to not volunteer for St John's Ambulance?

[MaMaLa321]

I applied to be a steward at our local Covid vaccination centre - basically standing around in the cold, showing people where to go.
My online application form arrived yesterday, and my heart sank when I saw that it had eight sections. But I gamely started, telling them why I wanted to do it, and why I would be good at doing it.
Then I found two references.
Then I was asked for my employment and volunteering history. I've been retired for several years, and , before that, had several jobs. I really don't see why that information is needed.
Then of course, the gender, ethnicity, 'do I fully identify as the gender I was assigned at birth' and which religion I identify as.
Just to steward people around.
So, I've given up. It just seems utterly disproportionate to me.

I don't get these threads.

Someone else was moaning the other week because they'd come out of retirement to administer the vaccine, and had to do some online training

Either do it or don't, no-one cares 🤷‍♀️

Actually considering I have applied for the non healthcare NhSP one to be a vaccinator, I get your point @MaMaLa321. It asked for tick box questions and then two one-minute video interview questions and when selected I had to provide two references. This SJA form sounds convoluted to say the least!

Did anyone find the occupational health section a little odd? Almost like it was a referral for a specific health issue asking for release of occ health reports from a specific named Dr? The section on gender (not sex) seemed a bit excessive too - e g do I mostly align with gender assigned at birth etc or do I prefer to self describe gender? Like a pp I put "prefer not to say" where I could but parts seemed a lot wider than Equalities Act?
Done now and awaiting interview slot so hasn't put me off but just interested in other people's views!

And?

Perhaps it's a way of separating the wheat from the chaff.

I realise that this is what application forms are like these days but my personal opinion is that some of the questions are intrusive and not related to a persons ability to do a job.

@Orf1abc

Hundreds of thousands of people signed up to volunteer in March/ April, but when it came to actually doing anything, only a small number stepped up. This is the same, if you can't be bothered to complete the form, chances are you won't be particularly committed to the role.

What happened to the nhs volunteer army? Are they still in action collecting peoples prescriptions and going to Tesco?

It's also about what happens afterwards. They don't want people sneaking in to other roles without appropriate checks because they've been volunteering for months. They also don't want people trying to gain legitimacy by using SJA as a reference in future when they wouldn't have actually got the role if more checks were done

@Owledge

Did anyone find the occupational health section a little odd? Almost like it was a referral for a specific health issue asking for release of occ health reports from a specific named Dr? The section on gender (not sex) seemed a bit excessive too - e g do I mostly align with gender assigned at birth etc or do I prefer to self describe gender? Like a pp I put "prefer not to say" where I could but parts seemed a lot wider than Equalities Act? Done now and awaiting interview slot so hasn't put me off but just interested in other people's views!

Frankly in our local GP vaccination clinic the issue of which gender you self-describe as would baffle everyone. They're more worried about being to find their cars in the dark, which is one thing we help them with. Or they're worried that you're going to get cold and how long are you working until?

Meh. I'm helping with volunteers to assist with our GP vaccinations. The carpark marshalls - well, they need to turn up for their first session, listen to an induction, and not get run over. At the end of the session, if the Team leader (anexperienced volunteer) rates them I'll ask them back, otherwise they're going on the black list. No forms, no vetting. All they're doing is waving cars in and out and maybe helping elderly people in through the door so they really don't need to fill in forms.

The indoor volunteers who are coming into close contact with the patients - they're the people I'm going to be careful about. They are people I know from previous volunteering, people with DBS's, people who have been recommended by the surgeries or whatever.

I have volunteered to be a vaccination steward via a different route - registering via GoodSamApp (this is a system that existed pre-covid for medical people to be alerted if there was a crisis nearby, that has been adapted for this use.

The application process was way simpler than the StJA form described in the OP. Just a few very basic details and proof of identity required. A few days later for them to do their admin and very little hassle on my part, and I am registered to be called upon when needed.

I made a thread over in the coronavirus topic for anyone else who might like to do the same to keep in touch about it as I didn't think that conversation belonged here in AIBU!

