Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1244/2014Show full title

CHAPTER 4 U.K. PROCEDURES FOR PRE-DEPLOYMENT PREPARATION OF CANDIDATE VOLUNTEERS

Article 11 U.K. Induction programme

1. The induction process shall familiarise the candidate or EU Aid Volunteer with the sending and hosting organisations' culture, policies and practices, and the expectations of the task assignment.

2. The sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop an induction programme. The programme shall define their roles and responsibilities based on inputs from returned EU Aid Volunteers, where possible, to benefit from their first-hand experience and learning. The programme shall comprise:

(a) Pre-deployment induction to be provided by the sending organisation as provided for in Article 12;

(b) In-country induction to be provided by the hosting organisation as provided for in Article 18.

3. The sending and hosting organisations shall organise, where appropriate, joint sessions involving all candidate or EU Aid Volunteers together.

Article 12 U.K. Pre-deployment induction

1. The sending organisations shall ensure that all candidate volunteers receive a thorough and appropriate face-to-face induction prior to their deployment. This shall cover, as a minimum, the following:

(a) Organisation and management structure and processes, teams involved in the project (including project manager, crisis management officer, human resources), organisational mission and objectives in relation to the EU Aid Volunteers initiative;

(b) Comprehensive information on the context of the project in which the candidate volunteer will operate, their task assignment and the needs assessment that underpins it; and the envisaged working and living conditions as provided for in Articles 22 and 24-27;

(c) The relevant legal framework applicable to the volunteer as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014;

(d) Standards and procedures relevant to the volunteer, including disciplinary and grievance, anti-fraud and corruption, child and vulnerable adult safeguarding, code of conduct as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014;

(e) Mandatory context-specific security briefing and health and safety briefing (including medical check prior to departure) as provided for in Articles 28 and 30;

(f) Supervision and performance management system and procedure, and support mechanisms in place, including mentoring and other support as provided for in Articles 19, 20 and 21;

(g) The learning and development plan;

(h) Information about the network for the EU Aid Volunteers initiative and how it supports volunteers before, during and after deployment;

(i) Information about the communication and visibility activities envisaged in the project, based on the communication plan referred to in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014, including contact information for the responsible Regional Information Officer of the Commission.

(j) The debriefing process as provided for in Article 23.

2. In the context of the induction, the sending organisation shall also provide information about the Commission's humanitarian aid field office responsible for the country of deployment and inform this office of the imminent deployment of EU Aid Volunteers.

3. The sending organisation shall ensure that all information provided during the induction process is read and understood by the candidate volunteers and remains easily accessible throughout their participation in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

Article 13 U.K. Apprenticeship placements for junior professionals

1. Candidate volunteers who are junior professionals may be required, in addition to the training, to undertake an apprenticeship placement with a sending organisation to learn through experience the procedures, ethics and context of humanitarian work and further prepare for the envisaged deployment as an EU Aid Volunteer. The duration of the apprenticeship shall be for a maximum period of up to six months with a possibility for limited prolongation in duly justified exceptional cases.

2. The sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation and the apprentice volunteer, shall review and update the learning needs in the learning and development plan based on the needs of the apprenticeship placement. The learning and development plan shall define in particular:

(a) The learning outcomes the apprentice volunteer is expected to achieve during their apprenticeship period;

(b) The tasks the apprentice volunteer will carry out as part of the learning process and resources to be put in place;

(c) The objectives and results the apprentice volunteer is expected to achieve on completion of the apprenticeship period.

3. The following articles of this Regulation shall apply mutatis mutandis to the apprenticeship placements with obligations for the sending organisations hosting the apprentice volunteers:

(a) Article 19(4), (5), (6) and (9), Articles 21 and 22.

(b) Article 24 except for paragraph 5. Candidate volunteers coming from EU countries or from third countries referred to in Article 23(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 under the conditions referred to in that Article who are covered by their national social security or insurance scheme in the country of their residence and who are undertaking apprenticeship placements in the above-mentioned countries shall receive only complementary coverage. This means that their insurance coverage shall be limited to costs over and above the coverage provided by the national social security or insurance scheme. In exceptionally justified cases, where the national social security or insurance scheme covers only part or none of the costs provided for in Article 24(5), 100 % of the costs incurred shall be covered.

