Accreditation is the formal recognition of an individual's achievements and is linked to an internal or external standard.  Getting your volunteer training programme accredited may be something that would be of benefit to your organisation and your volunteers.

Getting your training accredited looks at the different types of accreditation available and lists the main awarding bodies offering accreditation services.  It also looks at the resourcing implications in terms of time and cost for the organisation and looks at the availability of grants.

MBF is already working with ASDAN to offer accredited short course awards for peer mentors and scheme co-ordinators suitable for peer mentoring programmes in both schools and colleges.

Accreditation - qualifications and training

In 2008, MBF circulated a survey to organisations seeking views of about the development of a national award/qualification structure for mentoring and befriending.  Over 700 scheme co-ordinators and volunteers responded to the survey indicating the strong level of interest in this issue.

• 97% of coordinators who responded said they supported the development of an award for volunteers and scheme coordinators.
• 87% of volunteers said they were currently unable to achieve a qualification with 81% saying they would be interested in achieving a qualification if one was available.

As a follow up to that survey, MBF approached a number of the Sector Skills Councils to discuss the development of a national award for mentoring and befriending. Skills for Justice invited MBF to complete an occupational mapping of the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the provision of mentoring and befriending services for offenders. This report paved the way for Skills for Justice to secure funding with MBF's support to develop a functional map, NOS and vocational qualification for volunteers working in the sector.