Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers: a quality assurance framework

6. Resourcing Standards

This section provides Standards for the resources necessary to underpin the delivery of the service.

Standard 6.1

All service providers must have premises that ensure that the service can be accessible to all members of the community and meets the needs of service users.

Indicators for Type I

Service providers should be able to demonstrate that their premises:

• are located in an area that is appropriate to their current and potential service users;
• have private facilities where individuals may request information;
• are physically accessible to people with impaired mobility or that they have developed adequate alternative means of delivering their service outside the premises to people with impaired mobility;
• are safe and accessible for people with impaired vision; and
• have sufficient adaptations to ensure that they may be used by people with impaired hearing.

Service providers should consult with service users and potential service users, including disability groups, about the adequacy of their premises at least once every three years.

Indicators for Type II and Type III

Service providers should be able to demonstrate that their premises:

• are located in an area that is appropriate to their current and potential service users;
• have sufficient private interviewing facilities that are sound-proofed and not visible to other service users;
• are physically accessible to people with impaired mobility or that they have developed adequate alternative means of delivering their service outside the premises to people with impaired mobility;
• are safe and accessible for people with impaired vision;
• have sufficient adaptations to ensure that they may be used by people with impaired hearing;
• have a private office for follow-up work;
• provide adequate public reception and waiting room;
• have means of keeping children accompanying their parents occupied, such as crèche facilities or toys; and
• have toilet facilities to meet the needs of both the staff and the public.

Service providers should consult with service users and potential service users, including disability groups, about the adequacy of their premises at least once every three years.

Standard 6.2

Service providers must pay sufficient attention to human resource planning to maintain service outputs and inform future planning.

The maintenance of service delivery is important if service users are to have confidence in the service's capacity to address their problem.

Indicators for Type I

Procedures should be in place to minimise disruption in the event of staff and volunteer sickness, including the provision of cover to maintain levels of service.

Indicators for Type II and Type III

Procedures should be in place to minimise disruption in the event of staff and volunteer sickness, including the provision of cover to maintain levels of service.

All service providers should be able to demonstrate that they monitor and analyse the time spent by staff on the different Types of activity undertaken and the topics as a tool for future planning.

Standard 6.3

All services must be able to demonstrate that their annual budget (Standard 1.3) is sufficient to resource the requirements of these Standards and sufficient to resource the commitments established in the Service Plan (Standard 2.4).

Service users, funders, and those involved in planning and delivering the service need to be assured that the service and quality plans can be met and be sustained.

Indicators for Type I, Type II and Type III

Each element of the Services Plan and the plan to meet these Standards should be costed, identified as one-off or ongoing requirements and included within the service's annual budget.