Naacemark for Service Providers 2.0

Making a submission

Organisations may make use of the Naacemark structure at any time to review their service delivery. It is designed as a series of self-review prompts, rather than a set of strictly defined criteria, to be used as both a developmental tool and as the basis for a structured assessment. Although we refer to a 'submission' in this article, we strongly encourage service providers to undertake a review, even if they have no immediate intention of seeking accreditation.

NMSP: Overview and guidance

The 'Overview and guidance' document, available for download here, explains how a submission consists of a structured commentary; organisations seeking accreditation are not required to produce a detailed portfolio of evidence. There are three broad areas for the self-review process:

• Planning
• Implementation
• Review

Under each of these 'aspects' there are a number of 'key questions' against which service providers write their commentary.

Service Area prompts and Review documentation

NMSP: Service Area prompts

To assist the process, a list of prompts and suggested evidence are given, although these are neither binding nor exhaustive. These prompts do not appear in the 'Review form', since our intention is that service providers use the structure to describe their own QA system in the way that is most suited to their context.

There are four broad areas of service defined in the scheme:

• ICT and Learning
• ICT Systems
• ICT Management Information
• ICT Resources

These service areas are not mutually exclusive; service providers must select the one or more, most appropriate for the services they provide. If more than one service area is selected for assessment, a separate 'Review form' should be completed for each. Guidance and additional 'prompts' for each service area are provided in the 'Service area prompts' document.

One of the first sections in the 'Review form' is the Context statement. This provides an opportunity to explain how the organisation works: its aims, the services it provides, the constraints it works within and how the particular service area(s) chosen apply to its business or responsibilities. It is intended to be a fairly brief description.

If you decide to submit for assessment in a specific service area, you must complete a 'Review Form' (or create a suitable equivalent). The content of this form is your commentary, showing how the service you offer meets the requirements of the scheme for a given service area.