Community Accountability Programs Information ... - Ministry of Justice

of interesting ideas. For more information about this book, visit theMarketplace section of the Volunteer Canada Web site atwww.volunteer.ca.Program management policiesYou will need to develop policies that address the following importantissues:• Confidentiality• Criminal record checks for volunteers• Reference checks for volunteers• Records management• Handling complaints and critical incidents• Liability• Volunteer appreciation and recognition (See page 37 for moreinformation on this topic.)CONFIDENTIALITYMaintaining confidentiality when dealing with victims, offenders, and thecommunity is extremely important. We recommend that each programdevelop a confidentiality policy that covers the following points:• Program participants must be apprised of the policy. They must also beforewarned of the limits to confidentiality. They should be aware, forexample, that conference records may be subpoenaed by the court andthat program volunteers have the legal duty to report any instanceswhere there are reasonable grounds to believe that a child is beingabused or neglected or is for any other reason in need of protection. Insuch cases, the report should be made to the Ministry of Children andFamily Development (MCFD). Reports can be made to the MCFDHelpline for Children at 310-1234 (no area code needed). For moreinformation, check this Web site:http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/getting_help/help.htm.• The program must not release any personal information about anyparticipant unless it has obtained permission to do so from the personconcerned. Wherever possible, permission should be obtained inwriting.Getting Started 38