For those services based within the voluntary and charitable sector, the board or committee will be made-up of volunteers- unpaid managers overseeing the governance of the organisation.

Some services will also provide volunteer placements for childcare students or school children gaining work experience. Although volunteers are unpaid, they may receive out-of-pocket expenses such as travel costs. Volunteers should be treated with the same respect as paid staff, and should undergo some induction training to familiarise themselves with how the service operates.

Volunteers should not be counted within staff ratios and should not be left in sole charge of a group of children, although they should be disclosure checked. Volunteers do not need to register with the SSSC or undertake any childcare qualifications.