(c) Article 25 except for paragraph 6 Article 26 and Article 27(1), where relevant.

(d) Article 28(1), (8) and (14) and Article 30(1), (4), (5), (6) and (7).

Article 14 U.K. Assessment of the candidate volunteers after apprenticeship

1. At the end of the apprenticeship, the apprentice volunteer shall complete a self-assessment based on the competence framework and the learning and development plan.

2. The line manager from the sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation, shall review the self-assessment and assess the apprentice volunteer in particular to:

(a) Assess performance of the apprentice volunteer against their objectives;

(b) Review whether the results agreed have been achieved;

(c) Identify the learning outcomes.

3. Candidate volunteers who display poor proficiency in any of the transversal or specific competences shall be disqualified and shall not be eligible to become an EU Aid Volunteer. The line manager from the sending organisation must be able to explain and justify, if necessary, any such assessment and decision.

Article 15 U.K. Additional pre-deployment training

Without prejudice to the participation of the candidate volunteer in the training programme or as an apprentice volunteer, the sending organisation may provide additional appropriate pre-deployment training, such as training related to adapting the technical competences of candidate volunteers to meet the needs of the hosting organisation, language training needed for the country of deployment, etc.

Article 16 U.K. Contract with the EU Aid Volunteer

1. Based on the outcomes from the pre-deployment induction and, where relevant, the apprenticeship placement and other pre-deployment training referred to in Articles 13-15, the sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation, shall confirm the final assessment for eligibility of the candidate volunteer to be deployed as an EU Aid Volunteer.

2. The sending organisation and the successfully assessed EU Aid Volunteer shall sign a deployment contract as set out in Article 14(5) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

3. The contract, to be defined in close consultation with the hosting organisations, shall set out the specific terms of deployment and the rights and obligations of the EU Aid Volunteer. It shall also indicate the legislation applicable to the jurisdiction of the contract pursuant to the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 and include as a minimum the following elements:

(a) Specification of the EU Aid Volunteer's role, title, duration and location of placement, and tasks to be performed as defined in the task assignment including the elements deriving from the communication plan referred to in Article 17 of the Regulation (EU) No 375/2014;

(b) Duration of the contract, including start and end date;

(c) Performance management, including:

• (c) Management arrangements, including the responsible line manager from the hosting organisation and contact point for ongoing support from the sending organisation;

• Mentoring arrangements;

(d) Working conditions, including working hours and leave;

(e) The EU Aid Volunteer's financial rights and obligations, including the necessary arrangements for their provision:

• (e) Subsistence and resettlement allowance;

• Information on applicable tax and social security rules;

• Insurance coverage;

• Accommodation;

• Travel;

(f) Practical arrangements:

• (f) Medical checks;

• Visa and work permits;

(g) Confidentiality;

(h) Expected conduct from the EU Aid Volunteer, including integrity and code of conduct, and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults including zero tolerance towards sexual abuse, to be annexed to the contract;

(i) Disciplinary policy and termination of volunteer status;

(j) Mediation mechanism for problem-solving, grievance and dispute resolution;

(k) Responsibilities and policies applicable to security management and health and safety;

(l) Learning and development:

• (l) Training and induction;

• Debriefing.

4. In the event of a dispute between the hosting or sending organisation and an EU Aid Volunteer, the EU Aid Volunteer shall have the right to an effective legal remedy, in accordance with the national provisions applicable to the sending organisation.

Article 17 U.K. Entry in the database

Upon receipt of the EU Aid Volunteer's explicit consent, the sending organisation shall enter the EU Aid Volunteer's data in the database referred to in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 (‘the database’). Any processing of personal data in relation to this database must be done in accordance with data protection standard as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014. For any processing of personal data in relation to this database by the Commission, Regulation (EC) No 45/2001(1) is applicable.

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data; OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1