PQASSO

The KCSC PQASSO programmae is aimed at voluntary organisations in Kensington & Chelsea that have either completed level 1 or level 2 and want to work on the next level, or organsiations new to PQASSO.

What is PQASSO?

  • PQASSO is a 'quality assurance' system.
  • It involves working systematically through 12 areas of running an organisation - such as governance, user involvement, finance, volunteering - and deciding how well you meet various criteria.
  • You then make an action plan for updating any policies or practices that will help you run your organisation more effectively.
  • Once you have completed these actions, you can say that you have achieved PQASSO at level 1, level 2 or level 3.

Who is PQASSO aimed at?

  • PQASSO is designed for small to medium voluntary organisations.

How will it benefit us?

  • Many organisations that have worked through PQASSO have found that it gave them a framework to make positive changes in their organisation.
  • Many funders (such as local councils) are requiring evidence of a quality assurance system as a condition of funding.

How much will it cost?

  • £95 for the workbook - you must buy this directly from Charities Evaluation Services
  • There is no charge for the PQASSO support programme but we ask for a £200 deposit
  • You will also have the cost of your own internal resources, such as staff time, to work through the process.

What can KCSC offer?

  • Our PQASSO support programme which includes group seminars, 1:1 support from a KCSC adviser, and supporting documents that are exclusive to this programme.
  • We can provide you with useful model documents and policies, and support to make changes that will help to improve your organisation. See the organisational support section of our website.
  • On completion of the programme we will provide a certificate to say that you have worked through the programme with support from KCSC

Will we get a quality mark?

  • PQASSO is a 'self-assessment' tool and can be used with or without obtaining a  'quality mark'.
  • The KCSC programme does not give you a quality mark. To gain a quality mark you need to be assessed by a 'Peer Reviewer', members of the voluntary and community sector who are trained to carry out reviews of organisations against PQASSO. However there is a cost for this service. For more details visit the Charities Evaluation Services website.

What shall we do next?

7 local organisations completed the PQASSO standard on the KCSC programme in 2008

Some of this years successful organisations received their certificates from the Mayoress Joanna Gardner - at the KCSC Conference and AGM on 29 October.

Midaye, Somali Development Network          Nova New Opportunities              

Midaye, Somali Devt Network           NOVA New Opportunities   

Baraka Youth Association         Hodan Somali Community      

Baraka Youth Association                  Hodan Somali Youth

25 local organsiations completed the PQASSO standard in 2007

Family Support Group PQASSO certificate
Staff at Family Support Group receiving their certificate of achievement of PQASSO, 13 March 2007

This two-year project (2005-2007) was part funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund, and by the Learning and Skills Council for London.

More about this page ...

To start PQASSO you will need to have the PQASSO workbook which can be purchased from Charities Evaluation Services.

Find out about other quality models.

© 2006 Kensington & Chelsea Social Council | Lighthouse West London, 111-117 Lancaster Road, London W11 1QT | Tel: 020 7243 9800 | Email: info@kcsc.org.uk