Home| Idx | Terms Ref | Exc Sum | Recommendations | Chp 1 | Chp 2 | Chp 3 | Chp 4 | Chp 5 | Apx | Disclaimer | Copyright VOLUNTEERING AND UNPAID WORK PLACEMENTS AMONG CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN NSW COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Key issues B Volunteering among young people C Promoting and supporting volunteering for young people D Unpaid work placements E Supporting legitimate, safe and beneficial unpaid work placements Key issues The Committee examined a number of key issues related to the broad topic of volunteering and unpaid work placements, their impacts on young people, and measures to ensure that young peoples’ experiences of volunteering and unpaid work are safe and beneficial. The key issues have been grouped in the report under the following headings: . Volunteering among young people . Promoting and supporting volunteering for young people . Unpaid work placements . Supporting legitimate, safe and beneficial unpaid work placements Volunteering among young people The Committee examined inquiry evidence on the NSW Government’s recent actions to promote and support volunteering among children and young people, focussing in particular on the measures contained in the NSW Volunteering Strategy. The Committee also heard evidence from organisations such as the Centre for Volunteering, Career Links, the NSW State Emergency Service and the NSW Rural Fire Service on the work that they are doing to promote and support young peoples’ volunteering. The Committee was encouraged by the good work being done in the Government and non-Government sectors, but was concerned to hear evidence regarding funding cuts to certain programs that support youth volunteering. For this reason the Committee recommended that the Commission for Children and Young People (the Commission), in its forward work program, works with NSW Education and Communities to review Government funding for youth programs in NSW. The Committee also considered best practice in other jurisdictions to promote and support volunteering among young people, noting in particular the widespread use of service learning in the USA and the UK Government’s ‘Step up to Serve’ program. In considering these initiatives, the Committee suggested that the Commission, NSW Education and Communities and other relevant agencies note best practice in other jurisdictions when developing policies to support young peoples’ volunteering. Promoting and supporting volunteering for young people The Committee heard evidence on measures to promote volunteering to young people, including increasing awareness of volunteering opportunities among young people, formal recognition of students’ volunteering, and academic rewards for volunteering. The Committee considered that formal recognition of young peoples’ volunteering was an important means of acknowledging the individual efforts of volunteers, raising the profile of volunteering and encouraging a sustained commitment to volunteering among young people. The Committee noted evidence from inquiry contributors which suggested that the Premier’s Student Volunteering Awards program was effective in achieving these objectives and noted also that the program was discontinued in 2012. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that the Commission works with the Minister for Citizenship and Communities to consider State-level recognition of school student volunteering, and to promote volunteering to young people, for example, through reinstating the Premier’s Student Volunteering Awards program. The Committee also found that programs that provide academic recognition of students’ volunteering would provide young people with an incentive to volunteer. The Committee considered that a broad definition of volunteering should be adopted when developing such a program, so as not to disadvantage students who have domestic, family and community responsibilities that may preclude them from doing traditional volunteer work. The Committee therefore recommended that the Commission works with NSW Education and Communities to consider schemes that recognise young peoples’ volunteer work, with consideration being given to the definition of volunteering to ensure that young people with personal commitments are not unfairly excluded. The Committee considered measures that are already in place, as well as suggestions for additional measures to support young peoples’ participation in volunteering activities. The Committee heard that young volunteers should be provided with appropriate financial assistance for volunteering activities, and that young volunteers from rural and remote areas would benefit from the development of local volunteering opportunities (e.g. through schools and public libraries). Further, the Committee heard that young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds could be supported in volunteering by relevant agencies and volunteer organisations engaging with parents and community leaders about the volunteering opportunities that exist and the benefits to their children of participation. The Committee acknowledged the good work already being done to support young peoples’ volunteering and concluded that it is important to address the financial and other barriers that prevent young people from accessing volunteering opportunities. The Committee noted that the barriers to volunteering can be particularly acute for disadvantaged and at-risk young people, young people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and young people living in regional and remote areas. Consequently, the Committee recommended that the Commission develops a strategy, in consultation with young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-English speaking backgrounds, geographically and socially isolated young people, and disadvantaged and at-risk young people, to assist them to engage in volunteering activities. The Committee further