What is EQIS?

EQIS (Ensuring Quality Independent Services) is a quality assurance standard for voluntary, community and faith sector groups (VCFSE) that are specifically supporting people’s mental wellbeing in Warrington.  Quality is about excellence in how services are delivered and how people are supported.  

Why become EQIS approved

If you value assessing and improving the quality of your group's mental wellbeing support, want to demonstrate the effectiveness of your work and enhance the reputation of your group then EQIS provides a comprehensive quality framework. 

You’ll also be supporting and standing with other VCFSE groups in Warrington, increasing trust and confidence in the sector. Whilst EQIS isn’t mandatory it will help to provide an evidence base for the impact and importance the VCFSE contributes to the overall well-being of local residents.

You will be part of Warrington in Mind, a local alliance of VCFSE groups and organisations who are all committed to improving mental health services in Warrington.

See the organisations who have EQIS accreditation

EQIS is a review and reflect tool that can help you to;

• Understand your level of quality and what you need to achieve it 
• Review current practice, setting goals and writing action and improvement plans
• Helps identify training and capacity needs 
• Define benchmarks and processes for evaluating and monitoring best practice
• Strengthen your reputation and encourage more people to access your support and volunteer for you
• Develop, review and strengthen your processes and procedures
• Minimise risk, maintain knowledge and plan for the future

Being part of a collective of EQIS approved providers aims to;

• Build confidence and ensure safe, effective practice within the VCFSE sector
• Highlight gaps in services and opportunities for collaborative partnerships
• Level up the quality and value of third-sector mental health services
• Promotion and endorsement through Warrington’s Happy OK Sad website
• Deliver services that professionals from across both the Public Sector, Primary and Secondary care settings and the Community and Voluntary Sector can confidently refer into

Who can be EQIS approved?

• Voluntary groups / charitable organisations
• Projects within sports / leisure clubs (projects supporting mental health and wellbeing)
• Projects within faith, public or private organisations (EQIS will not be awarded to a church/hospital/school but for a service within like a project or activity)
• National charities and foundations (Services, policies and staffing for Warrington delivery will be EQIS approved not the organisation as a whole) 

Are you a Community Interest Company (CiC)? Are you a newly registered CiC (within the last 18 months)? 

Due to the varying legal structures of CiC’s you’ll need to demonstrate extra due diligence through your governing documents to evidence you are set up with community objectives at the forefront of your mission. This will include a review of your Directors, how you are structured to pay dividends or shares and a review of financial restrictions on income. These additional recommendations from WVA assessors will be submitted to the panel should you decide to proceed with the application.

What’s the EQIS process? 

Assessment

A panel of VCFSE EQIS approved group leaders, volunteers, people with lived experience and stakeholders from Public Health and Primary Care settings assess all applications. The panel have the final say over whether to approve EQIS applications but there are no number of times you can re-submit. This process is about making sure you have everything in place you need to be the best for your people. Decisions can’t be contested but WVA will support you to review and re-apply if you so wish.

The panel meet bi-monthly to review applications, evaluate and update the EQIS process. WVA coordinate panel meetings and any correspondence relating to EQIS.

EQIS approved services are reviewed every 3 years (minimum) but if there are significant changes to the governance of your group/organisation then this can be brought forward.   

Can you become EQIS approved?

If you run sessions and activities that directly support mental health then your group or service could be eligible to undertake EQIS. When we say ‘directly support’ we mean services and activities that are either for people living with mental health illnesses and conditions or to help promote positive mental well-being. This could be anything from a menopause support group, men’s mental health peer support group, a walk and talk session or even a knit-and-natter group. We tend to look at the activity as being the primary objective of running a group or activity but the benefits for those taking part may be to encourage social connection, learning a new skill, being active or helping someone. All these things help to support and promote better mental health and well-being because you’re providing the opportunity for someone to actively engage in an activity.

Before commencing the EQIS you’ll need to complete a quick pre-questionnaire to better assess and understand what stage your group/organisation is currently at and whether you need to complete the whole EQIS assessment.

Pre-EQIS eligibility check

If your organisation or service already has relevant accreditation then WVA will assess eligibility and decide what stages of EQIS assessment you need to conduct. Certain standards of accreditation mean as an organisation you will already have the policies and procedures in place to ensure quality standards and practices so undertaking the whole EQIS assessment isn’t a requirement. 

What current quality assurances or frameworks do you have in place? 

By quality assurance we mean a level of accreditation that has been externally audited and assessed by a regulated body that prescribes certain quality standards and best practices. These accreditations and affiliations demonstrate that your services are fit for purpose and deliver against a set framework of objectives and outcomes that are measurable.

Regulators like the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted endorse the use of quality standards to help identify and define good quality care. 

Please list the types of accreditation that are specifically applicable to the delivery of your core objectives. You will also need to record the dates these were obtained and/or reviewed last. The types of accreditation will be relevant to health and well-being, supporting people (including staff and volunteers) or registration with professional bodies. We will also want to know whether you have been commissioned, received grants or worked in partnership. 

What’s next?

If you have some accreditation in place or you are a regional/national charity or foundation that delivers services in Warrington then please get in touch and we can arrange to meet and go through the pre-EQIS questionnaire.

If you have some accreditation but you’re not sure whether it is applicable please get in touch to go discuss your eligibility.

If you don’t have any accreditation you can commence the first step by uploading the policies you feel are relevant to your group/organisation/activity.

What can you do in return?

We don’t expect a lot from you but a little back can go a long way… 

• Show everyone you’re proud to be EQIS approved! Use the EQIS logo on promotional material and social media posts 
• Sharing other EQIS providers’ stories on social media 
• Stand united with fellow EQIS and WiM members - Our voices are louder in numbers 
• Promote the power of collaboration and coordination
• Celebrate the amazing groups and services that provide quality support and provision

Help us to evidence impact and build a profile of VCFSE Mental Health support by sharing the following data:​

• Age​
• Gender​
• Postcode​
• Onward Referrals​ (to other groups and services)
• Inward Referrals​ (what groups and services have people come from)
• Case studies and testimonies

We've compiled the answers to some FAQs here.