Trusted Standard is the quality standard, delivered on behalf of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) through Centre for Assessment Standards Service. It's aimed at Charities, Social Enterprises and Voluntary organisations, you may have heard it known as PQASSO.
Many colleagues in GC are involved in charities, voluntary organisations and community interest groups that could benefit from using the standard's 11 quality areas of good practice.
The first 10 quality areas address how the organisation is run and the quality of services for users. Quality area 11 is about the outcomes and impact achieved for service users, the organisation, its staff, volunteers, and the wider community.
The Trusted Standard has two levels, a foundational and higher level one. Organisations initially use the online self-assessment against their chosen level which is a great way to reflect, plan and support continuous improvement.
The next step for many is external accreditation carried out by Trusted Standard licensed assessors – experienced people from the voluntary and community sector. Accreditation celebrations lead to a three-year cycle with annual improvement conversations with the assessors as ongoing support.
Be inspired by reading and sharing our Trusted Standard case studies and promoting our quarterly online community events you’ll see on social media.
Below are some tips for organisations to work towards accreditation. The Welcome Guide and Self Assessment are a great way to get started!