recommended that the Commission, in conjunction with NSW Family and Community Services, and in consultation with other relevant NSW Government agencies, considers a scheme to assist young people with meeting the costs of volunteering activities, including the provision of free or discounted public transport to and from volunteering commitments. The Committee heard from inquiry contributors about existing measures to support organisations in developing volunteering opportunities for young people. Outside of some notable exceptions described by the Centre for Volunteering and the NSW State Emergency Service, the Committee found that there was not a great deal of support or guidance for organisations seeking to develop volunteering opportunities that are suitable for young people. For this reason, the Committee recommended that the Commission works with NSW Family and Community Services to develop a best practice guide for organisations in developing volunteering opportunities for young people, in consultation with key stakeholders. The Committee considered the role of the Commission and the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) in supporting and promoting best practice in volunteering for young people and noted in particular the Commission’s work assisting organisations to develop youth volunteering programs and the OCG’s Child Safe Organisations training to promote and support safe and beneficial volunteering opportunities for young people. Unpaid work placements The Committee considered the increasing prevalence of unpaid work, such as internships, among young people in NSW, and heard that it was difficult to quantify accurate numbers of young people undertaking unpaid work due to the absence of statistical data. The Committee then examined the factors that make unpaid arrangements and vocational arrangements legitimate under the Fair Work Act, and heard evidence on the impacts of unethical and unlawful unpaid work placements on young people and the wider work force. Inquiry contributors suggested that there was a lack of regulatory oversight of internships and other forms of unpaid work, and that the increasing prevalence of unpaid work resulted in the reduction of paid entry level positions for young people, increased rates of unemployment or casual employment for young people, and young people who do not have the financial support to undertake unpaid work being disadvantaged. While acknowledging that legitimate and lawful unpaid work is an effective means of exposing young people to the workforce and providing them with valuable work experience, the Committee agreed with inquiry contributors that the increasing prevalence of unlawful and unregulated unpaid work has the potential to negatively impact young peoples’ employment opportunities and expose them to the risk of exploitation in the workplace. For these reasons the Committee recommended that the Commission works with NSW Industrial Relations, in consultation with key stakeholders, to develop a code of practice for internships and other forms of unpaid work. In addition, the Committee recommended that the Commission works with NSW Industrial Relations, in consultation with key stakeholders, to develop a best practice guide for internships and other forms of unpaid work, and promotes the guide to workplaces and young people. Further, the Committee acknowledged the difficulties with developing specific policies related to the prevalence and impacts of unpaid work on young people due to the lack of current and reliable data. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that the Commission, as part of its Three Year Strategic Plan, conducts research into the prevalence and composition of internships and other forms of unpaid work in NSW and its impacts on young people. Supporting legitimate, safe and beneficial unpaid work placements In examining measures to support legitimate, safe and beneficial unpaid work, the Committee heard that the size of the internship broker sector in Australia has increased significantly in recent years. Though it noted evidence which described internship brokers as an important ‘intermediary’ between organisations and interns, the Committee was concerned to hear about the apparent lack of regulation of the internship broker sector. For this reason, the Committee recommended that the Commission works with NSW Industrial Relations, in consultation with key stakeholders, to conduct a review of the regulations that apply to the internship broker sector, to inform the development of clear guidelines for the sector. The Committee also heard evidence that, due to there being no exception for vocational work placements in NSW industrial relations legislation, NSW Government agencies and local councils are currently vulnerable to claims that unpaid vocational placements are, in fact, remunerable employment arrangements. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that the Commission works with NSW Industrial Relations, in consultation with key stakeholders, to develop an amendment to the Industrial Relations Act 1996 to include an exception for vocational placements. Inquiry contributors stated that there was a need to provide both young people and employers with clear information about rights and responsibilities in the workplace. The Committee was concerned that young people may be more vulnerable to exploitation by employers due to a lack of knowledge of their workplace rights. For this reason, the Committee recommended that the Commission, in conjunction with NSW Industrial Relations and other key stakeholders, develops a campaign aimed at educating young people about their rights in the workplace. The Committee noted the OCG’s actions to support and promote best practice in unpaid work placements for young people, in particular, its work in developing information and resources for the purpose. 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