“Having carried the APS since 2005, I can see that achieving APS early on in the life of the project has been invaluable. As well as a very worthwhile exercise in good practice for strengthening our internal processes, it’s helped us to attract funding, as well as ensuring that safety and effectiveness are properly attended to, evidenced and learned from. Without doubt, the APS is worth its weight in gold.”
Chris Spriggs, Director, Lifespace






“Having APS helps our project show to partners and funders that we have protocols and procedures in place to provide effective mentoring provision.”
Ian Robson, Project Co-ordinator, Northern Learning Trust

2. Sign up to 'Working Towards'

To be eligible for the APS, your project should be based on one of the following forms of voluntary mentoring or befriending:

• One-to-one mentoring or befriending relationships involving face-to-face meetings
• Group mentoring or befriending
• Peer mentoring or peer support
• Telephone/text based mentoring or befriending
• Online based mentoring or befriending 

By signing the ‘Working Towards’ registration form, you agree to:

• Undertake to develop your project in line with the 12 key elements of APS 
• Review your current practices via the APS diagnostic tool
• Develop an APS action plan
• Attend a regional APS preparation workshop
• Agree to be assessed within 12 months

The commitment to ‘Working Towards’ is a pre-requisite for applying for assessment. No project can be assessed without undertaking this commitment.

It is vital that you secure commitment to achieving APS at a senior level in the organisation as their backing for, and active engagement with, the process will help ensure an organisational commitment to quality standards.

Registering for APS entitles you to receive guidance and support to help you prepare with your application including:

• The APS diagnostic tool to help you carry out a self-assessment of your current position and identify areas for development
• An initial onsite meeting with MBF to review the APS action plan and agree timeframes 
• Telephone/email support from MBF
• Attendance at a regional APS preparation workshop to network with other ‘Working Towards’ projects, review progress and share good practice
• One year’s free membership of MBF allowing access to discounted resources and training opportunities 

Band	Number of volunteers	Voluntary/Community/Statutory	Private sector
A	1-25	£300*	£500
B	26-50	£500	£700
C	51+	£700	£900
D	Multi-site applications	Contact MBF for further details	Contact MBF for further details

The costs of APS will depend on the size of your project.  The costs in the table refer to the total number of volunteers within the project or service. 

There is a bursary available for small organisations with limited resources who are delivering mentoring and befriending projects predominantly through volunteers. To qualify for the bursary, organisations must meet all three of the following criteria:

• Less than 10 volunteers 
• Less than 5 full time staff (or equivalent part time) 
• Less than £50k turnover

If you wish to apply for a bursary please contact the Quality and Standards Coordinator.

Once you have made a commitment to achieving APS, you will receive a confirmation letter to demonstrate your that organisation is ‘Working Towards’ APS.

It normally takes between 6-12 months to prepare for assessment. However, this will vary from project to project. Well-established projects may wish to fine-tune certain policies and procedures during this time whilst newly formed projects may need the time to address more fundamental areas of improvement.

Fill in the 'Working Towards' registration form