Welcome to the UR Community Cares, Inc.® website (www.urcommunitycares.org) (the “Site”), operated by UR Community Cares, Inc. ® (“UCC”), a non-profit, charitable organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. These protocols are meant to serve as training for Volunteers and Community Members because there will not be on-site training. Volunteers check-in with the Community Member upon arriving to their home and the Community Member will mark the service completed on the website once the Volunteer leaves. The Volunteer receives an email after Service is verified, then they can give review and submit a report of the service completed.
Volunteer Safety Protocols
• As a volunteer, your top priority is your safety and the safety of the community member for whom you’re volunteering. To this end, you should provide unskilled, routine homemaking and yard work tasks only. A list of suggested activities can be found on our Site. You should not provide any personal or hygienic care, including assistance with medications. You should not provide transportation services.
• You should not use any tools or equipment in performing an activity, other than household appliances and handheld, non-motorized, non-power, gardening implements (e.g., rakes). You should not use cleaning supplies, other than standard, household cleaners (e.g., Windex).
• In determining what activities to perform, you should use your common sense. You should not climb onto objects. You should not lift items in excess of what you feel you can handle. Use gloves when working outside or when using cleaning products. You should not do anything that requires more than moderate exertion. You should not do anything that you’ve been directed by a medical professional to refrain from doing. If you become tired or light-headed, you should stop what you’re doing. If you’re hungry, you should eat something. If you’re thirsty, you should drink something.
• You should dress appropriately for the tasks you’ll be performing. You should wear clothes that could potentially be ripped, stained or otherwise damaged. If working outdoors, particularly in areas where you may be exposed to poison ivy, thorny bushes, bees, etc., you should wear pants and long sleeves.
• If working outdoors, you may want to bring protective clothing, bug spray and sunscreen.
• Any minor is to be directly supervised by an adult who’s directly responsible for the minor.
• You should not perform services without first obtaining the verbal permission of the community member for whom you’re working.
• If you or the community member you’re volunteering for is injured, you should seek medical attention as necessary. Within 24 hours of any injury or other incident (e.g., property damage or medical emergency), you should complete an Incident Report.
• Any activities you perform for a community member are entirely pro-bono. You should not accept any money for the activities you perform. Nor should you provide a community member with money.
• It is important to UCC that you present a good image to the community members for whom you volunteer. You’re expected to perform the services you sign up for on schedule and in a timely manner. If you’ll miss a scheduled appointment or will be more than 15 minutes late for a scheduled appointment, you should inform the community member for whom you’re volunteering as far in advance as is reasonably possible. If you cancel or are later for three or more appointments in a row, we reserve the right to deactivate your profile.
• You should know that the community members for whom you volunteer have the ability to anonymously review your performance. (We also have the ability to anonymously review community members.) You should also know that from time to time, a UCC staff person may drop in to observe the tasks you provide for a community member. We reserve the right to deactivate your profile if, among other things, we receive negative feedback and/or observe you performing tasks in breach of these safety protocols.
• You may terminate your performance of services for a community member at any time. (A community member may do the same.) If your services are terminated, an Incident Report should be promptly prepared following the termination.
• Report anyone who violates our terms and conditions at: info@URCommunityCares.org within 24-hours.
Examples of terms and conditions violations include:
– Asking you for money or donations
– Requesting photographs
– Members sending or making harassing or offensive emails, texts or phone calls
– Members behaving inappropriately during or after meeting in person
– Fraudulent registration
• Protect your personal information, such as your social security number, credit card number or bank information.
• When meeting a community member in person, tell your friends or family members of your plans. Make sure you have a cell phone charged at all times. Transport yourself to and from meetings.
• Do not use drugs or alcohol before or during meetings.
Community Member Protocols
• As a community member, your top priority is your safety and the safety of the volunteer working for you. To this end, your volunteer is expected to provide unskilled, routine homemaking and yard work tasks only. Per list of suggested activities on Site. You should not ask a volunteer to perform any activity that requires any special skills or licenses – even if the volunteer happens to possess such skills or licenses. Volunteers may not provide any personal or hygienic care, including assistance with medications. Volunteers may not provide transportation services.
• If able, you should provide the volunteer with the items he or she will need to perform his or her activities. You should not expect volunteers to use any tools or equipment in performing an activity, other than household appliances and handheld, non-motorized, non-power, implements (e.g., brooms, rakes). Nor should you expect volunteers to use cleaning supplies, other than standard, household cleaners (e.g., Windex).
