ELEMENT ONE: LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT Criteria What This Might Mean Prompts Evidence Available RAG Improvement Plan Reference 1.1 The service has clearly defined measurable aims and objectives which link to any wider organisational strategic aims. Milestones or targets for the service need to be clear, for example, the number of job outcomes, qualifications to be achieved. However, you need to be clear about the contribution IAG makes to the achievement of your organisational aims. Your Assessor will want to speak to a senior person within your organisation to confirm the overall strategic aims and how the IAG service fits with these. Useful documents may include Vision, Mission, and planning documents. This criteria links closely to 3.2 and 4.1 What are the key aims and objectives of your IAG service/s? How are these key aims and objectives developed and reviewed – who is involved, when and how? How does the IAG service delivery support achievement of wider organisational aims? xxx x xxx 1.2 The service is provided with leadership and direction. Your leadership team has effectively communicated what the organisation is striving to achieve and how this relates to the service/s being delivered. Staff can clearly describe what the organisation is trying to achieve and have a clear understanding of where it is heading. How do you communicate the purpose of the IAG service/s to staff / volunteers etc? How do staff / volunteers know what is to be achieved? How do / volunteers know the ‘sense of direction’ of the organisation and the service/s? xxx x xxx 1.3 The organisation implements policies to promote equality and diversity, impartiality, confidentiality and professional integrity in all aspects of service delivery. The implementation of equality and diversity be demonstrated by providing materials in a range of formats, or by using monitoring data to target specific groups; for example, you may have found through monitoring that there is an attainment gap between different types of client and so you implement new approaches to address this. What policies, do you have in place and how do you ensure they are implemented? How are these policies reviewed and updated? Can you give some examples of how these policies are implemented? What does E&D, impartiality, confidentiality and professional integrity mean to the organisation, the service/s and staff / volunteers? xxx x xxx
and development of the service. outlines the different ways in which clients are involved in developing the service, and your staff may input their ideas at staff / team meetings. You will need to give examples to demonstrate changes as a result of this involvement and show how this feedback has helped shape the current service. What examples can you give of changes that have happened as a result of clients / volunteers and staff influence? 1.8 The organisation establishes effective with other appropriate partnerships and networks to enhance the service. You can describe the partnerships and networks you are involved with and how these benefit your service/s. This could be organisations with whom you have a contractual relationship, those that you network with in order to provide wider support to your clients, or information sharing to inform your own practice. This criterion links closely to criterion 4.4 so you will need to describe how you evaluate the effectiveness of the relationships. What links do you have with other agencies (networks, partnerships etc) that support your IAG service/s? How do these add value to your service/s? How do you know? What is gained by working together? Which partner organisations do you believe should be included in your matrix assessment? (A minimum of 3 partners should normally be included as part of any assessment). xxx x xxx
in line with current national recognised professional qualifications and frameworks, for individual staff roles, linked to the aims and objectives of the service. boundaries of their role. Managers and staff can describe the qualifications and frameworks which are appropriate to their role in delivering the aims and objectives of the service/s. For careers guidance staff in England this should include professional standards and qualifications determined by the Career Development Institute or other representative bodies. What qualifications / other development frameworks are appropriate for people delivering your IAG services? * How do you ensure that staff / volunteers have appropriate qualifications? *For careers guidance staff in England these should include professional standards and qualifications determined by the Career Development Institute or other recognised body. 2.4 Staff are supported in undertaking continuous professional development and provided with opportunities for career progression. Managers and staff can explain and give examples of how they are supported in continually developing their skills, knowledge and competence including any appropriate qualifications for their role. Managers and staff are able to describe how they are involved in the process of identifying their needs and appropriate learning and development activities, including career progression opportunities. How do you encourage and support the continuous professional development of / volunteers? What examples can you provide of CPD activities? What are the results of the support provided to What career progression opportunities have you recently been able to offer to staff? xxx x xxx 2.5 Effective induction processes are in place for all staff. Managers are able to describe the induction process for all roles including staff employed by the organisation and any volunteers. Newly recruited staff and those who have recently changed roles can describe the induction process and how this has helped them perform effectively. What are the induction processes for staff / volunteers – including those that change roles? How do know that your induction processes are effective? xxx x xxx
3.4 Clients are given appropriate options to explore and understand that they are responsible for making their own decisions. Clients are able to describe and give examples of how they have benefited from support process and how they were able to explore different options that met their expectations. Clients are able to describe what support they were given to understand and make appropriate choices. Clients are able to describe how they came to their decisions Can staff / volunteers describe a ‘typical’ client intervention? How do you ensure that clients understand the options open to them? How do you help clients understand the potential consequences of alternative courses of action? xxx x xxx 3.5 When exploring options, clients are provided with and supported to use appropriate resources including access to technology. Clients are able to describe and give examples of what resources were made available when exploring different and appropriate options. What resources are available to clients? Are staff / volunteers and clients fully aware of these resources? What additional resources are available for clients with learning difficulties for example? How are clients supported to use the resources provided? What examples can you provide? How has technology supported your work with clients? xxx x xxx 3.6 Clients benefit from signposting and referral to appropriate agencies or organisations. Clients are able to describe the benefits they received by referred to other appropriate agencies or organisations. Representatives from partnerships and networks are able to explain what benefits and services clients referred to them have received. What examples can you share of how signposting / referral of clients to other agencies has added value? What agencies or organisations are staff / volunteers aware of that have been quality assured as referral agencies / organisations? Is there consistency? xxx x xxx
the organisation will follow in dealing with them. Managers and staff are able to explain how complaints are recorded, investigated and what action is taken. What improvements have you made as a result of evaluating feedback received? 4.4 The organisation evaluates the effectiveness of its partnerships and networks to improve the service. Clients, staff and other stakeholders are able to describe the evaluation process and give examples of how the information is used to improve the service. Examples should show measurable outcomes and link to improvements. How do you measure the effectiveness of your partnership and networking activities? What examples can you, your staff / volunteers give of how partnerships or networks have helped improve the IAG service/s? xxx x xxx 4.5 The organisation defines quality assurance approaches which are used to improve the service. Managers and staff are able to describe how the service is quality assured and what plans, policies, procedures and/or processes are in place and how they are implemented. Specifically, what approaches do you use to quality assure your IAG service/s? What are your QA processes telling you? What have you done as a result? What examples can you share of the impact quality assurance activity has had on service improvement? xxx x xxx 4.6 performance, linked to their role within the aims and objectives of the service, is reviewed and evaluated to improve the service. Managers and staff can describe the process for evaluating performance in relation to roles, aims and objectives of the service. Managers are able to give measurable examples of how effective staff performance has been in relation to service aims and objectives. How do you evaluate staff and volunteer performance in relation to IAG service, team and individual objectives? What improvements have been made to the IAG service as a result of improved staff / volunteer performance? xxx x xxx 4.7 Effective use is made of technology to improve the service. Clients, managers and are able to describe and give examples of how technology What technologies do you use to support the IAG service? How have they improved the IAG service? xxx x xxx