A number of groups embarking on PQASSO (quality standards for voluntary and community organisations) will also wish to have their self assessment externally verified and achieve the PQASSO Quality Mark: A service carried out by Charities Evaluation Services (CES).

 This is a decision that should be made sooner rather than later if possible because the application process in itself is lengthy. It's also a good idea to have an understanding of how the Quality Mark peer reviewers who conduct the desktop review and site visits will approach this.

CES have produced, in addition to a guide for the application process, guidance on what the peer reviewers will be looking for during the course of a peer review at level 1 and level 2. Please click on the attachments below to view the document.

The guidance is also useful for understanding the PQASSO indicators better for each level but is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive since different organisations will provide different types of evidence.

More information about the PQASSO Quality Mark can be found on the CES website at http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/