• In determining what activities, a volunteer may perform for you, you should use your common sense. You should not ask a volunteer to climb onto objects. You should not ask a volunteer to lift items in excess of what they feel they can handle. You should not ask a volunteer to do anything that requires more than moderate exertion. If a volunteer becomes tired or light-headed, you should advise them to stop what they’re doing. If a volunteer is hungry, you should tell them to eat. If a volunteer is thirst, you should tell them to drink something.
• Any minor is to be directly supervised by an adult who’s directly responsible for the minor.
• At the outset of any meeting, you should provide the volunteer with clear, specific instructions concerning what activities you’d like them to perform. You should also periodically monitor the work they’re doing in order to confirm it is consistent with your instructions and expectations.
• If you or the volunteer working for you is injured, medical attention should be sought as necessary. Within 24 hours of any injury or other incident (e.g., property damage or medical emergency), you should complete an Incident Report.
• Any activities a volunteer performs for you are entirely pro-bono. You should not pay a volunteer money for the activities they perform. If a volunteer asks for money, you should notify us.
• Do not ask a volunteer for money.
• It is important to UCC that you present a good image to the community members served on our platform. Volunteers are expected to perform the tasks they sign for on schedule and in a timely manner. If you cancel a scheduled appointment or will be more than 15 minutes late for a scheduled appointment, you should inform your volunteer as far in advance as is reasonably possible. If you cancel or are later for three or more appointments in a row, we reserve the right to deactivate your profile.
• You should know that the volunteers who work for you have the ability to anonymously review your performance. (You also have the ability to anonymously review volunteers.) You should also know that from time to time, a UCC staff person may drop in to observe the tasks volunteers perform. We reserve the right to deactivate your profile at any time, if, among other things, we receive negative feedback and/or observe you directing a volunteer to perform tasks in breach of these safety protocols.
• You may terminate a volunteer at any time. (A volunteer may quit at any time.) If a volunteer’s services are terminated or a volunteer quits, an Incident Report should be promptly prepared following the termination.
• Report anyone who violates our Terms and Conditions at: info@URCommunityCares.org within 24-hours.
Examples of terms and conditions violations include:
– Asking you for money or donations
– Requesting photographs
– Members sending or making harassing or offensive emails, texts or phone calls
– Members behaving inappropriately during or after meeting in person
– Fraudulent registration
• Protect your personal information, such as your social security number, credit card number or bank information.
• Our website will display certain personal identifying info of volunteers, including name and photo. Before opening the door to a volunteer, make sure the volunteer’s appearance and info match the info displayed on their profile.
• Do not use drugs or alcohol before or during meetings.
Background Checks
As part of the registration process, we reserve the right to use “Absolute Background Search” or any other background check service to conduct background checks on volunteers and community members. If we elect to conduct a background check, we further reserve the right to reject any volunteer or community member who doesn’t pass the background check.
Absolute Background Search begins with a Social Security Number Trace (for address history and possible alias/maiden names) and a Multi-Jurisdictional database search of over 1700 Federal Sanctions, State, County, and Municipality sources Including, but not limited to: Criminal Records, all available Sex Offender Registries (Updated Weekly), and Multiple Exclusions/Debarment Lists including the OFAC exclusions list. To further enhance the comprehensive coverage, additional jurisdictions are added as necessary based on a proprietary selection process to make sure no jurisdictions are missed based on best coverage without paying for multiple, duplicate or overlapping jurisdictions. In addition, any possible criminal records that are located are also verified at the appropriate court record repository prior to returning results to ensure compliance with the FCRA (section 613) requirements.
The results of the background check are reviewed by UCC, assessed against applicable regulations and internal safety criteria. You may be ineligible to participate on the UCC platform if, at the time of your application, your background check results reveal that you:
– Are listed on the National Sex Offender Registry database;
– Have been convicted at any time of a violent crime (such as homicide, kidnapping, human trafficking, arson, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or aggravated assault);
– Have been convicted at any time of a sexual offense (such as rape, sexual assault, or child pornography);
– Have been convicted at any time of an act of terror;
– Have been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the past seven years, or longer in some jurisdictions;
– Have been convicted of a fraud-related offense in the past seven years for most jurisdictions, although this time frame may be longer, or shorter, in certain jurisdictions;
– Have been convicted of a drug-related offense in the past seven years for most jurisdictions, although this time frame may be longer, or shorter, in certain jurisdictions;
– Have been convicted of a theft or property damage offense in the past seven years for most jurisdictions, although this time frame may be longer, or shorter, in certain jurisdictions; or
– Have engaged in any kind of behavior that, in UCC’s sole and absolute discretion, is disqualifying.
Please be aware that the above list is not inclusive of all disqualifying convictions. You may be found ineligible to participate with UCC based on other types of records.
UCC requires an up-to-date background check to remain on the platform. If you are returning to the platform after a period of inactivity, please contact us to ensure that your profile is current.
