5. Quality standards, the monitoring and evaluation of our services.

TEN's approach to quality is via a commitment to, and the implementation of, the MATRIX Quality Standard for the provision of advice and information to adults. As such, it is fully compliant with best practice identified by the Adult Learning Inspectorate. TEN was first awarded the standard 2002 and was successfully re-assessed against the standard in October 2008. The Matrix Quality Standards measures performance relating to the following areas of activity:

1.         People are made aware of the service and how to engage with it;
2.         People's use of the service is defined and understood;
3.         People are provided with access to information and support in using it;
4.         People are supported in exploring options and making choices;
5.         Service delivery is planned and maintained;
6.         Staff competence and support they are given are sufficient to deliver the service;
7.         Feedback on the quality of the service is obtained;
8.         Continuous quality improvement is ensured through monitoring, evaluation and
            action.

As part of TEN's Quality Assurance process, an Internal Auditor undertakes a periodic audit at each facility to ensure that the appropriate information, resources and equipment are available to enable TEN to deliver its services fully. The audit process also examines both ICT-based and paper-based client records. The process is intended to identify areas where improvements can be made and forms the basis for the development of Action Plans to implement improvements.

TEN encourages local employers to participate in the development of our services, so that individuals can directly receive information about skills and personal attributes employers look for when recruiting.  Feedback on the organisation's performance is gained from internal, partner and client evaluation mechanisms.  TEN has also established an Unemployment Forum of unemployed people from a variety of backgrounds to continuously inform and advise us on the appropriateness of our provision and recruitment strategies.

Weekly meetings are held between management and staff to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the TEN in meeting its target objectives. Every three months written feedback from clients is sought using client evaluation questionnaires in order to inform this process. Monthly project performance reports are compiled that measure the outputs achieved against the targets set in the action plan. The results of these processes are fed into TEN's bi-monthly Management Committee Meetings and directions regarding suggestions for improvement are fed back into the monthly review meetings thereby ensuring that a cycle of continuous improvement is established.