I applied to be a St John’s volunteer too, but gave up on the application when it arrived. I was not willing to give access to my medical records which is a requirement and I also don’t want to pester people for references , I have a clean DBS check so I cannot see the point in references.

It’s the interface between goodSAM and SJA has caused me so much confusion and sent me contradictory emails. I seem to have been accepted by GoodSAM and am being interviewed by SJA simultaneously while already having given 8 hours to carpark marshalling at my GP practice.

I have a clean DBS check so I cannot see the point in references

References are not just (or even primarily) a check for criminal behaviour.

I now have a situation where I've received an email asking me to upload a photo onto the SJA site. When I go to do it, it tells me I've already uploaded the photo. I haven't. I only took it ten minutes ago.

@KathleenTurnerOverdrive

I have a clean DBS check so I cannot see the point in references

References are not just (or even primarily) a check for criminal behaviour.

I don’t see the point in references, because I am hardly going to volunteer somebody who is not going to give me a very nice reference. As in HR employment selection process, they are virtually useless as a tool.

My SJA volunteer vaccinator application has been smooth. I filled out the form, automatically booked an interview, I was interviewed via Teams, my references were electronically taken and now I'm completing the training.

I think there is serious point here: my job is an office job, I am used to form filling and online training, I have a frequently updated CV. Online forms do not phase me at all.

My husband is a self employed partner in a healthcare business where he has worked for 17 plus years. He does not have to do any form filling as part of his job, just patient notes, and he has an admin helper for those. He doesn’t have a CV and has never done online training.

He has signed up to volunteer with SJA but is completely bamboozled with all the paperwork and IT stuff (logging into online portal, Teams interviews). Luckily, I can help him. I don’t think those of us in the office working world understand how much of a barrier all the forms and IT stuff can be if you don’t use it daily. This applies to normal job applications too, especially for retired people and people trying to get back into work after a long break.

OP, I get why this seems like a massive deal. Can you get someone to help you?

@MaMaLa321

I can assure you that I would have been committed to do this. It's just that I'm not committed to fill in a long and intrusive form to satisfy the bureaucracy. I would understand if it was a different role, but I'm not going to recreate my CV for this, and that's just a start.

It sounds like a perfectly normal volunteering form.

You are being totally unreasonable . But probably best they can screen you out at this stage.

The application part is the easy part tbh. You then have to do all sorts of mandatory online training. None of which sounds very relevant if I’m honest. All H&S, information governance, safeguarding etc
Disclaimer- this is for a
“Vaccination care volunteer” not a Marshall so might be different.
Yabu to complain about the form but ywnbu to complain about the mandatory training which is quite ridiculous. I’d surprised anyone that’s also dealing with children/a job/homeschool can be bothered.

I agree with the pp who said county councils are the worst! I retired from my cc job after 20 years in August. In October I applied for a casual relief position (probably 5/6 hours work a year) with the same cc. I filled in pages and pages of application and DBS check info and sent off passport, driving licence etc. Then they wanted to see my divorce certificate from 1983 to prove who I was. I declined as it just seemed a step too far.

It is onerous but imagine the headlines "St John Ambulance fails to screen volunteers and recruits convicted paedophiles and scammers to marshal vulnerable people, and fails to conform to equal opportunity legislation and fails to train people properly"

I agree there is a fair bit to get through and St John Ambulance are certainly struggling to handle the volume of applications, but if we want a safe world this is the price we pay.

I'm saddened it has put you off. I'm glad volunteers are screened. I would not want someone such as Rolf Harris to be one, for example.

@Frazzled2207

The application part is the easy part tbh. You then have to do all sorts of mandatory online training. None of which sounds very relevant if I’m honest. All H&S, information governance, safeguarding etc Disclaimer- this is for a “Vaccination care volunteer” not a Marshall so might be different. Yabu to complain about the form but ywnbu to complain about the mandatory training which is quite ridiculous. I’d surprised anyone that’s also dealing with children/a job/homeschool can be bothered.

I have all three and I don't mind it. I understand completely why they are doing it. I am applying to be a vaccinator, though, which obviously has some risks and for which there are minimum educational standards.

It sounds like their screening process is very effective at weeding out unsuitable people.