Age UK Barnsley scoop double award for quality in external assessment

Age UK Barnsley is hugely proud to have achieved the Age UK Charity Quality Standard (CQS) and Information and Advice Quality Marks which recognises the very high standard of performance and delivery as an organisation.

The CQS is externally assessed by industry leaders SGS, who undertake a rigorous review of our working practices. CQS is awarded to members of the Age UK network that have demonstrated they are well governed and managed; have a clear direction and strategy; and are committed to ensuring the well-being and safety of older people, their staff and volunteers.

This Standard requires us to demonstrate that we:

• ensure the safety and wellbeing of older people.
• value diversity and promote equity and inclusion.
• protect people’s data and ensure there are no surprises about how we use it.
• encourage, listen to and act on feedback.
• plan and review our activities strategically, making sure we use our resources effectively to respond to local need.
• value our volunteers and staff, ensuring we have the right people with the right skills and support to deliver our plans.
• anticipate and manage risk effectively to ensure we are resilient and responsive to change.

In addition to the overall award, Age UK Barnsley also received the ‘Quality of Advice’ and ‘Advice Quality Standard’ for the Information and Advice Service, recognising the consistent high achievement that the service delivers.

Commenting, Age UK Barnsley Chief Executive Debby Bunn said:

“We are over the moon to have received the double award of CQS and Information and Advice Quality Standards, in recognition of our extremely high organisational standards and working practices. This is a real testament to the work that we do, all year round, to deliver services on behalf of older people and make Barnsley the best possible place to grow older.

“I would like to say a huge thank you and well done to our staff, volunteers, clients and the Board of Trustees. This success is their collective success – they can all be immensely proud of the difference they make to the lives of older people in Barnsley.”

Commenting, Age UK Barnsley Chair of Trustees Tricia Watters said:

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees I would like to put on record my heartfelt thanks to Debby Bunn and the team at Age UK Barnsley for their continued hard work and dedication to the organisation.

“The extremely high standards and quality that have independently recognised are what we do every day to deliver for older people.

“Age UK Barnsley is on a journey of cultural transformation and we are so proud that this has been recognised through the assessment process.”

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Notes for Editors

• Age UK Barnsley is an independent local charity committed to supporting older people in the Barnsley area.
• We are a brand partner of the national Age UK charity but are fiercely independent and focused on delivering high-quality, inclusive services for residents and communities in Barnsley.
• You can find out more about the services we provide on our website: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/barnsley/our-services/