Housing Justice’s Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) is a unique service development tool designed specifically for non-commissioned, faith and community night shelters and emergency accommodation providers. As the only framework tailored to this part of the sector, the QAF is an invaluable tool to help organisations develop and enhance their services, ensuring they meet evolving best practices while supporting positive outcomes for guests, staff, and volunteers. 

Background

The QAF, formerly known as Housing Justice’s Quality Mark (QM), started as a pilot in 2022 placing an emphasis on projects achieving an accreditation at the end of the process. However, based on feedback from projects that have undertaken the pilot, and through our own learning, we have shifted the emphasis towards service development and constant learning afforded by this tool. 

By emphasising service development over accreditation, we want to: 

  • Broaden the scope of services we assess, including communal shelter provision. 
  • Acknowledge that Housing Justice is not a regulatory body, but a partner supporting service improvement. 
  • Place greater value on the process of continuous improvement, rather than simply the end result. 
  • Reflect the dynamic nature of the sector, where best practices and service delivery models evolve rapidly. 

 

This approach allows us to meet the changing needs of projects, build on their strengths, and adapt flexibly to the realities of the sector. It also enables the tool to be targeted at specific areas or sections where projects identify a need for development, without having to undertake full assessments after the first one has taken place. 

What Does the Framework Cover?

The QAF includes nine core areas of service provision, with a total of 113 criteria to help organisations evaluate and enhance their services: 

  1. Minimum Operating Standards – Ensuring foundational safety and service standards. 
  2. Policies and Procedures – Guiding consistent and effective delivery. 
  3. Physical Space and Day-to-Day Delivery – Focusing on safety, comfort, and suitability of accommodation. 
  4. Guest Experience and Outcomes – Centring on guest journeys, feedback, and results. 
  5. Staff and Volunteer Well-Being and Development – Supporting recruitment, training, and well-being. 
  6. Lived Experience and Co-Production – Engaging those with lived and living experience in shaping services. 
  7. Partnerships – Building effective collaborations with local and sector-wide stakeholders. 
  8. Monitoring and Evaluation – Tracking data and identifying areas for improvement. 
  9. Governance – Ensuring accountability and strong leadership. 

How the Process Works

The QAF is designed to be a collaborative, dynamic process, supporting service development through the following steps: 

Self-Assessment: 

  • Projects complete a self-assessment, rating themselves using a Red, Amber, Yellow, Green (RAYG) system against the framework criteria. 
  • Organisations can choose to pause here or continue to the next stages
  • Necessary documents are submitted to Housing Justice for review. 

Online and On-Site Assessment: 

  • Housing Justice staff meet with project staff, and trustees to discuss in more detail aspects of service provision. 
  • Housing Justice visits the organisation to assess the physical space and speak with volunteers and guests. 

Report and Recommendations: 

  • Housing Justice produces a detailed, evidence-based report with findings, highlighting areas of strength and recommendations for improvement. 
  • A development plan is collaboratively created with the organisation, based on the report. 

Ongoing Support: 

  • Housing Justice provides continued support for service development and reviews progress at regular intervals. 

Why Choose Housing Justice's QAF?

The QAF offers a structured yet flexible approach to service development that aligns with the ever-changing landscape of night shelters and emergency accommodation. It focuses on the process of improvement, creating a shared journey between Housing Justice and the organisations it supports. 

Whether your service is well-established or newly formed, the QAF is designed to help you strengthen delivery, enhance guest outcomes, and navigate challenges confidently. 

To learn more about the QAF or begin the process, contact The Partnerships and Development Team at [email protected] or [email protected].  

What people say about the Quality Mark

  • “Self-assessment is a great way to evaluate your service and the standards you are working toward. I found it straightforward and the team very helpful if there were any queries or things to be clarified in terms of evidence.” 
  • “The personal visit from assessors gave us a chance to showcase our services and what we offer.” 
  • “I have learned what we are good at and what we need to improve which has influenced the forward strategy one example is that of a coproduction strategy while we feel we engage well with our guests and partners writing a Co-production strategy formalised it and has given a better commitment from our trustees.” 
  • “Our guests and volunteers (and staff) are all very proud of what is done in the shelter and therefore very keen to be part of the visit. The assessors handled all the interviews very informally and sensitively. Guests were very pleased to have an opportunity to talk about the impact the project had for them – they see that it operates in a way that partners with them and being interviewed was part of that empowerment.”