Following extensive consultation with young people, member agencies and other related organisations, Youth Access has produced a set Quality Standards and Self Assessment Materials designed to help agencies recognise their strengths and identify areas for improvement in their practice.
Presented in a clear and accessible format, the Quality Standards manual offers a strategic approach to implementing quality.
It also:
- Provides a framework for consulting and involving all stakeholders, including young people as service users
- Provides an effective management tool to help manage and support staff as well as to plan the strategic development of a service
- Assist in the development of a clear and credible identity for youth information, advice, counselling and support services
- Gives agencies added strength in negotiations with purchasers and funders
The Quality Standards include 17 potential areas, which a youth information, advice, counselling and support agency may encounter. This includes 2 new areas designed to enable agencies to evaluate the quality and standard of their counselling assessment practice and develop and improve partnership working across the sectors. Each area includes a statement followed by practice guidelines.
The areas are:
- Management
- Line management
- Supervision
- Recruitment
- Training
- Publicity and promotion
- Initial access
- Premises
- Information services
- Advice services
- Counselling assessment (new)
- Counselling services
- Other support services
- Referral
- Case records
- Casework supervision
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Partnership (new)
The manual also includes comprehensive self-assessment materials written specifically to complement each of the standards areas.
The evidence forms outline different statements and questions relating to each of the standard area practice guidelines. There are different forms designed for use with each of the different stakeholder groups. The groups include the management body, co-ordinators, staff, young people and other related professionals where relevant.
A detailed monitoring checklist has been drawn up for each self-assessment standard area, which lists all the paper and systems evidence that an agency would need to have in place.
The materials also include a set of useful appendices including action and development plans, checklists, a flowchart of the process and guidance notes.
Youth Access Members (Organisational only) can download a free copy of the manual here. Non members can view sample pages here.
Price: £45 (YA organisational members) £65 (non-members)
