ALL MEMBERS

Last month the District Board approved a document entitled "Know Your
Volunteer" which contains a new Form 3, and a brief explanatory
memorandum.

This month the District Board approved "Involvement in Child and Youth
Activities – advice for individuals" and "Involvement in Child and Youth
Activities – advice for clubs"
You can download these forms below or from the District
website http://rotarydistrict9800.org.au/policies.
They are intended to assist volunteers and clubs in understanding what it is
that they need to do, and why they should do it. A Working with Children
Check is simply not enough. In the time in which these documents have been
prepared there have been many discussions and debates about whether a
Working with Children Check is sufficient on its own (or not). From a Rotary
Club perspective, the answer is no, never. Our requirements under the code
of policies from Rotary International, the obligations of the Clubs under the
Working with Children Act and the Child Safety and Well-Being Act mean that
a working with children check might be all that a member/volunteer requires,
but will almost never be sufficient for a club that uses a member/volunteer in a
youth/child activity. And that's before we get to the question of insurance. It's
a requirement of our insurers that the policies of Rotary International and
District be followed in order for insurance to be forthcoming. Why risk it?
If you have any questions that you would like to put forward that could be
included in a "frequently asked questions" section as part of the Form 3
documentation please send them to governance@rotarydistrict9800.org.au,
and that form will be updated to reflect the questions.
David Whiting
District Director Governance