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Pack 20: Volunteers And The Law

A half day course for those managing or working with volunteers. Designed to give an overview of the current legislation relating to volunteers

Disclaimer - orientated to UK legislation and provides an overview - not intended to provide legal advice or governance
Author

Kay Curtis

Resources

Handouts, Activity Sheets & Case Studies

Experience Level Needed

Beginner

Access

Download and Online Access

Duration

5 Hours

Price

£
50

What's included?

  • Session Timetable
  • Timed Activities
  • Trainer notes
  • Training material in PPT files 
  • Pre Course questionnaire
  • Training Evaluation form
  • Session extension ideas
  • Activity sheets
  • Case Studies
  • Achievement cards and certificates

Overview

This training pack aims to help participants understand the legal aspects of working with volunteers.

The objectives are to define volunteering and identify volunteer rights, distinguish between contracts and agreements, understand the impact of relevant legislation, review DBS check procedures, clarify volunteer expenses and benefits, and discuss good practice measures and volunteer agreements.

By achieving these objectives, participants will be better equipped to manage volunteers in a legally compliant and ethical manner.

Important Disclaimer - this pack does not provide legal advice and cannot be used as such. Compliance with latest legislation is the responsibility of the voluntary organisation and not with volunteer solutions.

Objective

By the end of the session participants will:

- have explored the definition of volunteering and identified volunteers’ rights
- have considered the difference between a contract and an agreement
- have explored the impact on volunteering of Health & Safety, Insurance, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 & the Equality Act 2010
- have reviewed the current DBS checks situation
- have knowledge about volunteering and benefits
- have an understanding of the guidelines around volunteer expenses
- have discussed Volunteer Management Policies
- have shared Good Practice Measures
 

WHY IT MATTERS

Why understanding the law matters for every UK volunteer coordinator and trustee in 2026.

📅 Pack content last reviewed: April 2026
✍️ Authored by Kay Curtis · 30+ years' UK voluntary-sector specialism

Pack 20: Volunteers & The Law is a complete full-day trainer-led session for UK charity volunteers, trustees, and coordinators — covering the legal framework that shapes every aspect of volunteer management, from the volunteer-vs-worker boundary that organisations must protect, to the duties of care, equality, data protection, and harassment prevention.

The legal landscape around UK volunteering is more complex in 2026 than many coordinators realise. NCVO maintains comprehensive law-and-volunteering guidance precisely because the law that applies to volunteers is scattered across statutes, case law, and sector-specific guidance — and getting it wrong has real consequences. The volunteer-vs-worker boundary is policed by HMRC and the tribunals; breach it and you may inadvertently create an employment relationship, with all the back-pay, tax, and rights consequences that follow.

Key law affecting volunteers in 2026 includes the Equality Act 2010, the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, the Worker Protection Act 2023 (in force from October 2024), the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 (volunteer expenses must remain genuine reimbursement, not disguised pay), safeguarding law (Care Act 2014, Children Act 2004, Charity Commission CC3), and common-law duty of care.

This training pack gives your volunteer coordinator and trustees the legal foundation they need to manage volunteers defensibly — pitched at awareness-level for non-lawyers, with clear signposting to where specialist legal advice is required.
BOUNDARY
Volunteer vs worker
HMRC and the tribunals decide whether a 'volunteer' is really a worker — based on substance, not labels. Getting it wrong creates real legal liability.
OCT '24
Worker Protection Act 2023 in force
New proactive duty on organisations to prevent harassment — explicitly extending to volunteer settings, not just employment.
DUTY
Common-law duty of care
Even where no statutory duty applies, organisations owe volunteers a duty of care under common law. Injured volunteers can sue for damages.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Quick answers from buyers like you.

QIs this awareness-level or legal training?
Awareness-level. This pack equips non-lawyer coordinators and trustees with a working understanding of the legal landscape affecting volunteers — enough to spot issues, make defensible day-to-day decisions, and recognise when specialist legal advice is needed. It is not a substitute for legal advice on specific situations.
QDoes it cover the volunteer vs worker boundary?
Yes — this is one of the most important sections in the pack. The factors HMRC and the tribunals look at when deciding whether a 'volunteer' relationship is actually a worker relationship in disguise, the implications of getting it wrong, and the practical steps to protect the volunteer relationship from drift.
QDoes it cover volunteer expenses and tax?
Yes. Expense reimbursement (which is fine), payments in kind that risk being treated as pay (which is risky), the National Minimum Wage Act issues that arise when volunteers receive more than genuine expense reimbursement, and the boundaries that keep volunteer expenses on the right side of HMRC rules.
QIs it suitable for trustees?
Yes — particularly. Trustees carry ultimate legal responsibility for the volunteers their charity engages, and this pack is one of the most useful trustee CPD resources in the library. Pairs naturally with Pack 15 (AGM) for governance volunteers.
QIs it better to buy this pack or the full library?
Volunteers & The Law underpins every other area of volunteer management. If the law is your only training need, the single pack works. For a fully compliance-aware coordinator and trustee skill-set, the £295 licence pays for itself after six packs.
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