Pre Assessment
Your allocated assessor will send you an assessment plan that will confirm the date and time of assessment, outline the assessment process, and list any further evidence they may want to view.
All assessors have ID badges and when an in person assessment takes place assessors will expect to sign in and out of your service.
During the assessment
QfA assessors follow a loose criterion that will support and guide them to make valid and confident judgements. They view and cross reference documents, observe practice, and talk to staff, parents and children to be assured that practice routinely confirms your written submissions.
Your assessor will refer to the assessment plan and confirm how they plan to carry out the assessment. They will also want to:
Check if there are owner/third party consents in place for them to look at any paperwork they might have asked for (individual children’s play plans, staff files, staff meeting notes, parents’ or children’s questionnaires, etc.)
• Ask if there is anything they should take into consideration during their visit – such as any child or adult (staff or parent) who might not feel comfortable being spoken to (some people don’t like eye contact or may have communication difficulties)
A professional discussion will take place with the QfA assessor to allow you the opportunity to further explain and highlight aspects of your service. They will give you some verbal feedback about their findings and will be clear about the positives they’ve seen and be clear about any poor or doubtful practice.
At the end of the assessment your assessor will explain any next steps and together you will decide on 3 improvement points which will be the focus for your next QfA assessment.