The Placing committee read the references when matching volunteers to placements. The first 3 pages will then be sent to the placement as they consider the volunteer but the 4th page will remain confidential to TFG.

When matching volunteers it is useful for TFG to be aware of a history of any health issues or mental illness or sexuality issues. This does not exclude a volunteer from TFG but rather helps TFG in providing the necessary support and a suitable placement. We appreciate that this is difficult so please call the office if you have any concerns.

Finally we need a clear understanding of the individual – we are not simply looking for “right” answers. TFG tries to place every young person who applies regardless of denomination or strength of faith, as long as they commit to seriously explore their faith during the placement.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Applicant’s name:

What is your relationship to the applicant?

How long have you know him/ her, and how well?

What do you understand to be the applicant’s reasons for wanting to volunteer?

What are the main areas in which he/ she will benefit from doing TFG?

In what ways do you think he /she will need support in coping with the stresses involved in doing this?

Christian background/ experience

Outline your perception of the volunteer’s Christian background, experience and maturity

Current difficulties

Outline areas of the volunteer’s life in which he/she iscurrently having difficulty:

Client Groups

Typical placements involve the volunteer living and working with some of the following groups. Please note any difficulties you could foresee, and whether you have direct experience of seeing him/ her involved in relevant situations:

Toddlers and young children (under 11)

Church and non-church youth (age11+)

Learning difficulties (children or adults):

Physical handicap (children or adults):

Older people:

People with mental illness, marginalised groups, homeless, etc:

Work Settings

Similarly, how do you think they would fit into the following environments, and what difficulties do you think they would face. The items in brackets denote some of the typical problem areas encountered in these situations.

Community Centres

(daily travel to place of work; managing part-time staff; dealing with wide range of public; in some cases working in a secular context, irregular but set hours; managing leisure time, etc…)

Church Work

(workaholic ministers; irregular hours and unstructured timetable; initiative needed; working with disadvantaged people; different styles of worship; challenges to theology; “switching off” after work when living with a church family, etc….)

Local/ CommunityProjects

(daily travel to place of work, a flexible job description and shifting staff team; visiting/working withvulnerable people; initiative needed, often located in highly disadvantaged areas, etc...)

Charity or Small Organisation

(daily travel to place of work, close staff teams, a lot to learn initially, expected to work independently and manage time well, help with administration needed etc...)

Please tick the following boxes at the appropriate point. No value judgement is implied here, and TFG tries to find placements for everyone who seriously applies—to do this effectively requires accurate assessments of the volunteer’s strengths and weaknesses.

Health
Often ill / Average / Excellent
Personality
Well-liked / Average / Avoided
Intelligence
Low / Average / High
Sensitivity
Very discerning / Average / Unaware
Emotional Stability
Wide swings / Average / Very stable
Sense of humour
Over-developed / Average / None
Work output
Does minimum / Average / Maximum plus!
Teamwork
Excellent / Average / Causes friction
Adaptability
Rigid / Average / Adjusts easily
Service to others
Very helpful / Average / Avoids others
Leadership ability
Never leads / Average / Never follows
Responsibility
Very reliable / Average / Unreliable
Criminal Record

Yes, I do know of a record and/ or convictions

(detailed on an attached sheet)

No, I know of no record

Strengths

Detail below the volunteer’s strengths – in areas such as personality, temperament, leadership, skills, talents/ gifts, and spirituality:

Weaknesses

Similarly, please outline areas, which are problems for the applicant, or for those around them:

Name:

Telephone Number: E-mail:

Signed: Date:

Many thanks for your help in completing this form – we appreciate that it is a time-consuming and often difficult process, but it is invaluable in trying to find the right place for the young person in question.

Once we have had the chance to read through the material, we may be in touch to talk over some aspects of this individual’s application, so please note if there are any particular times/ numbers where it is best to reach you.

If there are any other details relevant to this application which you feel we should know but which need to be kept confidential, please write to me at the address below – marking the letter “Private and Confidential”: the contents will be shared only with appropriate TFG staff.

Thanks again for your help. Please feel free to ring me if I can help in any way in the future.

David Williamson

Chief Executive Officer

TFG (Volunteers)

North Bank, 28 Pages Lane

Muswell Hill

London, N10 1PN

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 8883 1504

Fax: +44 (0)20 8365 2471

E-mail:

Time For God is a Registered Charity (No. 286163) sponsored by: Baptist Church (Baptist Church Missionary Society & Baptist Union), Catholic Church, Church Army, Church of England (General Synod Board of Education, Congregational Federation, MAYC (The Methodist Church Serving Young People