The application process has been designed to be thorough, while also clear and user-friendly.
At all stages, our friendly and knowledgeable Assessment Team will be on hand to offer support and guidance, along with making sure you have everything you need to submit your evidence and have a smooth assessment day.
The certification process takes a holistic view of the whole helpline and is an assessment as opposed to an audit.
- We allow six months from application to assessment. However, we understand that timescales can change and we will work with you to accommodate these where possible.
- During the six months you complete the submission document and upload your evidence to the shared folders.
- As you work towards the end of the six-month period, we will contact you to introduce your assessor and arrange a mutually convenient assessment day.
Helplines Standard certification lasts for three years before your organisation may choose to apply for re-certification to ensure the high standards set through the certification are maintained. During this three-year period, there are no additional fees, and we will always be on hand to support organisations with any issues or queries they may have.
At the mid-point (18 months) we will contact you to request an update on the recommendations we made in the report, including any major service changes. We will contact you approximately nine months before the expiry date of your certification to discuss the process of re-certification.
The process gave us many opportunities to analyse our systems and thereby improve the service we provide. The accreditation gave a welcome boost to the confidence and wellbeing of our helpline team, other staff, donors and trustees.