Assessment and award of Archive Service Accreditation

Assessment

Assessments are undertaken by a trained assessor from the home nation assessor body:

• In England: The National Archives
• In Scotland: National Records of Scotland
• In Wales: The Welsh Government, through its Culture Division
• In Northern Ireland: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

The assessment gauges how far the applicant service meets the requirements of Archive Service Accreditation. The assessment is based on information supplied on the application form and supporting documentation submitted as part of the application and from information gathered during the validation visit (when this is made).

The validation visit is an opportunity for the assessor or assessment team to look at documentation that is not submitted as part of the application process, discuss aspects of the application with staff, and to look at on-site facilities.

The home nation assessor body makes a recommendation regarding accredited status to the Archive Service Accreditation Panel based on the assessment of the application for accreditation.

Peer reviewers

In England the on-site validation team may also include a peer reviewer. A peer reviewer is a volunteer member of the on-site validation team. Their role is to work alongside The National Archives’ assessor who is leading the visit, and gather further information to help clarify areas of the archive service’s application for Archive Service Accreditation.

This forms part of the assessment against the Archive Service Accreditation Standard. Peer reviewers also contribute to the development actions given to the applicant archive service based on their own experience working within the archive sector, either currently or within the last three years.

As well as their varied expertise and knowledge from their work within the sector, peer reviewers have also attended training courses in peer reviewing skills, including questioning techniques and the Archive Service Accreditation Standard, as part of their professional development through the Archives and Records Association (ARA).

Award

Archive Service Accreditation Panels

Archive Service Accreditation Panels are responsible for confirming the award of Archive Service Accreditation following a recommendation from the home nation assessor body. Panels consist of up to five members drawn from the Archive Service Accreditation Committee and meet three times a year, around March, June and November.

Award outcomes

Following the panel decision, archive services may be:

• accredited
• provisionally accredited (archive services may be provisionally accredited for up to two years)
• not accredited

Post-panel feedback

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within one week of the meeting of the Archive Service Accreditation Panel. As part of the notification archive services will receive the following feedback:

• confirmation as to accreditation status
• commentary against how the archive service meets the standard at each requirement level and at each module level
• development actions, either required or improvement actions that will help the archive service better meet the standard and make ongoing improvements to their service
• a series of key findings about the archive service
• an overall commentary from the Archive Service Accreditation Panel

After your application

Whatever the outcome of your application, it is an opportunity to advocate for your service, celebrate what you do well, and plan for improvement in areas that could be stronger. All applications receive a full assessment report and a citation from the Panel which decided on their award, which can be used in internal advocacy and external promotion.

If your application was unsuccessful, this can form part of an ongoing development process and be an opportunity to advocate for your service’s needs. Your assessor body will support you to identify next steps in the case of an unsuccessful application.

Successful applications are opportunities to celebrate your achievement, and are often a moment for promoting your service and achieving high-level visibility within your organisation. Many organisations receiving the award choose to have an event to mark the success, often around the presentation of the official certificate by a representative of the Archive Service Accreditation partnership.

If you achieved a provisional award, you can plan how to meet the ‘required actions’ which will allow you to move on to the full award. You will also have longer-term actions to consider, to develop your service further.

If you achieved full Archive Service Accreditation, you will also have actions to consider for the future. Your award will be retained as long as you continue to participate in the Accreditation process. Note that in the case of significant change to your service, you should inform your assessor body, who may ask for you to complete the review or re-accreditation state at an earlier date. In extreme cases, such as if a service ceases to meet the eligibility criteria, the award may be removed.