There are numerous Quality Standards some of which can be self-assessed whilst others use an external assessor. Not all, such as the Third Sector Assessment Dashboard are accredited. Some quality standards are more complex than others and need a greater commitment in terms of resources such as staff time. Standards are also available for specific services such as the London Youth Quality Mark which has a youth focus. Standards such as PQASSO include an add-on feature enabling a specific area to be tagged on to its standard framework although there are clearly cost implications for this. The summary of standards below includes feedback on the five most commonly used standards as identified by the NVCO Scoping Paper. These are shown in italic text.

Mentoring and Befriending

APS is the national quality standard specifically designed for mentoring and befriending projects. It consists of 12 elements which focus on the key management and operational areas that underpin the effectiveness of any mentoring or befriending project.

Pricing depends on the total number of volunteer mentors/befrienders in the project and for new voluntary, community and statutory sector organisations price ranges from £660-£1320.

Mentoring and/or befriending projects are eligible to apply for APS if they are fully operational.

More information can be found here: http://www.mandbf.org/about-us

Advice Quality Standards

The Advice Quality Standard (AQS) is the only sector-owned, independently audited standard that focuses on advice.

The AQS is awarded to organisations that give advice to members of the public on legal issues. Organisations are audited every two years and have to demonstrate that they are accessible, effectively managed, and employ staff with the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of their clients.

The AQS is owned by the Advice Services Alliance (ASA) and is managed by a committee of individuals with expertise in quality and the advice sector.

EFQM/Business Excellence Model

This is a very popular model for businesses and not for profit organisations throughout Europe. The Excellence model is based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model of quality management. It is a method used mainly in large business organisations and rather less so through the voluntary and community sectors (though it has been shown to have possible applications in this area). The model is seen by those who develop it as a tool for continually improving your own organisation through understanding where you’re at, where the gaps are and enabling you to develop solutions. The EFQM Excellence Model allows people to understand the cause and effect relationships between what their organisation does and the Results it achieves. The Excellence Model is externally evaluated.

For the organisations that use the EFQM Excellence Model it is viewed quite positively, or as the ‘least worst’ option because it looks at both organisational processes and outcomes, much of the work for the standard can be done internally, and the model has been adapted and tailored to the specific requirements of several organisations: its flexibility was appreciated.

Investors in Diversity

Developed for all organisations in all sectors, this standard focuses on inclusion, equality and diversity. It has been developed by the National Centre for Diversity.

Investors in People (IiP)

This is a single focus standard, designed for any organisation and recognised across the voluntary, public and private sectors. Investors in People aims to improve organisational performance through people management and development. It is externally assessed and results in a quality standard which is valid for three years.

Investors in People focuses on one element of quality management; that of human resources and people management. It is the most well-known standard, and was widely viewed as useful and not too bureaucratic, with a good assessment process. It was also seen as sending a good message to potential employees.

Investing in Volunteers (IiV)

Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management. It helps to benchmark the quality of volunteer management and involvement, prove and improve the effectiveness of work with volunteers and enhance an organisation's reputation.

ISO 9000

ISO 9000 relates to quality management and is designed to help organisations meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. The system looks at how you deliver your products, services and activities through the processes that you use. The standards are published by ISO, the International Organisation for Standardisation, and are available through the British Standards Institution. They are part of a wider set of ‘ISO’ standards, including ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. However, the most commonly used ones for our sector are ISO 9000 (quality management) and ISO 9000:2008 (quality management systems). The ISO website includes particular guidance for small or medium sized organisations on how to implement the systems. Once certified, organisations can carry the ISO mark for the relevant standard that has been achieved.

ISO 9001 was viewed as process driven, too onerous, and not appropriate for the VCS. It was widely seen as being externally driven as the standard that commissioners want, that attracts the most points on Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs). That ISO originates in the manufacturing industry was raised several times.

Matrix Standard

Made up of four strands, the Matrix Standard is the unique quality framework for the effective delivery of information, advice and/or guidance on learning and work. It promotes the delivery of high quality information, advice and/or guidance by ensuring organisations review, evaluate and develop their service; encourage the take up of professionally recognised qualifications and the continuous professional development of their staff. The purpose of the matrix Standard is to provide a benchmark for organisations to assess/measure their advice and support services which ultimately support individuals in their choice of career, learning, work and life goals.

The Matrix Standard was felt to be more impact-focused and less onerous than other standards.

NAVCA Quality Award

A rigorous, externally-audited, evaluation for support providers (also known as local infrastructure) such as your local CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) or equivalent. A support provider will offer guidance to local community groups, voluntary and faith organisations to help them set up, develop and grow. These services might include governance advice, guidance on funding or a volunteering function. This award is assessed against nationally-approved performance standards that look at the quality of services offered to local voluntary and community groups. Once awarded, the NAVCA Quality Award is valid for three years.

PQASSO Standards (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations)

Developed by the Charities Evaluation Services specifically for the voluntary and community sector, PQASSO is the leading quality standard and used most widely across the sector. Originally developed as a self-assessment model, the system covers all aspects of running an organisation. Its flexibility means it can be used by all types of organisations, including charities, social enterprises, and community interest companies. It is also appropriate for all sizes – from small community groups with a handful of employees to larger charities with over 2,000 employees. The system now offers an externally-accredited PQASSO Quality Mark which is endorsed by the Charity Commission at certain levels. The workbook costs £98 and a CD Rom to compliment the workbook costs a further £55.

PQASSO Quality Mark

The PQASSO Quality Mark is a new external assessment service for PQASSO and is for VCOs that wish to show that their achievement against the PQASSO standards has been externally verified. It offers accreditation against either level 1 or level 2 of the PQASSO quality standards. Level 3 will be provided at a later date.

PQASSO was viewed positively for encompassing both organisational processes and outcomes. It was seen as being particularly good for smaller organisations, particularly those which are embarking of a period of growth, whereas not as appropriate for the very large VCOs.

Quality First

http://www.proveandimprove.org/tools/qualityfirst.phpQuality First is a simple tool that uses a workbook to run through nine quality areas (at two levels) that can help an organisation improve its performance. It was written by Tony Farley in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and is aimed at small organisations that are run solely by volunteers, though may be used by organisations with one or two paid staff. The standard is free to use and is self-assessed. A support workbook can be purchased for £35.

The STAR Standard
This standard has been created by Halton & St Helens Voluntary & Community Action. The licence has just become available to support organisations.

Third Sector Performance Dashboard

The current version is designed to enable any organisation within the third sector, ranging from small voluntary sector organisations through to social enterprises and Social Firms, to monitor their progress against objectives and report as appropriate internally and externally on actual performance. The tool acknowledges that organisations in the third sector are typically short of time and resources and for that reason it has templates and samples for organisations to use as they are or adapt if they have the time. It is designed to be practical, user-friendly, easily implemented, and realistic for an organisation like a social enterprise to use within a busy business. One of the benefits – its simplicity – can also be one of its potential limitations. It is essentially a template of quantitative indicators, which doesn't explore the longer-term outcomes or impacts of meeting these objectives. The Dashboard on its own doesn't offer its users any external recognition such as an accreditation, a mark or a brand.

The VISIBLE Standards

VISIBLE Standards are nationally accredited quality standards for community organisations. They are aimed at medium to large community organisations often referred to as community anchors. However many other organisations can benefit from VISIBLE. The ^preVISIBLE Review is simpler and cheaper, concentrating on the management systems and policies that a community organisation has in place via a series of online questions and guidance notes. Suitable for community organisations of any size, it is not however an accredited standard.