The Certificate in Community Volunteering (CCV) is a qualification that

• recognises good practice in volunteering
• recognises the general skills that volunteers need to perform their role effectively, whatever the context.

There are 6 units at Level 1 and 5 units at Level 2. Volunteers need to successfully achieve 4 units to gain the full qualification.

Unit certification is also available.

Volunteers do not have to achieve Level 1 before proceeding on to Level 2.

To gain the qualification volunteers produce a portfolio of evidence. This is internally assessed and externally moderated.

The CCV may be offered as a course, through 1:1 sessions, and by distance learning and online.

Each unit is broadly equivalent to 30 Guided Learning Hours (3 credits) but many volunteers need less time to achieve. Most volunteers complete CCV programmes between 3 and 9 months. It is possible to recognise prior achievements.

CCV Units and Levels

Level 1	Level 2
Units	Units
Preparing for your volunteering role Personal skills for volunteers Dealing with meetings as a volunteer Meeting your organisation's standards of good practice Describing needs issues and your own voluntary work Working in a team as a volunteer	Preparing to volunteer Skills for self management Dealing with meetings Working to good practice standards Understanding needs, issues and responses

The CCV can be offered by organisations that have registered with ASDAN to become an approved centre. Organisations need to complete the Application for Centre Registration form

Centres need to have at least two competent staff available. Ideally, these staff will have an assessor and/or teacher/trainer qualifications and/or experience of NVQs or OCN courses, and voluntary sector experience. (If there are only two staff involved, then one of them can be the assessor and the other the internal moderator (checking assessment decisions etc). If both staff are assessing, then each assessor could check (internally moderate) the other's assessment decisions.) If there is insufficient expertise (or time) within an organisation it may be possible to buy this in or get it from a partner organisation. It may also be possible to work with a centre offering the CCV by distance/online learning. (Contact ASDAN if you want to discuss staff competence.)

A new centre is allocated an External Moderator who will contact the Centre and offer advice and support. External moderators are keen to help centre staff have a clear understanding of the assessment requirements and so avoid situations where candidate portfolios have to be resubmitted following external moderation. Centres usually take advantage of a free pre-moderation check.

The CCV can be run by organisations such as:

• Voluntary/community/health sector organisations
• Training providers
• Adult/community education
• Colleges/Schools/Universities
• Partnerships involving combinations of the above

• An Application for Centre Registration form should be completed and sent to ASDAN. (You can order a CCV CDROM and return a CCV introductory workshop booking form at the same time if you want to. You can also order ASDAN publications from the website)

• Once your centre is registered, ASDAN will allocate an External Moderator who will contact the Centre Co-ordinator to answer questions and discuss support and development needs.
• You also have access to CCV information on the secure area of the ASDAN website

Centre Registration
If an organisation is already registered with ASDAN to deliver provision for the 14+ age range, there is no additional centre registration fee. New centres will need to pay an annual centre registration fee of £185+VAT per year (£195 plus VAT from September 2008). This covers all ASDAN post 14 awards and qualifications.

Centre registration entitles centres to the following free of charge:

• initial support
• CCV Specifications and Centre Guidance
• The CCV secure area of the ASDAN website for registered centres

Centres receive ongoing monitoring and support, access to regional support meetings and one free annual centre visit.

Candidate Registration
There is a Candidate Registration fee of £30.00 per candidate (or £16.50 for a single unit). This entitles candidates to:

• registration for three years for the CCV Qualification
• a candidate log with guidance and assessment checklists and recording documentation
• access to external moderation
• certification for the CCV Qualification (unit certification is available when less than 4 units have been achieved)

Centres do not need to specify candidate names to begin with, just register candidate numbers.

CCV CDROM
Centres are strongly recommended to get a copy of the CCV CDROM £193.88 including VAT). This includes Community Volunteering Skills Development Pack containing more than 250 pages of teaching/distance learning materials (worth £130.00), Community Volunteering Evidence Gathering materials (worth £57.00), Centre Guidance, and the Candidate Logbooks. Centres find the resources extremely useful and they save staff a lot of time.

There are other optional resources available.

