VOCAL has recently achieved and been officially awarded Trusted Charity Mark Level 2 which recognises the work we do as a third sector organisation in Scotland. This is the third time we have been awarded this level quality mark and all Board members, staff and volunteers are delighted!

Trusted Charity is part of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and is the only UK quality standard designed to help third sector organisations operate more effectively and efficiently.  We were assessed against 11 quality standards of effective practice in Trusted Charity, including in governance, leadership and management, managing staff and volunteers and managing money, and proved to meet all standards.

There are two phases to the Trusted Charity assessment process. Phase one involves VOCAL completing a self assessment of our practice and policies in all 11 quality areas. At phase two a thorough, external assessment is carried out by Trusted Charity Mark assessors specially trained to assess organisations against the Trusted Charity standards. This external assessment involves gathering evidence, reviewing documentation and interviewing staff.

At VOCAL, staff and volunteers all play a key role to achieving the highest quality of support for carers. Good intentions alone won’t do, that’s why we have been investing in a formal process of quality assurance with external scrutiny for over 15 years. Congratulations to everyone on this achievement. Quality is not expensive, it’s priceless! Now we will do our best to maintain the standards set by level 2 of the Trusted Charity award.

– Sebastian Fischer, VOCAL Chief Executive

Achieving this award gives VOCAL and the carers we support the confidence that we have adequate governance, systems and procedures in place to meet the highest standard for third sector organisations in the UK. This means that we can continue to offer our services to unpaid carers in Edinburgh & Midlothian for years to come!