New law defining who can volunteer and with what rights

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. It defines volunteering as activities of general interest that are supportive, freely chosen and unpaid, carried out through volunteering organizations. Family favors, scholarships, internships and paid work do not count as volunteering.
2. It sets clear limits: volunteering cannot be used to justify firing anyone or to replace public administrations in services they must provide by law.
3. It regulates who can volunteer. Minors aged 16 to 18 need consent from their parents or guardians, and those aged 12 to 16 need express authorization. For programs with regular contact with minors, volunteers must not have been convicted of sexual offenses or trafficking of minors.
4. The relationship between volunteer and organization is always formalized through a written incorporation agreement covering rights, duties, tasks, reimbursable expenses and the length of the commitment.
5. Volunteering organizations must be nonprofit, take out insurance for volunteers, reimburse their expenses, provide training and issue a certificate of their activity. They are also liable to third parties for damage caused by their volunteers.
6. It promotes volunteering by companies and universities and allows adapting working hours so employees can volunteer, respecting collective bargaining. Existing organizations have one year to adapt to the law.

Who it affects

• People who want to volunteer: They get recognized rights (training, insurance, expense reimbursement) and duties such as confidentiality and refusing payments.
• Volunteering organizations: They must meet requirements, sign an incorporation agreement with each volunteer and adapt to the law within one year.
• People who receive volunteer help: They have the right to information, to a different volunteer and to refuse the help at any time.
• Employees and public sector workers: They can volunteer only outside their working hours, though schedule adjustments can be agreed.
• Companies and universities: They can promote volunteer programs if they meet the law's requirements.

Words worth knowing

Acuerdo de incorporación (incorporation agreement)

Written document signed by the volunteer and the organization setting out tasks, rights, duties and length of the commitment.

Gastos reembolsables (reimbursable expenses)

Money the organization gives back to the volunteer for costs of the activity, such as travel. It is not a salary.

Ánimo de lucro (profit motive)

Seeking to make money from the activity. Volunteering organizations cannot have it.

Sentencia firme (final judgment)

A court ruling that can no longer be appealed and is therefore final.

Negociación colectiva (collective bargaining)

Process in which unions and employers agree on workers' conditions.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries