MSPs praise charity on quality award
Edinburgh charity becomes first in Scotland to achieve the Level 2 ‘kite-mark’
Edinburgh MSP Sarah Boyack has tabled a motion at Scottish Parliament to congratulate local charity VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian) on its success in becoming the first organisation in Scotland to be awarded the PQASSO Quality Mark Level 2 by Charities Evaluation Service (CES). The award represents a double achievement for the charity which also earned the title of Centre of Excellence from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers earlier this month.
The motion, which has already won the support of 20 MSPs, states that ‘the awards not only reflect the strong collective commitment to excellence in carer support by VOCAL board members, staff and volunteers but also their strong tradition of partnership work with funders and service partners’.
Commenting on the award, PQASSO Quality Mark Co-ordinator Mirella Grillo says; “The PQASSO Quality Assurance system is now being used by over 14,000 organisations in England, Wales and Scotland. We are delighted that VOCAL in Edinburgh is one of the early organisations to seek external accreditation and the first one in Scotland to be awarded the PQASSO Quality Mark at Level 2. We hope this will inspire other charities in Scotland to recognise the value of PQASSO and adopt a similar approach as VOCAL.”
Florence Burke, Director for Scotland for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said: “We are absolutely delighted that VOCAL is the first organisation in Scotland to be awarded PQASSO quality mark level 2 and that they have received The Trust’s quality mark as a Centre for Excellence.”
“Our assessors found that the centre offers a professional and comprehensive service, which is clearly valued by carers and has the needs of carers at the heart of its work. We were pleased to see how much support is offered to carers, and how the centre involves carers in planning and reviewing services.”
Patrick Layden, QC, who recently took over as chairperson of VOCAL, commented: “VOCAL’s motto has always been “Only the Best is Good Enough for Carers”. Today this is more important than ever. At times when public services are being cut, unpaid carers - who are already the largest careforce in Scotland – need the best support they can get. VOCAL needs to evidence high quality services to get the funding we require to support carers.”
For further information on VOCAL’s PQASSO Quality Mark Level 2 please contact Julie Gardner on 0131 622 6666.
