Legitimate volunteering could be damaged by a "flood of criticism" over internships, NCVO director of volunteering Justin Davis Smith warned a Parliamentary group yesterday.
Davis Smith (pictured) was discussing the arguments around unpaid internships at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Civil Society and Volunteering yesterday.
Davis Smith, whose full title is executive director of volunteering and development at NCVO, referred back to recommendations produced by the organisation earlier this year that argue roles in charities should either be paid or be genuine volunteering opportunities.
He said the use of unpaid internships as a substitute for paid roles risked damaging the reputation of genuine volunteering.
He said NCVO’s concern is that “legitimate and very valuable forms of volunteering will be washed away in a flood of criticism” by the use of unpaid internships.
He said: “We’ve been very clear all along that charities should not be immune from criticism if they are getting it wrong, and that charities need to adhere to this.”
He said the value of volunteering “is increasingly being recognised”, and that volunteering is different from a job.
Kristen Stephenson, volunteering development manager at NCVO, said talk about the importance of being paid for some positions could devalue the contributions made by volunteers.
She said: “We need to be a bit cautious of saying that something is so important a paid member of staff should do it. Look at the RNLI. Think about the importance and value volunteers can bring”.
Baroness Howarth, a crossbench peer who attended the meeting, said internships should not be only available to those that can afford them.
Ogo Ojukwu, internships and placements manager at Macmillan, said that Macmillan offers the opportunity for people to undertake internships on a part time basis to allow people to work around their other commitments, such as part-time jobs, studies or looking after family members.
Ruth Leonard, head of volunteering development at Macmillan, also spoke of how using interns meant they could engage with a different demographic, and learn new skills, using as an example the assistance an intern gave in bringing employees up to date with the use of social media.
APPG appointments
The APPG, the first to be held in this government, saw the appointment of Nick Hurd, Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and former minister for civil society, and Susan Elan Jones, Labour MP Clwyd South, appointed the Commons co-chairs.
Baroness Pitkeathley and Lord Hodgson were appointed the Lords co-chairs, and SNP MPs Paul Monaghan, MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, and Martin Docherty, MP for West Dunbartonshire, were appointed the APPG’s vice-chairs.
