Young volunteer recruitment
Organisations have a duty of care towards young volunteers and need to ensure they are not being put at risk or placed in roles they are not yet ready for.
Volunteering is a way for young people to learn and develop skills, gain experience and confidence which will inform any future employment or life skills. Those supporting them can learn alongside them too, and when working with their peers they can provide support for each other.
Things to consider:
- Make sure that the young person is the right fit for the role.
- Assess any risks
- Check that your organisation has valid insurance to cover young volunteers.
- Understand you won't be able to complete a criminal records check (see below for exceptions to this for some age groups).
- Do not included them as an adult when calculating any adult to child ratios.
- It's best for them serve with those much younger than themselves.
- Ensure they are responsible to a named worker.
- Ensure they are never in a position where they are providing unsupervised care of children.
- The full safer recruitment procedure need not be applied, though the organisation would be expected to acquire basic information about the individual and take up personal references.
- Gain consent from parents or carers and ask them to sign written consent forms.
- Ensure parents and carers and the young person are aware of your safeguarding policy and procedures.
- Ensure they know how, when and to whom to raise concerns.
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14-15-year-olds
The 14-15 year old can’t be included in adult child ratios as an adult. And you cannot get a DBS check.
However, the organisation would be expected to acquire basic information about the individual and take up personal references.
You also need to gain consent from parents or carers and ask them to sign written consent forms.
As a rule, you cannot complete a criminal record check for anyone aged 14–15. The only exception is for individuals who are at least 15 years and 8 months old, are in a regulated role, and are expected to continue in that role beyond age 16.
There is no general legal restriction on volunteering by children in not-for-profit organisations. However, some local authorities have by-laws restricting the number of hours children can work.
As with all applicants, young people should be judged on their merits. Minimum and maximum age limits for volunteers are vague. The fact someone is willing to do the work is more significant than the date on their birth certificate.
16-year-olds
Although it is possible to get a DBS check for a person aged 16, it is unlikely to have sufficient information on it.
A 16-year-old who is in a regulated role will be legally required to join the PVG scheme.
16-year-olds who are not in a regulated role can apply for a Basic check from Disclosure Scotland.
Although a 16-year-old can be considered as an adult in some circumstances, it is advised (as per the guidance above) that they should not generally be counted as adults for the purpose of adult to child ratios.
For further guidance see:
It is possible for a 16-year-old to obtain an AccessNI check at the appropriate level.
17-year-olds
It is possible to obtain a DBS check at the appropriate level for a person aged 17 years-old.
17-year-olds cannot be counted as adults for adult-to-child ratios.
It is possible to obtain a Disclosure Scotland check at the appropriate level for a person aged 17 years-old. If they in a regulated role they are legally required to join the PVG scheme.
While a 17-year-old may be considered an adult in some circumstances, it is advised (as per the guidance above) that they should not be counted as adults for the purpose of adult to child ratios.
It is possible to obtain an AccessNI check at the appropriate level for a person aged 17 years-old.
17-year-olds cannot be counted as adults for adult-to-child ratios.
Page last updated: 12 November 2025