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Mid & North Beds Quality Standards Project
What is a Quality Standards System?
A quality standards or assurance system is a system that allows you to find out and respond to the needs of your users, so that you provide an appropriate service consistently and to agreed standards. You should be able to provide evidence that you are doing so.
Implementing quality systems is a major issue for the voluntary sector. The move towards service level agreements and a contract culture has led to considerable pressure on voluntary organisations to become more managerial and professional. Funders frequently want to see evidence of quality systems being in place as part of this trend.
Quality Systems have similar key features. They consist of a series of policies and procedures detailing:
- How the organisation is run
- How service delivery is managed
- How staff are managed
- How client care is managed
All quality systems are underpinned by monitoring and evaluation so that you can tell if your organisation is working, as it should.
One primary quality standards systems for small voluntary and community groups is PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations) - see below for more details. CVS is now able to support your organisation in attaining PQASSO with the following programme:
Intensive PQASSO Support Programme 2009
A programme of workshops and advice sessions supported by our licensed PQASSO Mentor (Jane Owen) to help organisations work towards PQASSO Level 1. This programme is funded by the Big Lottery Fund so there is no charge to organisations.
The Intensive PQASSO Support Programme will begin with two one-day workshops:
- During March 2010 - Workshop on Implementing PQASSO
- During March 2010 - Workshop on the Self-Assessment Process & Evidence
Following on from these workshops there will be two informal drop-in group mentoring sessions on:
These sessions will progress through the quality areas, enable organisations to work together to share resources and information and will cover any quality related topics that the participating organisations raise.
Additional support will be available to all participating organisations between sessions by telephone or visit as needed. Once these workshops have been completed, your organisation will be able to participate in further monthly PQASSO mentoring sessions if you would like further support.
What we expect from you
- Attendance at both workshops and some of the mentoring sessions. More than one person from your organisation can attend the workshops and mentoring sessions.
- A commitment to progress PQASSO between workshops and mentoring sessions, with support from the Mentor.
- We have loan copies of the PQASSO 3rd Edition Work Pack for groups to use with but your organisation will need to purchase its own copy before the end of the support programme (£95.00 + P+P).
Download: Intensive PQASSO Support Sign Up Form
Quality Standards Bursary Fund
CVS is launching a new Quality Standards Bursary Fund to assist local Third Sector organisations to access training to improve their performance and/or implement a quality standard.
The Bursary Fund could pay the costs of training up to £100 per person or up to a maximum of £500 per organisation. It’s open to voluntary and community organisations operating in North and Mid Bedfordshire who have a governing document and a bank account. Priority will be given to organisations with an annual income less than £100,000. For example we could fund:
- The cost of sending staff or volunteers on an external training course up to £100 per individual
- The cost of hiring a trainer to come into your organisation to train a number of staff/volunteers up to £100 per individual, with a maximum of £500 per organisation
If you have any questions, contact Jane Owen on 01234 354366 or email jane@yourcvs.org
Download: Quality Standards Bursary Fund Application & Guidance Notes
What is PQASSO?
- PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations) is the Charities Evaluations Services' practical quality assurance system for small organisations, or for projects within larger organisations. It's a straightforward quality system, written in plain English and designed specifically for voluntary sector organisations.
- PQASSO provides a flexible, step-by-step approach to working out what your organisation is doing well and what could be improved. By using the self-assessment work pack, the system helps you to set priorities for your organisation's future and improve your organisation's performance.
- PQASSO is the most widely used quality assurance system within the voluntary sector, adopted by thousands of organisations wishing to become more efficient and effective.
- PQASSO is designed particularly for small to medium-sized voluntary organisations - those with up to 20 workers. Organisations working in all areas can use PQASSO.
How does PQASSO work?
PQASSO is a self-assessment quality assurance system and is built on 12 topics or 'quality areas'. These 12 quality areas cover all the main things you need to attend to in order to run your organisation well and achieve good results for your users. The quality areas are:
- Planning for Quality
- Governance
- Management
- User-centred service
- Staff and Volunteers
- Training and Development
- Managing Money
- Managing Resources
- Managing Activities
- Networking and Partnership
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Results
In each quality area, you ask yourself a series of questions and check if you have evidence to support your answers. According to your answers, you will see where improvements are needed. You then make an action plan, and as you get underway with your improvements you may find you move up a level. As stated this is done by self assessment and at a pace that best suits you.
In each quality area, the standard itself is clearly defined and applies top all organisations. You then decide what counts as evidence, according to the particular nature of your organisation (pointers are given).
PQASSO has been developed by the Charities Evaluation Services and more information can be found at www.ces-vol.org.uk.
Find Out from the following articles why PQASSO can be so important for your organisation:
Help with strategic and business planning
Business Planning Toolkit
We also have an excellent Business Planning Toolkit on this website which was developed by Luton Dunstable Partnership (LDP) - it takes you step by step through the process of producing a Development/Business Plan. You can access the toolkit by visiting our Development Plans Page.
Other resources available here at CVS include an advance copy of the new Full Cost Recovery software which includes a Business Planner and our library of books. Please contact kay@yourcvs.org or phone 01234 354366 to book some time in the resources library.
If your organisation needs more support, there are two charities that may be able to help:
Pilotlight
Pilotlight provide the expertise of business and industry professionals to help charities strengthen their management, governance, leadership and sustainability through the development of strategies, systems, structures and skills. You can read more information about their criteria by downloading ‘Application and Pilotlight model’ and about how the process works by downloading ‘How Pilotlight works’. The support is provided free to groups but you must be prepared to travel into London for meetings – however you could use the CVS Bursary Fund to pay towards travel costs. Website: www.pilotlight.org.uk
The Cranfield Trust
The Cranfield Trust provide free management consultancy for charities and social enterprise groups. Highly skilled Trust volunteers throughout the country donate their time and expertise to support the voluntary sector, establishing a reputation for providing advice and mentoring on a wide range of issues. You can read the project guidelines, which include information on how to apply by downloading ‘Cranfield Trust project guidelines’ and more information on the scheme by downloading ‘Cranfield Trust ‘How we operate’. Website: www.cranfieldtrust.org.uk
For More Details
Contact: Jane Owen, CVS on 01234 354366 or at jane@yourcvs.org to find out more.
Information Sheet:
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