Age Concern Birmingham

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Quality within Age Concern Birmingham

Age Concern Birmingham is committed to the ongoing development of quality assurance management in all parts of the organisation. First and foremost, ACB aims to meet the expectations of the older people and their carers with whom we work. It also needs to meet the expectations of our funders and donors and the expectations of the statutory bodies which regulate us. ACB also has a large volunteer force [currently 160], whose expectations we also need to meet. ACB is committed to the fulfillment of people's expectations of us as the foremost organisation serving older people in the City of Birmingham. In order to demonstrate the quality of what ACB does, we have a developing overall quality assurance system that ensures that certain standards are met and gives a professional focus to all our activities.

Firstly, ACB is an Organisational member of Age Concern, the federation, whilst retaining its own autonomy and charitable status with a governing Board of Trustees. ACB successfully retained its membership with the 2002 Audit Report to the federation and again on 18 July 2006 with a further Audit Report. ACB is now working towards the next cycle.

"Quality Counts" - the Age Concern Quality Framework
There are currently seven standards that have to be met under the Age Concern federation Quality Framework:

Involving Older People
Diversity and Equality
Volunteering
Governance and Management
Information and Advice
Service Provision and Campaigning
Partnership

In order to develop a quality assurance system that meets the above criteria, ACB is using a number of generic and own models that all dovetail into and meet the required quality framework.

Investors in People
ACB first obtained the Investors in People standard in November 1999. A review by Investors in People was held in November 2002, and again on 30 November 2005 and ACB retained the right each time to continue to display the standard because it "continues to meet the national standard for effective investment in people". There is ongoing monitoring of all aspects of the standard, from Board level down, in regard to cost-effective and planned training, communication with and development of staff.

ACB is working towards the New IiP Standard which came into force in January 2006 for the next anticipated review in November 2008.

The Quality Mark for Advice and Information Services
ACB achieved the Quality Mark from the Community Legal Services Partnership at the General Help Level in 2004 which is a nationally recognised Standard for the provision of advice, information and help. The Legal Services Partnership is no longer monitoring this standard and it is possible this will be put to tender to an external provider. ACB will continue to abide by the standards of the original "Quality Mark" in the meantime and, once the future is ascertained, intends to maintain the current Standard and work towards attaining a higher level.

Investing in Volunteers
This Standard is approved by "Volunteering England". One of the main benefits in achieving "Investing in Volunteers" is that it has provided an opportunity to review current practice which has led to a number of positive changes. A key area of development has been providing a forum whereby volunteers can be more involved themselves in the planning of the volunteer service and that the standard was achieved was due in no small way to the input and involvement from ACB's valued volunteers.

ACB's application for this quality standard was made during 2006 and the formal assessment to achieve this Standard took place on 17 May 2007 and was successfully obtained for the period 2007-2010.

The Investing in Volunteers Standard is based on the following four areas of volunteer management:

planning for volunteer involvement
recruiting volunteers
selecting and matching volunteers
supporting and retaining volunteers

The Disability Symbol
ACB also holds the Disability Symbol, which makes it clear to disabled job applicants that applications are welcome and we take a positive attitude towards their disabilities. It also shows our disabled users that we are more aware of their needs.

Next Step: ISO 9000
ACB will continue to maintain and develop all its quality standards and as a next step, intends to aim for ISO 9000 which is a quality standard now increasingly looked for by potential funders when submitting tenders for new projects and funding. It is intended to start the process of achieving this standard in January 2009.

Internal Audits, Evaluation & Monitoring

A Quality Management Group, with Trustee representation, meets twice-yearly to monitor quality issues and to facilitate systems and to report to the Board. Attendees, in addition to one Trustee, the Director of Admin & Quality and the Quality Manager, include representative members of staff and two or three volunteers.
Customer service questionnaires are carried out throughout all parts of the organization and all projects on a quarterly basis, or as demanded by the particular project. These are analysed and any trends noted and deal with.
All externally funded projects carry their own inputs and outputs that are regularly monitored and evaluated.
Internal audits (regularly updated according to new legislation and national minimum standards) are undertaken regularly by the Quality Manager over all the quality standards that we hold. Areas of non-compliance and areas for improvement are acted upon and monitored.
An Office Manual and an Employee Manual are held at all ACB locations and all policies and procedures are updated on an approximately 18 month cyclical basis and ratified by the Board of Trustees. There are Organisational, Operational, Human Resource, Financial and Volunteer Sections.
ACB employs employment solicitors to ensure that all aspects of employment law are fulfilled within the organisation.

There are many strands to quality within Age Concern Birmingham and it is the task of the Director of Administration & Quality and the Quality Manager to bring all these together. They ensure that not only do these strands fulfill all the demands of the Age Concern federation and our funders but above all, to that quality is at the heart of the organisation and that the organization fulfills the expectations of all those who come into contact with us in whatever way.