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Circuit Rider Principles
Background
Circuit Riders, e-Riders and other professionals working
with
charities, non-profits and other VCS organisations have for some years
acknowledged that there has not been a single statement of the
principles by which they work. The idea of having these has
been
discussed at various conferences and meetings in the UK, US and
internationally but without an overall agreement. Until now.
The ICT Hub Circuit Rider Training and
Standards Project,
following on from groundwork done by many Riders, has carried out
consultation with a wide range of Riders and other ICT voluntary sector
professionals to formulate the Principles which are reproduced on this
page. We feel that this is a significant step forward in advancing the
Circuit Rider movement and one which help with a step towards enabling
acceleration of professionalisation of the community. We would urge all
those working in the sector to show their commitment by "signing up" to
the principles. The principles can also be downloaded
here (pdf - 58kb - opens in new window).
Sign up
To sign up to the
list of organisations and individuals who have made a commitment to
work according to these principles, please email
crprinciples@lasa.org.uk - your name, organisation (if appropriate) and
web address will be published on the Circuit
Rider Signatories
page. You are welcome to display the Principles on your website as a
signatory and we would appreciate links back to these pages.
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The Circuit Rider Principles
I/we commit
to…
Vision and values
- Recognise
and respect the characteristics (vision, values, culture, funding,
mission, beneficiaries and services) of the particular Voluntary and
Community Sector (VCS) organisation
I/we work with and adapt my approach appropriately.
Working practices
- Work
honestly and transparently, declaring any conflicts of interest
(including reselling
activities) and be prepared to say when a non-Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) solution is the best
course of action.
- Use
non-technical language and examples to help organisations understand
ICT and their choices.
- Understand
the limitations of my/our ICT skills and knowledge and help to connect VCS
organisations I/we work with to other ICT providers and development
workers if unable to meet the organisation’s needs.
- Ensure
legal and best practice requirements are made explicit to the
organisations I/we work with (e.g. health and safety, data protection,
environmental, accessibility, inclusion, confidentiality and
licensing).
Learning, professional
development and support
- Engage
in continuous learning to maintain the necessary skills and level of
knowledge to understand ICT, the VCS in general and any sub-sectors
(e.g. health, environment, etc.) I/we work with.
- Participate
in and share my/our knowledge with the VCS ICT community and the
organisations I/we work with.
Supporting
organisational development and sustainability
- Help
organisations understand the impact ICT can have on staff, volunteers
and beneficiaries, taking responsibility to highlight and assist with
change management.
- Equip
organisations with tools, knowledge and processes to enable them to
make informed decisions and take full advantage of ICT and how to make
ongoing strategic decisions with or without external support.
- Enable
organisations to understand the total cost of ownership (TCO) needed to
maintain and improve their ICT commitments, offering choice and
refraining from prescribing dependency-based ICT solutions.
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Future work
We will also be working on a set of principles which
Riders
can use to present to their clients which we hope will assist with
creating trusted working relationships. We also intend to issue a logo
to signatories for display on their websites etc.
Ackowledgements
Lasa and the ICT Hub Circuit Rider Training and
Standards
Advisory Group thanks everyone involved in contributing to the process
of drawing up these principles over the years including:
Contact
Contact Ian Runeckles at Lasa if you would like more
details by
emailing iruneckles @ lasa.org.uk or call 020 7426 4473
 
Page updated 20 February 2008
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Email discussion list
Subscribe to our UK
Circuit Rider discussion list to discuss and help
develop the UK Circuit Rider movement. Your e-mail address will not be
used for any other purpose and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Also see our Circuit
Rider Project website.
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