Other (optional) costs

Hard copies of the following are available although they are all on the CCV CDROM:

• Candidate log £4.00 (This is provided free when numbers of candidates are registered, but centres may wish to purchase additional copies as replacements or for training purposes)
• Specifications booklet £3.15
• Community Volunteering Skills Development Pack £130.00
• Evidence Gathering Pack £57.00

CCV Skills for Life CDROM £64.63+ VAT

Postal moderation £25.00 per candidate (plus post and packing)

Additional centre visits/training £360.00 half-day/£490.00 whole day

Additional certificate (for units) £5.30

If you are putting in a bid to run the programme you may like to contact ASDAN to discuss other costs you could include such as staff training.

These costs apply up to December 31st 2008

Workshops

ASDAN has a programme of Introductory CCV workshops. The workshops are intended for managers and staff who would like to set up and run a successful CCV programme and/or need to know more about it in order to encourage others to take it up.

These aim to:

• help participants review what volunteers currently do (or what they might do) and compare this with the CCV (and other accreditation options) requirements
• develop participants' understanding of assessment and evidence requirements so that volunteers can be successful and gain qualifications (or awards)
• help participants plan how to get a successful programme up and running

Click here for further information.

In-house training

In-house training may be a more cost effective way for organisations to get an effective CCV programme up and running. Training can be customised to meet the organisation's needs. You could consider inviting other organisations to your training to offset costs.

Contact James Mead for details.

Carol

I began volunteering in 2001and establishing a residents association for the estate where I live. Over the next twelve months I gradually became involved with various other community projects/organisations and needed to expand my knowledge.

In December 2002 I saw an advertisement for a Certificate in Community Volunteering course. I enrolled, not sure of what to expect, especially as I had not studied since leaving school. I hoped that it would develop my own skills as a community activist. A recognised certificate would just be a bonus!

I can honestly say that the CCV is first-rate. Until I had written down what I actually did as a volunteer, I had never thought about time-management or valuing my own role. Although the evidence gathering was quite challenging, the modules were informative and easy to follow. The CCV made me recognize, and appreciate, the skills I had already gained as a volunteer. In addition, I learnt new skills and perspectives from fellow students and from the course itself. Never again will I say "I'm only a volunteer".

After completing the CCV, I applied for the job of Project Worker (Capacity Building), to engage and support local people and community groups in gaining accredited learning. As I have not worked for over 14 years I have no doubt that my application was successful due to the CCV qualification.

Sally

Sally works for Norfolk and Norwich Voluntary Services as a specialist service worker. She recruits, supports and provides induction training for volunteers who work as Citizen Advocates for people with learning difficulties. When she saw an advertisement for the ASDAN Certificate for Community Volunteering course at her local college, she decided it would be a worthwhile undertaking as part of her career plans and so she could promote the certificate to her volunteers in the future.

Sally is a school governor, and with the help of her tutor, she built up her portfolio. She had a governor mentor who provided supervision and induction evidence requirements, she attended courses with the county Professional Development Governor Support Unit and drew on her training as a special needs governor.

Sally still uses one of the activities from the time management section to find solutions to problems. She felt the unit on policies usefully highlighted why the school has some of its procedures. When a new head was completing the Government Health Check, Sally was able to check whether the Equal Opportunities Policy was in place both in her role as governor, and as evidence for her CCV.

Sally has since gone on to be governor at the High School her children now attend, and is doing a one year Level 4 course in Voluntary Sector Management. She has recommended the Certificate of Community Volunteering to her volunteers.

BBC Neighbourhood Gardeners Scheme

Jackie

'I am currently responsible for co-ordinating two groups of BBC Neighbourhood Gardeners in Essex, one based at Writtle College and the other at Thurrock CVS, having worked on the BBC Neighbourhood Gardener scheme since the pilot phase of the project in June 2003.

I have recently completed my Certificate in Community Volunteering (which is currently in the process of being assessed) and am keen to promote this amongst fellow neighbourhood gardeners having seen the benefits first-hand. It certainly made me think about what I had done over the past year or so and the way in which I had developed within my voluntary role, reinforcing many of the aspects involved in volunteering.

