shouldn’t be any need for a volunteer to come
into their home. If this is needed let the caller know that you will assess the
situation and come up with a plan with which they are happy.
Example: I can ask a family member or neighbour known to you to go into your
home with your permission.
2. Guide the caller through the following questions and get the information you
will need to help them:

7. Volunteer Contact Group – Call Handling Guidance
– For use by Volunteer Contact Group
Checklist of questions/details the Volunteer Contact should ask and note
down
• Name
• Number
• Address
• Are you self-isolating and from when?
• For how long for?
• Are you on your own, with a partner other adults, children, pets
• What do you need now?
• When do you need it?
• Do you want a call back in a few days to see if you need anything/feel free
to call back

8. Volunteer Contact Group – Sources
Public Health England Advice for COVID-19 prevention
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u
ploads/attachment_data/file/872745/Infection_prevention_and_contr
ol_guidance_for_pandemic_coronavirus.pdf
GDPR Consent Guidance
https://www.itgovernance.eu/blog/en/gdpr-when-do-you-need-to-
seek-consent