PQASSO

The PQASSO Quality Mark is Charities Evaluation Services’ externally accredited award for PQASSO.

PQASSO, the Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations, is the most widely used quality assurance system within the voluntary and community sector, and has been adopted by thousands of organisations wishing to become more efficient and effective.

PQASSO uses a self-assessment approach which involves people within an organisation making judgements about its performance against the PQASSO standards. The PQASSO Quality Mark is a ‘kitemark’ to show that an organisation has met the PQASSO standards. It is designed to build on self-assessment by having an independent external review. Achieving the PQASSO Quality Mark means that an organisation has been externally accredited against the PQASSO standards and will receive the PQASSO Quality Mark logo and certificate. The PQASSO Quality Mark is valid for 3 years.

The benefits of using PQASSO® Research has shown that organisations using PQASSO as a self-assessment tool can gain the following benefits:

• more effective and more efficient organisational systems and procedures

• better quality of services for users

• better communication among staff, trustees and volunteers

• more creative thinking, enabling new perspectives and ways of working continuous improvement over time.

The benefits of the PQASSO Quality Mark Achieving the PQASSO Quality Mark will give an organisation the following additional benefits:

• external verification of your achievement of the PQASSO standards

• greater recognition and credibility from statutory and independent funders, users and other stakeholders

• increased motivation for staff, trustees and volunteers

• confirmation that the organisation has reached a recognised quality standard

• enhanced organisational learning through the assessment process

 • Charity Commission endorsement for Level 2 and Level 3