Taking Forward the Accreditation of FGC projects

Information about the continuation of the accreditation of FGC services

This information is to inform you of the roll out of the accreditation framework and to give your project the opportunity to be part of this developing work. In Spring 2013 Family Rights Group was successful in attracting 2 years funding from the Department for Education to embed this work.

This briefing is intended to provide information about how the extension of the accreditation of FGC serviceswill work in practice and to update you on our plansincluding the costs framework and corresponding timetable for completing the work.

If you are interested in submitting your FGC project to be accredited please use the form at the end of this document.

What we have achieved to date:

In the first 2 years of this work[1]FRG with the FGC network have:

established a robust framework[2] for FGC services to measure their practice against. This includes requirements as to how projects should provide evidence to demonstrate that they meet:

-Agreed practice standards

-Training and practice requirements for FGC co-ordinators

produced templates for participating projectsto assist them in demonstrating how they meet the evidence requirements

trialled the framework in 15 FGC projects successfully

commissioned anindependentevaluation of the trial

consulted widely with the FGC community and with stakeholders to ensure that there is a consensus as to how we move forward with setting a clear benchmark for the quality of FGC services

What we plan to do:

In this second stage of the work we aim to support a further 40 FGC projects to have their services accredited.

We are developing a set of web based tools to support projects in meeting the standards which will be available in the new year and will include:

-Good practice guides on key aspects of FGC practice with examples of effective practice drawn from projects that have submitted to this process

-An on-line research hub

We are developing written and on line materials for key stakeholders (families, commissioners, the courts) about accreditation and what to expect

We have set out a timetable of network events over the two years to examine identified themes from the trial where good practice could be enhanced

We will continue to provide support to local authorities that don’t have FGCs to assist them in setting up services within the accreditation structure

We are undertaking a detailed survey of FGC projects to continue to map services and key trends

Towards the conclusion of this work we will draft and then publish an updated version of the FGC toolkit

The two years of work will culminate in a ‘standards and skills’ conference in the Spring of 2015

Embedding the accreditation of FGC services

The development group which is independently chaired by Dr Louise Brown (Bath University) and has regional and independent provider representation will oversee this programme and the Family rights Group will have a regulatory role in administering the process.

As with the initial trial of the framework we are intending that the roll out should includelarge and small projects, in-house and external providers, and new and well established projects and the pricing structure has been developed to reflect this.

The accreditation Process

It is envisaged that the process of projects submitting themselves for assessment will follow the stages and timetable outlined below. Keeping to this timetable is important both to ensure that the project completes and is evaluated within the timeframe and that participating projects are clear as to what will be required of them.

There are a number of stages once a project has been accepted onto the programme:

Stage 1 / The project gathers together the information to evidence that it meets the requirements and submits within the timeframe agreed / Guidance and some examples of portfolio evidence will be provided
Stage 2 / The evidence from the project is assessed by an assessor appointed by the development group / The assessor measures the evidence against an agreed scoring frame
The assessor contacts key stakeholders in the project for their views about the project
Stage 3 / The assessor’s judgement is presented to a panel which reviews the scoring and adjusts accordingly and determines whether the project has met the requirements or needs to resubmit further evidence / The panel is made up of two project managers, the assessor and a family member
Where further evidence is required this is communicated to the project by the assessor and support is made available if needed to assist the project in addressing any gaps
The re-submitted evidence is assessed by the assessor and his/her views further scrutinized by the panel
Stage 4 / The panel reaches a view as to whether the service meets the requirements / If the project is still required to provide further evidence this will be possible but a further fee will be incurred

The benefits for participants

-Participants will be the forefront of this ground-breaking international work in developing consistent standards for FGC services

-The process should assist projects to assess their own quality and to drive up standards locally

-There is a reduced fee to participating in the trial

Costs

We have consulted widely with projects and with commissioners of FGC services to try and arrive at a cost framework which is both affordable but also provides a basis for sustainability beyond the Department for Education funding period. Our hope is to establish sufficient buy in to this process that a ‘tipping point’ will be reached ensuring a strong driver to future commitment to accreditation.

We recognise also however that there is a diverse mix of FGC services in operation and the pricing structure needs to reflect this so we have split the pricing categories to reflect 3 different sizes of projects.

A further factor we have considered is the additional cost to network members of maintaining their membership and have as a consequence also offered a combined membership/accreditation option which may be more palatable for some.

From our consultation some project managers requested the option of being able to pay annually over 3 years rather than a one off payment for accreditation (which is reviewed after 3 years).

We have made arrangements also for a reduction in the fee charged tonot-for profit providers who run more than one FGC service, where the local FGCs services operate to agreed organisational policies and standards, so there would be economies of scale in the assessment process. Please contact . uk for more details.

Size of project / One off fee / One off fee
including network membership[3] / Annual fee
including network membership
Non network members / Network members / Network members / Network members
Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3
Small (under 40 FGCs a year) / £650 / £450 / £650 / £385 / £385 / £385
Medium
(40 – 99 FGCs a year) / £850 / £600 / £950 / £600 / £600 / £600
Large
(99 plus FGCs a year) / £1000 / £750 / £1250 / £800 / £800 / £800
Re-submission fee / £300 / £250 / £250 / £250

Confirmation of interest

Can you please complete the form below and send by e-mail to

CONTACT NAME
PROJECT NAME
REGION
Where your project is based?
(in house; private; voluntary; other)
Approximately how many FGCs did you complete last year?
Is your project a member of the FGC network?
(Please state under what category)
Please confirm your preferred option for paying the accreditation fee.
(see costs breakdown) / Annual / One off payment / Including network membership
Where the invoice should be sent?
Contact Information / Address
telephone number(s)
e-mail address
Please indicate your preferred submission date
Please tick more than one if this fits your plans. / March 2014
May 2014
July 2014
September 2014
November 2014
January 2015
Any questions you may have.

[1] Funded by the DfE

[2] The proposed framework can be seen at

[3] This fee would include membership of the network for the first year. The project would need to pay network membership costs at the normal rate after the fist year