Parents
A safety checklist for parents
Questions to ask before your teen volunteers: who supervises, what the organization checks, when shifts end, and what to do if something feels wrong. Plus exactly what Volanee checks and what it does not.
Most volunteering is safe, social and good for teens. A few questions up front make it safer, and they are the same questions a good organization will be glad you asked.
The checklist
- Is it run by a real organization? Look for a named nonprofit, school, library, hospital or community group, not a private person.
- Who supervises, and are there others around? Group settings with a named coordinator are the safer default for anyone under 18. Be wary of one on one arrangements with an adult.
- Does the organization screen its staff? Ask what checks it runs on the adults who supervise minors.
- When does it end, and how will they get home? Plan transportation before the first shift, especially after dark.
- Is anyone asking for money? Real volunteering does not ask a teen for deposits, fees or gift cards.
- Does contact stay in the open? Updates should come through the organization, not a coordinator's personal phone or social media.
- What happens if something feels wrong? Your teen should know they can leave, call you and report it.
What Volanee checks, exactly
Before an organization can work with a student on Volanee, it joins with a key we give out, a person reviews the photo ID of the adult on its account, and the organization confirms in writing that the staff who supervise students are screened under its own policy.
The app also enforces rules for everyone under 18: no shift longer than 4 hours, nothing ending after 8 PM on a school night, no requests for money, and no private chats: organizations send updates to everyone they accepted, and parents see them. You give permission once, from one link, with a weekly hour limit you choose, and you can pause or withdraw it any time.
What Volanee does not claim
A photo ID check is not a criminal background check, and we never call it one. Each organization answers for background checks on its own staff. Opportunities we found on an organization's own website are marked as not vetted. Checks reduce risk; they do not remove it, which is why your permission, your limits and a fast way to report a problem matter.
Want the details? Every check, rule and limit is on our safety page.
How Volanee keeps students safe
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