NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Step 1
Forming the
Implementation
Team (IT)
September 2015
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
The majority of members
of ITs were from staff
teams.
Encourage the sharing of learning
between organisations.
Step 1 NQSF Information notes for services
and information for stakeholders - (how to
guide for each step of the NQSF process)
There are only a few
young people engaged on
ITs.
Rather that have one or two YP on
implementation group, work with
an existing groups of YP to
participate in NQSF review and
improvements
There are only a few
voluntary members
remaining on ITs.
Give adequate time to support the
IT to bond and understand their
role and the process e.g.
workshops, activities and social
elements.
In some organisations
only those directly
involved in the IT are
aware of developments
or actively contributed to
the
assessment/improvement
process.
Embed the NQSF into the
organisational structures e.g.
• Quality Standards on the
agenda of all key meetings
e.g. Board Meeting/Council
Agendas, Regional meeting
etc.
• Appoint quality standards
officer/s at a national or
regional level
• Place information on QSI in
Handbooks, magazines and
website
• Place key Quality Standard
Overview presentation– (sample overview
presentation about the NQSF)
Sample outcome statements (document that
gives sample outcome statements and CIP actions
for each Core Principle)
Evidence matrix (samples of the three different
types of evidence for all the Core principle
indicators)
Please click link below to access all the
documents above http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocu
ments%2Fyouthaffairs%2Fqualityframework.htm&
mn=youh&nID=3
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Initiative dates on annual
programme calendars
Some organisation
struggled with preparing
outcome statements that
linked to the 5 core
principles and with
offering evidence of
achieved outcomes.
There are two resource documents
to help support this (sample
outcome statements and the
evidence matrix)
Available Resources
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
Step 2 Statement
of Youth Work
Practice
Generally feedback and
experience was that this
step went well and that
it assisted organisations to
clearly articulate their
youth work practice and
approach.
Encourage people to focus on the
five questions only – less is more
in the statement. Statement
should be no more than 500 in
length, free from Jargon and
written in accessible language.
Easily understood by young
people, parents and other
stakeholders.
Step 2 NQSF Information notes for services
(how to guide for each step of the NQSF process)
Some statements of youth
work practice were a
little jargonistic and not
easily accessible by all
Stakeholders.
Explore ways of developing the
statement into group work
activities for example a
mural/collage prepared by a group
of young people.
September /
October 2015
Or ensure as wide a group as
possible feedback on the statement
to ensure it is suitable for all
stakeholders
Please click link below to access all the
documents above http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocu
ments%2Fyouthaffairs%2Fqualityframework.htm&
mn=youh&nID=3
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
Step 3 and 4
Self –Assessment
Time commitment given to
gathering evidence rather
than focussing on the
assessment and analysis of
the organisation.
Encourage IT to offer evidence
from all three elements;
documentary, focus group and
observations on practice when they
are completing the self-assessment
template.
Step 3&4 NQSF Information notes for
services
(how to guide for each step of the NQSF process)
Too strong a focus and too
much time spent on
documentary evidence,
relative to the other two
evidence types.
Acknowledged that there will be an
element of compare and contrast
from Cycle 1. (Use improvements
from the first cycle CIP as evidence
in Cycle 2).
Self-assessment workshop
(sample workshop and powerpoint overview slides
for facilitating wider participation in NQSF
assessment process)
By 27th November
2015
Sample Self -assessment questions (sample
questions to help in the analysis and evidence
gathering process)
Evidence matrix (samples of the three different
types of evidence for all the Core principle
indicators)
Sample self-assessment template –(sample of
a completed self-assessment template that offers
evidence from the three different options
documentary, focus group and practice)
http:
Please click link below to access all the
documents above http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocu
ments%2Fyouthaffairs%2Fqualityframework.htm&
mn=youh&nID=3
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
Step 5
External
Assessment
Proportionally additional
time and weighting was
given to documentary
evidence when compared
with the other elements of
focus groups and
observations on practice.
