A quality assurance system, whether your own internal process or a widely recognised one, can be a useful tool to support your development.

Many external funders and stakeholders expect an organisation to have an appropriate quality standard in order to demonstrate the quality of their work. Even if you feel that you are doing all that is necessary to maintain a high standard of work, using a recognised quality standard as a means of checking that you have all you need in place could be a useful exercise.  

There are a range of recognised quality standards available; some, like Investors in People and the Community Legal Services Quality Mark, provide external assessments and awards, often at a price; others focus on providing a workbook for self-assessment.  The latter includes PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations), the quality assurance system most widely used by the voluntary sector.  I was trained as a PQASSO Mentor and am registered as a PQASSO Quality Mark Peer Reviewer.

I have had 9 years experience of working with organisations on quality assurance, including the development of a local quality standard in consultation with voluntary organisations called PACE .  I can support you in identifying the most appropriate and affordable quality standard for your organisation, and help you work towards achieving it.