Introduction

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) stated its intention to 'explore with The National Youth Agency and the Local Government Association how it can best support local authorities in developing their quality assurance systems' in its Transforming Youth Work document.

In his speech to the Association of Principal Youth and Community Officers (APYCO) in March 2003, the then Minister Ivan Lewis, further explained the commitment to a 'kite mark for quality in youth provision'.

The National Youth Agency was commissioned by the DfES to develop this 'kite mark' with the Transforming Youth Work Quality Action Group (QAG) overseeing the development.

The piloting phase commenced in September 2004 with nine organisations from across the country taking part. This was followed by a testing phase where a group of youth work organisations tested the various sections of the self-assessment framework produced from the work of the pilots. The feedback from both phases was incorporated into the final document.

The YSQM Quality Mark for Services for Young People was launched in March 2006 and attracted more than 130 self-assessment subscribers. The framework has been re-written to take account of its wider applicability to Integrated Youth Support Services and feedback from users. The NYA’s Quality Mark towards better services for young people was launched in March 2008 at a celebration and information exchange event in London. This new framework is more reflective of the needs of all young peoples organisations across all the sectors whilst maintaining consistency in the high standards expected of those submitting for The NYA’s Quality Mark National Award.

The NYA’s Quality Mark was designed as a management tool to support an organisation's development and improvement of its quality management systems. It tests the processes and structures, which are the building blocks of an organisation. By using the self-assessment framework, organisations will be able to check monitoring and reviewing procedures and how management information is used to improve the quality and outcomes of an organisation.

The NYA’s Quality Mark enables organisations to look across all their functions. It can usefully assist them in addressing questions set out in Ofsted's self-assessment. As is the case with other systems, the Quality Mark is an indicator to external bodies, including Ofsted, of the rigour which has been brought to performance management. Commissioning bodies wishing to satisfy themselves of the quality and solidity of an organisation they may wish to engage as a service provider could also use it.

This is a bespoke Quality Mark which focuses on work with young people and the building blocks to sound quality youth work organisations. Its greatest strength is that is has been commissioned and funded by the DCSF, overseen by The NYA's Quality Standards Committee (made up from representatives from Ofsted, Government Office, Voluntary Sector, DCSF, The NYA and the Statutory Sector) and designed with the participative input of fifteen youth work organisations.

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