Information for Placement Sites

The service provider prepares the agreements regarding the completion of voluntary service, which are signed by the service provider, the placement, and the volunteers or their legal guardians. In the case of a Federal Voluntary Service (BFD), the contract is signed by the federal government through the service provider.

Volunteers in the educational field require an extended certificate of good conduct. With a cover letter formulated by you, volunteers can obtain this certificate free of charge from the respective citizen's offices.

The application process may take up to four weeks. Please take this into account regarding the start of work.

Schools submit the extended certificate of good conduct to the ADD (Supervisory and Service Agency) for consideration.

The personal data of the volunteers are subject to data protection regulations.

A voluntary service can be extended for a maximum of six months. Volunteers should discuss this extension with their placement site and submit a request to the service provider. For each month of extension, one seminar day is required (organized by the voluntary service provider).

The placement site and the organization must be informed about the incapacity for work before the start of the daily shift; the certificate of incapacity for work must be submitted to the organization and the placement site no later than the 3rd day of illness.

For individuals under 18 years old, the initial medical examination, according to §§ 32 and 41 of the Youth Labor Protection Act, must be arranged by the placement site before starting the voluntary service.

All volunteers have a designated supervisor at their placement site. The training, which lasts approximately 4 weeks, is conducted by trained staff members. A regular, professionally qualified supervision is also ensured throughout the entire service period. To help you, as a supervisor, conduct successful reflection meetings, we have provided you with some materials.

Material for Feedback Meetings

The law defines the work of the volunteers as predominantly practical assistance in nonprofit organizations. The FSJ and the BFD do not replace the filling of existing positions.

Night shifts are not allowed.

The enforcement of occupational safety regulations must be ensured by the placement site. Costs for necessary occupational medical examinations are covered by the placement site.

For any overtime worked – which should only be allowed in exceptional cases – the volunteers will receive compensatory time off. According to the JFDG, it is not possible to compensate for overtime with financial payment.

The JFDG regulates the extent of pedagogical support. It includes professional guidance by the host organization as well as educational work and individual care by pedagogical experts from the service provider.

For an FSJ, the first three months serve as a probationary period, while for a BFD, it's the first six weeks. At the end of this probationary period, an evaluation meeting with the volunteers should be conducted to discuss the initial phase. During this meeting, the focus for the rest of the service should be agreed upon. Materials for structuring reflection meetings and providing suggestions are available for your reference.

Documents Reflection

Issues that cannot be satisfactorily resolved within the organization should be discussed with the responsible educational staff of the service provider. You can find out which educational referent is responsible for your volunteers at the beginning of their service. All contact information can be found here.

Contacts

The volunteers must maintain confidentiality regarding the illnesses and personal circumstances of those they care for, even after their service has ended. Please discuss what this means for your institution with your volunteers in their initial working phase.

The volunteer service is full-time for all individuals under the age of 27. Minor part-time employment must be requested in writing from the organization. The volunteer service must not be compromised by such additional work, and working hours must be adhered to.

The DRK conducts 25 education days for all volunteers under the age of 27, in the form of single-day and multi-day seminars, in accordance with the provisions of the JFDG (Youth Voluntary Service Act). The dates are communicated in writing to the placement site at the beginning of the voluntary service. The concept for volunteers aged 27 and older differs in terms of quantity and content. Attendance is mandatory, and these days are considered working days. During the seminars, no vacation requests will be approved.

If you'd like to get an impression of our seminar work, feel free to visit our Instagram channel or check out the latest content on our social wall.

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In general, there is no legal entitlement to special leave. However, in justified exceptional cases, special leave may be granted in agreement between the placement site and the organization.

The volunteers participate in team meetings.

The contracts have a notice period of 4 weeks to the end of the month or mid-month. During the probationary period, the notice period is 14 days.

The participation in internal training measures should be made available to the volunteers.

Any necessary preventive measures (e.g., hepatitis vaccination) will be initiated by the placement site in accordance with the guidelines of the relevant employers' liability insurance association. The costs for this are to be borne by the placement site.

Volunteers working for twelve months are entitled to 26 days of paid leave.

Continuous cooperation with the placement sites is maintained through visits by the responsible pedagogical staff of the organization to the placement site.

Volunteers can request a certificate from the placement. The content-based evaluation of the service is based on the template provided by the voluntary service provider and is sent via email to the provider. The provider issues certificates in accordance with the guidelines.

The placement provides protective clothing for activities for which personal protective equipment is prescribed by the employers' liability insurance association.

The regular weekly working hours are usually 39 hours (with an exception in the emergency medical service). The scheduling of shifts is based on the specific conditions of the facility and may include shift work and weekend shifts. Typically, every second weekend is off. The regulations of the Youth Employment Protection Act apply to young people under 18 years of age.

Every workplace accident must be reported promptly to the relevant employers' liability insurance association by the placement site.

The Youth Employment Protection Act applies to young people under the age of 18. You can find a summary of the Youth Employment Protection Act here:

Youth Employment Protection Act