Press release from VAST Volunteering
Our Volunteer Centre exceeds requirements in all areas!
Our vision for volunteering has been recognised for its “robust strategic plans” for volunteering across Stoke-on-Trent as part of a recent volunteer centre accreditation process.
After submitting an extensive and detailed portfolio of evidence for the accreditation, we exceeded requirements in all five areas of the Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA) from NAVCA.
VCQA is designed to assess the quality of volunteering services provided to their local communities by Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) like VAST.
Applications for the award are independently assessed against NAVCA’s Five Functions of Volunteer Centres:
- Strategic development of volunteering,
- Good practice development,
- Developing volunteering opportunities,
- Brokerage, and
- Voice of volunteering.
The evidence we submitted in our application portfolio, which generally takes around six months to prepare, included strategies, and policies and procedures, as well as service delivery and local impact evidence, including case studies showcasing our work.
In addition to reviewing our submitted evidence, the NAVCA-appointed independent assessor also carried out interviews with our staff, organisations who have used our volunteering support services, and volunteers who have accessed the Volunteer Centre to find a volunteering role, all to get a holistic view of our role in the local volunteering landscape.
In her final report, assessor Sue Dunmore said that our “integrated approach to delivering work means that there is a seamless delivery of services. [As an organisation VAST] is now seen as the vital organisation to deliver Infrastructure support.”
“All the interviews with external bodies stressed how easy it was to work with VAST and nothing was ever too much trouble and staff were always ready to support. It responds to enquiries through social media, phone, website as well as in person visits.”
We were also praised for innovation; the development of our local Volunteering Quality Standards programme with the assessor saying it is an area of work that, “has received very positive feedback from organisations,” taking part.
“The feedback throughout the final assessment report is overwhelmingly positive and that is testament to the commitment and dedication of our staff, their passion for volunteering, and their role in supporting the people and organisations they work with.”
“We’re delighted to have ‘exceeded expectations’ in all five functions of our volunteer centre activity! Over time, we’ve worked closely with our local communities to understand what truly works for them, refining our processes to meet their evolving needs. Our personalised approach and commitment to continuous improvement ensure we provide the best support possible. Having these high standards recognised with the VCQA award is incredible.”
Volunteering is one of our core functions, aiming to encourage and nurture volunteering opportunities, help build connections, improve health and wellbeing, and to drive real positive change in local communities.
For more information on VAST Volunteering, please click here.