Rebalance and give the three
elements the similar amount of
focus and weighting.
Step 5 NQSF Information notes for services
(how to guide for each step of the NQSF process)
Many of the reports
included recommended
actions which were easily
completed but did not fully
address the underlying or
overarching issues.
During the assessment phase the
standards officers will focus on
identifying the issues and
opportunities rather than just the
solutions or tasks
e.g. ‘limited information available
to support good decision making’
rather than ‘introduce a database’
– this approach assists with the
CIP plan and the quarterly review
meetings.
By 5th February
2016
When it came to CIP
reviews there was a limited
report on
work completed as it only
focussed on the one action
rather than the underlying
or overarching areas for
improvement.
Please click link below to access all the
documents above http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocu
ments%2Fyouthaffairs%2Fqualityframework.htm&
mn=youh&nID=3
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
Step 6
Preparation of CIP
Many of the CIPs were not
completed properly – the
‘areas for improvement’
section focussed more on
actions than on areas for
improvement
Ensure the organisation also focus
on the areas for improvement
rather than just on specific task
they are going to do, for example
in column 1 put -
Step 6 NQSF Information notes for services
(how to guide for each step of the NQSF process)
By 26th February
2016
Organisations put so much
time into the assessment
phase that the CIP was
sometimes given less
energy/priority
Many of the areas for
improvement were not
noted as the organisation
went along and were
sometimes forgotten by
the time they came to
filling in the form
‘ need to improve systems for
involving volunteers in decision
making’
Then column 2 add some specific
actions for example - ‘ask
volunteers to attend planning and
review sessions’
Fill in the CIP template from the
beginning of the process, for
example if an area for
improvement is identified during
the assessment phase; note it
immediately in the CIP without
worrying about the actions to
address it.
NQSF road map (resource websites links for
every NQSF core principle and standard)
http://www.effectiveservices.org/ourwork/National-Quality-Standards-Framework
CDYSB Toolkit – (policy preparation support
documents and sample forms e.g. consent etc.)
http://www.cdysb.ie/Library/Toolkit-of-EssentialGuidelines-for-Good-Youth-Wor.aspx
Planning, Needs Assessment
and Evaluation – (resource document for some
key NQSF actions)
http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/docume
nts/youthaffairs/20150204NQSFPlanNeedsAssandE
valManualFeb2015.pdf
QuADS policy Library – Irish based website with
over 80 different policy templates coving all
aspects of voluntary project’s needs.
http://www.drugs.ie/resources/the_quality_standa
rds_Support _project/policy_template_library/
Theory practice tool-(resource that highlights
some of the theories that underpin youth work
practice)
http://www.effectiveservices.org/media/cesnews/new-resource-ideas-in-action-in-youth-work
NQSF Implementation Plan – Cycle 2 year 1 National Youth Organisations 2015
Timeframe
Cycle 2
Lessons from
Cycle 1
Suggested Actions
Available Resources
Step 7
End of year
progress reports
Part 1 – the focus was on
actions rather than
overarching areas for
improvement and that the
actions repeated
throughout the document
unnecessarily
Address the focus on actions at the
CIP stage by outlining the areas for
improvement as well as the actions
(see above)
Step 6 NQSF Information notes for services
(how to guide for each step of the NQSF process)
Mid November
2016
Some organisations did not
include an achieved
outcome statement as part
of their reports
Part 2 – report mainly
geared to year 1 of process
Sample outcome statements (document that
gives sample outcome statements and CIP actions
for each
Core Principle)
Please click link below to access all the
documents above http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocu
ments%2Fyouthaffairs%2Fqualityframework.htm&
mn=youh&nID=3
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs have a QSF training and resources group. This group are developing resources on an on-going
t_project/policy_template
s_support_project/policy_template_library/s.ie/resources/the_quality_standards_su
pport_prject/policy_template_library/rary/
basis; these are available on http://dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=2888&ad=1