PQASSO

1
PQASSO

• Practical
• Quality
• Assurance
• System for
• Small
• Organisations

2
What is PQASSO?

• A quality assurance system - a formal system
  encouraging improvements in the quality of our
  management and service
• The only system written by a charity for use by
  the entire voluntary and community sector
• Widely recognised and used over 10,000 copies
  sold
• A recognised system for proving that we provide
  an agreed level of service/performance each and
  every time to our stakeholders

3
Why have we chosen PQASSO?(1)

• Flexible PQASSO enables us to achieve a widely
  recognised standard that can be built around the
  ethos and working methods within our
  organisation.
• PQASSO is not about implementing a new system
  but providing a structure to improve and develop
  the quality of the systems we already use
• Comprehensive PQASSO covers all areas of the
  organisation, while other quality systems tend to
  look at one specific aspect

4
Why have we chosen PQASSO?(2)

• Practical PQASSO actively encourages us not to
  generate reams of paper in providing evidence and
  to work with what is realistic for our
  organisation
• Cost - PQASSO does not impose costs on the
  organisations that use it other than what we
  decide is necessary for a quality service.
• Complements other systems PQASSO works well
  with other quality systems that we may decide to
  use

5
Why have we chosen PQASSO?(3)

• Continuous Improvement PQASSO will help us to
  continually develop our quality of service and
  management in our own time and to our own
  resources
• Recognised Although we dont receive a badge,
  PQASSO is well known and respected amongst
  funders and other voluntary organisations.
• Support The LSC is funding our local CVS to
  support us with materials, training and advice
  for achieving PQASSO until June 2007

6
How does PQASSO work

• There are 12 quality areas, each broken into
  several criteria
• We nominate a core group of people (Quality
  Working Group) to decide how well the
  organisation meets the criteria and what evidence
  we have
• This core group engages with staff, volunteers,
  trustees, clients and others as necessary to
  discuss our achievements and decide what, if
  anything, needs to be changed

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Expectations

• We expect our organisation to have many of the
  criteria in place already PQASSO will help us
  develop the evidence that proves this and help us
  ensure continuity of service over time
• PQASSO will help us be clearer about what
  information we have, where it is and how to use
  it. This will make everyones lives easier