Published on 12, July, 2020
Has anyone had problems with the recently imposed annual Volunteer Refresher
course and tests, in particular the test relating to GDPR.
If NAS wants to retain volunteers, then this is not the way to go about it.
Everything takes too long for busy people. And for me who is Autistic, my
learning style is not suited to memory-based tests without a separate hard
copy to work from. The final test for the GDPR was so stressful that I had a meltdown
and 3 days of verbal shouting, before deciding to quit volunteering.
I only went back to attempt the test again after being prompted and offered split-screen help.
What a complete waste of NAS admin time. I eventually managed to get the 80% pass by
circling through the test many times and writing down right or wrong answers to refer to.
I have contacted NAS to enquire about this and have been told that I am not alone.
SO...why hasn't anything been done about it?
I have asked for the name of the person(s) who implemented this, plus their contact details
because it smacks of some ulterior-motived control-freak recently new to middle or senior management
attempting to stamp themselves on an opportunist situation, a bit like hedge-hopping CEOs do. And so
far I have not had any reply.
Will I have to go to the NAS HQ in Angel, London
Because I will if I get no response!
I know it's a legal requirement and that's fine, but I was having a hissy strop over the way the test is run. It could be delivered in several formats for those who have difficulty with the present format.
Give it a try and see how you find it.
Fibonacci Squid said:GDPR is a legal requirement for anyone working with potentially sensitive data, of which medical data is a special category, including the fact that somebody is autistic.
I was a Victim of GDPR breech a few years ago. Lucky nobody opened the attachment of personal information.
Okay...point taken. I can't help throwing Teddy around the room. But it could be administered in an alternative format for those who are finding it difficult. A postal hard copy would be good.
GDPR is a legal requirement for anyone working with potentially sensitive data, of which medical data is a special category, including the fact that somebody is autistic.
It may be that this style of training did not suit you, but it is the responsibility of the charity to make sure you are aware of it and how it works, otherwise if you do something that could mess this up, both you personally and the organisation as a whole could be hit with severe fines.
This is not just a stamp exercise, it is an issue that can severely effect peoples lives, and while I can't say that their means of conveyance is functional, it is something that I would be surprised if NAS did not train their volunteers in.
What are the volunteer refresher test for (besides GDPR)? What is the volunteering for?