The Families First Quality Award (FFQA) is an established quality assurance and improvement framework
designed to help services demonstrate the quality and impact of the support they provide to children,
young people, parents and carers.
The FFQA provides an independent, outcome-focused framework through which services can evaluate
their practice, recognise strengths, demonstrate positive outcomes and identify opportunities for
continuous improvement.
The original Families First Quality Award Standards were developed and produced by Coram Family and
Childcare and Suffolk County Council. The Standards have been updated and refreshed by Assessment
Services Ltd in accordance with stakeholder requirements and changes within the sectors in which they operate.
Assessment Services Ltd has been the sole assessment body for the Families First Quality Award since June 2018.
The refreshed Families First Quality Award for Family Information Services (FIS) provides an outcome-focused framework for services providing information, advice and assistance to children, young people,parents and carers.
Separate Standards are available for England and Wales, reflecting the different legislative, policy andservice-delivery environments.
The refreshed Families First Quality Award for Schools recognises the important role schools play insupporting children, young people and their families.
The Standards focus on the experience and impact for families across areas including culture andpartnership, communication and transparency, engagement and co-production, equity and inclusion,safeguarding, and integrated support and community partnerships.
Separate Standards are available for England and Wales, reflecting their respective education andregulatory environments.
The Families First Quality Award for Family Hubs is a new addition to the FFQA suite, developed toprovide independent quality assurance and accreditation for integrated Family Hub services.
The Standard focuses on the quality, effectiveness and impact of the Family Hub model and theexperience it provides for children, young people, families and communities. It considers areas includingaccess and navigation, integrated whole-family support, partnership working, safeguarding, workforcepractice, family voice and continuous improvement.
Assessment Services Ltd provides independent assessment and accreditation against the Families First Quality Award Standards. Assessment considers how effectively arrangements operate in practice and the experiences and outcomes being achieved for children, young people, parents and carers. Successful services achieve Families First Quality Award accreditation for three years, supported byannual Continuous Improvement Checks during the accreditation period.
| FFQA | Fee (exc. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Schools | £2,710.00 |
| Family Information Services | £2,710.00 |
| Family HUB (1 site) | £1,962.50 |
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Contact Us
For further information about the Families First Quality Award or to discuss assessment and accreditation, please contact:
Email: ffqa@assessmentservices.com
Telephone: 020 8123 0725
Portland Academy, part of the Ascent Academies Trust, shares how they aligned with the Families First Quality Award to strengthen family engagement and embed continuous improvement across the organisation.
Cornwall Council’s Family Information Service shares how achieving the Families First Quality Award sparked new outreach initiatives, boosted family engagement, and helped elevate their quality and visibility across the region.