UCC reserves the right to disqualify a community member or volunteer at any time, in compliance with applicable law, should his/her background check reveal any disqualifying offense or for any other safety-related reason.
If your background check reveals potentially disqualifying information, you will receive a copy of the report via email. Keep in mind that background checks may take several weeks to process.
Policy Against Harassment
UCC is committed to providing an environment that is free of unlawful discrimination and/or harassment. In keeping with this commitment, UCC maintains a strict policy prohibiting unlawful harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment, by a volunteer/community member and by any third parties such as volunteers, community members or visitors. In addition, any harassment of an volunteer/community member on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, citizenship, veteran status, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic predisposition or any other protected classification is also strictly prohibited.
UCC considers harassment a serious act of misconduct for which a volunteer or community member will be disqualified from participating with UCC. The term “harassment” includes sexual, racial, ethnic and other forms of harassment, including harassment based upon disability.
Some examples of what may be considered harassment, depending on facts and circumstances, include the following:
Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, widespread sexual favoritism, and other verbal, physical or visual conduct of a sexual nature constitute unlawful sexual harassment if (1) submission to such conduct is made an explicit or implicit term or condition of services; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for services decision affecting an individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of either (a) unreasonably interfering with a volunteers work performance or (b) creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive volunteer/community members environment. Sexual harassment includes gender harassment and harassment on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, and also includes sexual harassment of a volunteer/community member of the same gender as the harasser.
Examples of conduct which may violate this Policy include; but are not limited to: offensive or unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances or propositions; threats and demands to submit to sexual request; offering volunteer/community member benefits in exchange for sexual favors; making or threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances; widespread sexual favoritism; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; graphic verbal commentaries about an individual’s body; sexually degrading words used to describe an individual; sexually-oriented jokes, e-mails, or written material; visual conduct, including leering, making sexual gestures, displaying of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons or posters; accessing sexually explicit, pornographic and/or socially offensive websites, chat rooms or other material on the internet or other computer systems; and the unwelcome physical touching of others.
Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy
In order to prevent the occurrence of sexual abuse by or among Volunteers and Community Members, UCC has adopted this prevention policy (the “Policy”). Sexual abuse includes any unwanted conduct or activity leading to, or resulting in, sexual arousal or gratification of one, or all, of the parties involved. It includes, but is not limited to, inappropriate touching, inappropriate physical contact, and titillating or romantic conversations. It also includes sexual assault, exploitation, molestation and injury. It does not include sexual harassment, which is another form of behavior which is prohibited by UCC. By registering as a Volunteer or Community Member with UCC, you agree to abide by the terms of this Policy.
When meeting with a Volunteer or Community Member, as the case may be, the following sexual prevention techniques should be observed:
1. All activities should occur either outdoors, or, if indoors, in a well-lit, easily accessible setting. Intimate or secluded environments, such as bedrooms, are to be avoided. Doors should be left open and unlocked.
2. Avoid physical contact with your Community Member or Volunteer. Any contact that could be construed as sexual in nature (e.g., hugs, kissing, patting on the rear, etc.) is forbidden. If your Community Member or Volunteer initiates contact which you consider sexual in nature you should disengage as soon as is reasonably safe and report such behavior to UCC immediately. You should also immediately report to UCC any other behavior that makes you uncomfortable.
3. When selecting a Volunteer or Community Member, as the case may be, be selective. You may want to avoid opposite sex match-ups.
4. Visits are to be scheduled in advance and are to last no more than three hours. They are to be scheduled to occur between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visits are not to last for longer than they are scheduled for. No time during a visit should be spent idle; rather, Volunteers should have activities planned to last for the duration of the visit.
Reporting Procedure
If you experience sexual abuse, or learn of someone who has, you should immediately notify Michelle Puzzo, President, email her: michellepuzzo@urcommunitycares.org. This can help us prevent others from similarly falling prey to sexual abusers in the future.
Investigation & Follow Up
We take allegations of sexual abuse seriously. Once an allegation is reported we will promptly, thoroughly and impartially initiate an investigation to determine whether there is a reasonable basis to believe that sexual abuse has been committed. During any period of investigation, we reserve the right to place the subject of the investigation on an involuntary suspension.
UCC will report any reported abuse to the applicable protective service and abuse agencies, and, with your consent, notify your designated emergency contact. To the fullest extent possible, but consistent with our legal obligation to report suspected abuse to appropriate authorities, we will endeavor to keep the identities of the alleged victims and investigation subject confidential.
If an investigation substantiates an allegation of sexual abuse, our policy requires immediate termination of the offending Volunteer or Community Member, as the case may be.