Headlines:
- Assessments conducted remotely for visits due March and Mayl
- Assessments due May to June may be remote, pending guidance on social isolation
- Assessments until March 2022 will accommodate circumstances where services change delivery mode
- Assessments will revert to on-site visits once the risk from COVID-19 has passed.
Introduction
Advice Service Alliance is responsible for the Advice Quality Standard, the AQS which is the principal quality assurance mechanism for the social welfare advice sector. Whilst the majority of the ASA’s business can be conducted remotely and without face to face contact, the visits to advice organisations by the Advice Quality Standard assessment teams as part of their assessment are the exception. The risk to assessors, to staff and to clients still remains low, we understand that these are exceptional circumstances and that some adaptation to the usual processes maybe required. This document sets out what these are and how they may apply.
Key stakeholders
- Social Welfare Advice organisations who hold or are applying for the AQS, including independent advice services, all Local Citizens Advice and many local AgeUK
- The AQS assessment teams from Recognising Excellence, AgeUK and Citizens Advice.
- Money and Pension Services (AQS accredited to their framework)
- Welsh Government (AQS accredited to the Information & Advice Quality Framework without Peer Review)
Who Policy Statement Applies to
- All organisations who are going through or will be going through the AQS assessment process between March and May
- All organisations who are booking assessment visits for May- June 2020
- All AQS holders at date of renewal until March 2022.
This policy is an overview of the current situation and advice organisation should contact their assessment body for more information regarding particular requirements or guidance from their assessor.
Main issues
- Where an assessment visit cannot be carried out due to risks in relation to COVID-19 virus.
In common with all other organisations, the Advice Services Alliance has an overriding duty to protect the public, staff and volunteers from any risks from the exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Whilst our main services can be provided remotely, our assessment partners meet with advice services in order to undertake the assessment against the Advice Quality Standard.
As the owner of the AQS, the ASA takes our responsibilities for quality assurance very seriously and we seek to ensure that are assessments are carried out to the highest possible standard with onsite visits as part of that process.
We recognise that the COVID-19 virus does present a unique challenge and therefore have agreed that in exceptional circumstances, some AQS assessments can be carried out remotely by assessor from one of our partner organisations either by telephone or Skype/face time etc. In this way we can ensure that the AQS will not lapse and that the quality of advice will continue during these exceptional circumstances.
We maintain the right to conduct an assessment visit at a later stage when the risk of the Coronavirus has diminished. This would be agreement with the service concerned and should this incur additional costs, we will inform you in advance.
Remote assessment will apply to all organisations with assessment visits due in March and April as a result of these exceptional circumstances and will be returning to assessment visits at the earliest possible date. We will review the situation on a weekly basis and should the situation change, we will inform you. The ASA retains the right to conduct on site assessments during this period should there be evidence of need.
- Where changes to advice service delivery due to exceptional circumstances
The ASA recognises that the exceptional circumstances mean that there may be considerable changes to service delivery including organisations moving to telephone advice rather than face to face. We recommend that advice organisations check the AQS standard requirements as a guide to good practice but we also recognise that not all services will comply with requirements beyond their normal delivery mode. Organisations will not be penalised for such changes at the assessment stage of the AQS process.
- Feedback on support and help for the sector
Where you may identify particular issues that are a consequence of the Coronavirus outbreak and delivering a service to AQS level, please do let us know (director@asauk.org.uk). The more information we have about your needs and issues, the better our policies to support you will be.
Review
This policy statement will be reviewed and updated if necessary on a weekly basis