What benefits will CAA accreditation give you?

"...there is a responsibility on the provider of the class to report any suspicions of child abuse and if an activity provider doesn’t have a policy on how they and any staff/franchisees are expected to deal with it, should the worst happen, they would be left vulnerable as they wouldn’t be able to provide evidence that they followed correct procedures for that child." Dr Amanda Gummer PhD Read More ...

Being a CAA Accredited Member will be the first thing that parents, schools and nurseries look for when choosing an activity for their children. 

Achieving CAA accreditation will mean that you have been independently verified as having met or exceeded the CAA Code of Practice giving parents absolute confidence in the activity that you provide.  And you will have absolute confidence that you have everything needed in place too.  Read the blog from Dr Amanda Gummer PhD and find out more about the benefits and accreditation process.

Once accredited you will join the ranks of those providers proven to work at the very highest standard. 

Who is CAA accredited

CAA accreditation launched in November 2015 and already many children's activities providers have started and achieved accreditation. 

What will be accredited?

CAA Accreditation follows our Code of Practice.  This means we will be accrediting your programme and processes not the detail of your lesson content.  For example, we will want to be satisfied that a suitably qualified person has developed and tested your lessons plans.

Because we are accrediting your programme and process, any franchisees or licensees trained and supported to use your system can also receive accreditation.

How is accreditation structured?

Level 1 members, i.e. annual turnover of < £50,000, have a choice of FULL accreditation or SEEDLING accreditation.  All other member levels proceed to FULL accreditation.

Full Accreditation

Accreditation is split into five modules:  Compliance, Training, Customer Service, Programme and Delivery.  Find out more about these modules here .

The starting point is the Compliance module and once this is awarded you can use the CAA Member logo with pride.  You must complete the Compliance module within 3 months of joining the CAA.

How you complete the remaining modules is agreed with our independent accreditors, Fundamentally Children.  This will ensure your progress through accreditation fits with your business plans.  Once your accreditation path is agreed you can progress as agreed.

Full accreditation is awarded once the remaining modules have been completed and you can now display the CAA accreditation logo with pride!  CAA accreditation is valid for 3 years.

For members who own, develop and deliver the programme themselves, the training module will not be required although a review of CPD will be carried out by the accrediting body.

Seedling Accreditation

If you are a Level 1 member i.e. your turnover is under £50,000 per year, you can opt to start with Seedling Accreditation rather than Full Accreditation.  Only the Compliance module and Customer Service module are required to complete Seedling Accreditation.  The remainder of the modules and site visit can be completed when you are ready or your turnover exceeds £50,000, whichever is sooner.

Who is responsible for accreditation?

The CAA has selected Fundamentally Children as the independent organisation to carry out the accreditation process for us. Fundamentally Children already run the quality assurance programmes that produce the Good Toy Guide and the Good App Guide and have helped the CAA develop the accreditation process so that it is fair, accessible and meaningful.

With the help and support from Fundamentally Children you will provide evidence and answer questions and there will be a visit by one of the accreditation team.

What happens at renewal?

Once you’ve achieved CAA accreditation, the journey doesn’t end. 

We offer 6 monthly calls to support you in continuing to develop best practice and you need to submit all compliance documents and policies annually. 

The accreditation is valid for 3 years, and we would only need to review the accreditation earlier than that if there is any major change in the programmes you offer (a new programme, an increase in age ranges etc), in which case we will arrange an additional site visit. 

Towards the end of the three years, we will contact you and arrange the site visit to come and renew your accreditation. You are welcome to arrange the renewal visit at any time prior to the 3 year anniversary of your accreditation.

How much will CAA accreditation cost?

The CAA accreditation instantly gives parents, nurseries and schools peace of mind that a complete accreditation process has been undertaken and verified by an independent expert.

We have been very mindful of the cost of accreditation to our members and put considerable thought into the structure of the accreditation fees to ensure they are within reach of all our members.

The Accreditation fees include ongoing support and mentoring throughout your journey towards accreditation and a discount on any courses being run by the CAA to support you or your team’s professional development.  As well as phone support, you’ll also receive a site visit and access to policies and documents to help make the process as efficient and streamlined as possible for you. The accreditation team will take time to get to know you and help you plan the most appropriate path to ensure you gain full accreditation in a way and to a timescale that suits you and your organisation.

• Fees reflect the turnover of the member in the same way our membership fees do
• Seedling accreditation is available to Level 1 members, i.e. with an annual turnover of less than £50,000
  
• Accreditation fees can be paid by instalments
• Accreditation renewal fees can be paid by direct debit

We are here to help and support our members to achieve accreditation and this include the fees so please do contact us in confidence if you wish to discuss your individual situation.

When can I apply for CAA Accreditation?

Once your CAA membership is approved you can start your Compliance module straightaway and full details will be emailed to you.