Charity Commission supports The Helplines Standard
THA has ten years of experience of developing and assessing helplines against our original Quality Standard. More than 100 helplines have been accredited to the original Quality Standard and it remains the single most widely-held standard amongst helplines.
THA’s new Helplines Standard builds on this experience. We have added assessment for email, SMS, internet and other channels. We have emphasised the importance of strategic planning and partnerships which are essential for the sustainability of helplines. Yet we have also simplified the process and reduced the cost of assessment, by reducing the number of criteria and allowing online submission of evidence.
Here is what The Charity Commission says about the standard:
"Promoting the self-reliance of charities is very much at the heart of the Charity Commission’s vision of its role as a regulator. The services provided by umbrella charities like The Helplines Association contribute significantly to the self-reliance of the sector. We also strongly believe that the use of quality standards is one of the clearest examples of how charities and other voluntary and community organisations take responsibility for their own activities. THA’s quality standards scheme, tailored to its members’ needs, is an important membership service.
A well-run organisation welcomes an independent quality assessment because it can provide reassurance of a job well-done, and an invaluable framework in which to review and plan management, structures and services. Quality assurance also has a direct link to future sustainability. Increasingly, service commissioners and funders are looking for evidence of quality as a condition of their financial commitment.
Like the organisations they are used to assess, standards must also be reviewed and improved to keep up with new developments and challenges. That is why we are pleased to support The Helplines Association’s new Standards, updated to take account of the needs of helpline users and the changes in communication technology. This document, with its straightforward layout and clearly explained processes and language, will be a valuable tool for not-for-profit helpline providers, helping them deliver the services their users need and deserve.
Promoting the self-reliance of charities is very much at the heart of the Charity Commission’s vision of its role as a regulator. The services provided by umbrella charities like The Helplines Association contribute significantly to the self-reliance of the sector. We also strongly believe that the use of quality standards is one of the clearest examples of how charities and other voluntary and community organisations take responsibility for their own activities. THA’s quality standards scheme, tailored to its members’ needs, is an important membership service.
A well-run organisation welcomes an independent quality assessment because it can provide reassurance of a job well-done, and an invaluable framework in which to review and plan management, structures and services. Quality assurance also has a direct link to future sustainability. Increasingly, service commissioners and funders are looking for evidence of quality as a condition of their financial commitment.
Like the organisations they are used to assess, standards must also be reviewed and improved to keep up with new developments and challenges. That is why we are pleased to support The Helplines Association’s new Standards, updated to take account of the needs of helpline users and the changes in communication technology. This document, with its straightforward layout and clearly explained processes and language, will be a valuable tool for not-for-profit helpline providers, helping them deliver the services their users need and deserve."
Sarah Atkinson
Head of Information & Communication