This has certainly helped me to be where I am today and given me the knowledge and confidence to be co-ordinating these two groups.'

The Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation (VSNTO) considered the CCV to be a useful access course. The CCV recognises skills at Levels 1 and 2. Some candidates may need to complete a Level 1 programme before progressing to Level 2.

Candidates have used the CCV to consolidate what they have learnt in their various volunteering roles and become confident with modern vocational training and assessment styles and methods. It has also helped volunteers who wanted paid employment to achieve this aim.

Volunteering takes place in a wide range of voluntary and community sector contexts; it is therefore difficult to detail all the progression routes available. Some volunteers may move on to occupationally specific training and qualifications in areas such as health and social care, land-based industries, education, advice and counselling and leisure and tourism. Others may progress within the sector into management roles, and there are national occupational standards (NOS) for managing volunteers at Levels 3-5 for those involved in recruiting and managing volunteers, as well as standards for those involved in fundraising. There are a lot of progression opportunities available!

CCV candidates are developing the knowledge and skills that they can build on to become volunteer managers. The CCV can also help volunteer managers demonstrate that they are meeting the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Volunteer Managers. (Click here to see a table indicating links between the CCV and the NOS for Managing Volunteers.)

Younger volunteers may be interested in progressing to other ASDAN qualifications, such as Key Skills and the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness at Level 3

A table has been produced showing how the CCV fits in with the following ASDAN Awards:

• Community Involvement and Volunteering Award (CIVA)
• Silver Award
• Gold Award
• Key Decisions in Citizenship
• Active Citizenship

Although this was done some time ago, a lot of it is still relevant. (Click here to see it.)

Most CCV candidates have not undertaken other ASDAN Awards before they start CCV programmes. However there has been an increasing amount of interest in the CCV from schools and work is underway to help student volunteers get accreditation through or following on from other ASDAN provision. There are three main programmes which naturally feed into the CCV:

• Community Involvement and Volunteering Award (CIVA)
• Youth Achievement Awards (YAA)
• Youth Activities Award

Community Involvement and Volunteering Award (CIVA)and Youth Activities Award

CIVA and the Youth Activities Award are ASDAN short courses which can prepare volunteers for the CCV. (Click here for more information.

Youth Achievement Awards (YAA)

ASDAN accredits Youth Achievement Awards on behalf of UK Youth.

Further information about using YAA as a route to CCV achievement is being developed.

Opportunities for funding CCV programmes will vary across the UK. The CCV is accredited by QCA, DCELLS and CCEA. In England, it is listed in the NQF and eligible for LSC funding. In England, each Learning and Skills Council (LSC) should have a named link person for the VCS.

Some CCV Centres will be able to fund the CCV from existing budgets or specific funding streams for education and training, whereas others (for example voluntary and community sector organisations) may need to look for additional funding in order to offer the CCV or find a partner to help them.

Partners for Voluntary and Community Sector organisations could be Voluntary Sector training providers or consortia, and/or Adult and Community Education providers. Some examples of partnerships:

• In Wiltshire, Learning Curve was set up to provide training for the voluntary and community sector and is able to access Leaning and Skills (LSC) funding and other funding sources on behalf of its members.
• Community Action and Support East Staffordshire (CASES) runs CCV programmes for Volunteers and VCS organisations in its area and also runs programmes for other CVAs in the county. Some programmes are funded through a local FE college.

The following websites may provide a useful starting point for exploring funding possibilities:

www.access-funds.co.uk Grants information for the British charitable and non-profit sector.
www.esf.gov.uk European Social Fund
www.biglotteryfund.org Big Lottery Fund
www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk Workforce Development Hub for the UK
www.volunteering.org.uk Volunteer Development Agency for England
www.wcva.org.uk Wales Council for Voluntary Action
www.vds.org.uk Volunteer Development Scotland
www.volunteering-ni.org Volunteer Development Agency for Northern Ireland

Volunteering Opportunities for Young People
Volunteering England
National Council for Voluntary Organisations
UK Workforce Hub for the VCS
Volunteer Development Agency (Northern Ireland)
Volunteer Development Scotland
Volunteering Wales