Are duty blocks fixed or can they change weekly?

In most cases, duty blocks are fixed and remain the same from week to week. We believe it is important for volunteers to have consistency, routine, and the ability to plan their personal time, studies, work, travel, and wellbeing activities around their volunteering commitments.

The weekly duty block agreed at the start of your volunteering placement will normally remain in place for the duration of your stay. We do not expect volunteers to be "on call" outside of their agreed duties, as we do not believe that would be fair or consistent with the nature of volunteering.

From time to time, there may be occasions where additional support is needed due to operational requirements or other unforeseen circumstances. In these situations, volunteers may be asked whether they are willing and available to help outside their usual duty block. Any such requests are voluntary, and where additional hours are provided, arrangements can be made to balance these hours appropriately.

Similarly, if there is a need to make more significant changes to a volunteer's duty block, this would be discussed with the volunteer in advance and as much notice as possible would be provided. We always aim to find a solution that works for both the volunteer and the hostel wherever reasonably possible.