International charity Save the Children is working with North East-based NCFE to raise global standards of child protection. We spoke with Clare Allsopp, Learning Specialist at Save the Children, to find out how the educational charity's Accreditation and Employer Services is making this possible.
Could you tell us about Save the Children and its goals?
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for child rights, and we champion the rights and interests of children worldwide, putting the most vulnerable first. We have over 25,000 dedicated staff across 116 countries responding to emergencies, delivering development programmes, and amplifying children’s voices through campaigns.
Our global aims are clear: to ensure that no child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday, that all children learn from a quality basic education, and that violence against children is no longer tolerated.
Why did you need NCFE’s Accreditation Services?
We required NCFE’s help to support Save the Children in reinforcing objective and consistent standards of excellence for technical expertise and, ultimately, to contribute to the quality assurance of our programmes for children across the world.
NCFE developed unique accreditation criteria based on our Save the Children technical competency frameworks for us to work from. Through close collaboration, these criteria resulted in the COMPAQT programme (COMpetency-based Approach to Professional Qualifications and Training), which takes the approach of identifying, addressing, and improving core competencies and knowledge within participants’ existing skillsets.
Our end goal is for the programme to help with enhancing the lives of children and families in the many communities that Save the Children operates in.
Can you tell us more about the COMPAQT programme?
The programme accredits staff who, for the most part, do not have a formal qualification in their area of work and expertise, such as Child Protection and Child Rights.
COMPAQT has enabled us to recognise and document their achievements which hasn’t been possible previously. As well as benefitting individuals, this also helps their managers – often themselves not experts in this area – to understand the level of expertise of their staff.
Our first pilot took place in 2021, which involved 17 participants in Asia. Following its success, the programme was rolled out globally in 2022, enrolling 56 new participants in Child Protection and, as of 2023, Save the Children have enrolled another 54 participants to formally accredit in two more technical areas – Social Protection and Child Rights Governance.
The cohorts represent participants across five regions, more than 30 countries, and three languages. We’ve exceeded our expectations in how quickly the programme has gone from being a pilot, to being onboarded, embedded, and fully established globally.
In what ways did NCFE support you?
NCFE offer a comprehensive consultancy service, from the design and planning through to the delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of our accreditation programme.
Specifically, the team has helped us to adapt and tailor the accreditation criteria and process to meet the specific needs of our audience, whilst also ensuring consistent standards. They are also readily available to support with the development and delivery of training to enrol participants, as well as supporting them throughout the programme.
How has using NCFE’s Customised Qualifications impacted COMPAQT participants?
Our participants have reported feeling more recognised and valued for their professional expertise. 84% of programme participants think this accreditation will help them to achieve more impact for children and 100% of our participants have recommended COMPAQT to a colleague.
The programme has also had an impact on our staff retention; participants who completed the programme feel more supported and clearer about their career development within the organisation, with some also leveraging their accreditation to move into more senior roles/ responsibilities.
Would you recommend working with NCFE’s accreditation team to others?
Yes! The partnership with NCFE has given the scheme and the accreditation a level of credibility and rigour that we could not have achieved independently – from the design of the individual qualifications to the training and support for assessors, to the quality assurance processes.
We’ve really enjoyed working with NCFE’s very supportive and collaborative team. This accreditation programme reinforces Save the Children’s technical expertise and helps us stand out even more in the sector.
Find out more about NCFE Accreditation Services and Endorsed Programmes by visiting www.ncfe.org.uk/learning-for-work/ accreditation-and-employer-services