Cardiff Youth Service have been awarded the highly acclaimed gold Quality Mark for Youth Work (QMYW).

The QMYW is funded by Welsh Government and administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC). It’s a national award which demonstrates an organisation's excellence in youth work provision.

To receive the accreditation, organisations must self-assess against a set of quality standards and pass an external assessment.

In achieving gold, Cardiff Youth Service demonstrated the strength of its partnership working, and how it uses management information and its resources creatively and effectively to meet the needs of young people. It also recognises and celebrates the achievements and development of the young people the team work with, and the impact youth work and youth workers have made on their personal journeys.

James Healan, Principal Youth Officer at Cardiff Youth Service said, “We are extremely proud to hold all three parts of the Quality Mark for Youth Work. Celebrating this with our staff and the young people that have been part of this achievement is special.

“We value the focus on self-assessment and self-evaluation that the Quality Mark brings to our organisation. We are focused on continual improvement and the Quality Mark has allowed this improvement to take place methodically and systematically.”

Tara Reddy, Quality Mark Development Officer with the EWC said “Congratulations to Cardiff Youth Service for getting the gold Quality Mark. It’s a huge achievement and a testament to their hard work.

“In their report, the assessors highlighted the service’s excellent approach to partnership working, and their use of data to ensure services remain responsive, evidence-based, and focused on young people’s needs as particular areas of good practice”.

For more information about the Quality Mark, including how your organisation can get accredited, or how you can become and assessor, go to the EWC website.