Good to Go: Good Governance

Hunts Forum of Voluntary Organisations is excited to reintroduce its ‘Good to Go: Good Governance Mark’ for Charities and Community Groups. Good to Go is a proactive, self-assessment process that enables Hunts Forum members to evaluate their policies and procedures against predetermined standards.

The new self-assessment process enables organisations to work methodically through their core policies and procedures to identify and mitigate potential risk, and compliance concerns and identify strengths, weaknesses and areas requiring corrective action.

This Good Governance Mark is a must for organisations seeking to enhance their internal processes, ensure quality, and drive continuous improvement as well as demonstrate compliance to stakeholders and regulatory bodies.

Background to the Good Governance mark

“In March 2020, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Huntingdonshire’s Hunts Forum collaborated with Huntingdonshire District Council to establish Recognised Organisations (ROs) to reassure the public that organisations with the RO mark and Logo had proper safeguards in place.

While successful, it was a temporary measure. Recognising the ongoing need for trust, Hunts Forum introduced the Good Governance Mark—a structured, robust system to help organisations identify minimum standards to achieve safe, quality services

A pilot scheme was run in late 2021 with a few Recognised Organisations that were keen to build on the success of the RO mark. The pilot allowed us to stress test our processes and evaluation schemes and we are grateful to both CARESCO and Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust for working with us on this.

This is what they had to say about their experience of the Good Governance Mark pilot and achieving Good Governance status.

CARESCO are thrilled to have been successful in our application for the Hunts Forum Good Governance Mark. The application process was simple to navigate through and to complete and we had plenty of helpful advice and assistance from the Hunts Forum team at every stage.

Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust(RNT) are delighted to be one of the first organisations to be awarded the Good Governance Mark. RNT has worked hard to grow into an organisation that is trusted by the community serves, and it is fantastic to have this recognised.

The process itself was also a chance for trustees, staff and volunteers to reflect upon our practices and procedures. As an organisation that is constantly striving for improvement, it was good to take time to review and update our structures where necessary.

RNT hopes that this mark will show that we are an organisation that can be trusted to provide high-quality activities and services with appropriate and robust governance standards.

What’s involved in The Good Governance mark?

The Good Governance Mark self-assessment process ensures that organisations have sound management procedures regarding governance, financial management, safeguarding, health and safety, data protection, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

The self-assessment process consists of three stages before being submitted to the panel.

The first stage is a Good to Go conversation with the development team, which allows for an overview of the process, understanding of your organisation, and addressing any queries.

The second stage involves the organisation completing the self-assessment of its core policies against clear and specific standards and addressing any corrective actions identified with support.

The third stage comprises an internal informal interview with organisation representatives.

Your application is then submitted to the panel.

There are some core procedures and policies which you must have to complete this process, you can see a full list below but the specific requirements of your application will depend on the type, size and nature of your organisation. Hunts Forum can help you develop these where necessary.

A formal written constitution/ governing document
Financial procedures
Proof of Insurance
Safeguarding procedures/policy
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Health and Safety Policy
Data Protection Policy

Help is available at each stage as required.

Don’t worry if you don’t have everything at your fingertips. Our development team is here for you every step of the way, offering practical support and guidance. Whether it’s assistance with writing or updating necessary policies, addressing your questions, or helping you navigate any technical issues during the online process, we are dedicated to ensuring this will be a smooth, successful, and positive experience for your organisation.

Benefits of the Good Governance Mark

Implementing a self-assessment quality assurance scheme enhances internal processes, and is a driver for continuous improvement as well as demonstrating compliance to stakeholders and regulatory bodies. The self-assessment approach fosters a sense of ownership and a learning culture within the organisation.

The benefits of the Good to Go: Good Governance Mark are:

Raise the Profile: of the wide range of community activities and services available in the county for signposting and referrals.
Support Organisations: to strengthen policies and practices to ensure they can continue to meet the needs of their communities, clients and customers. Organisations can tailor the self-assessment process to align with their specific goals and services.
Stronger Position: to enhance your readiness to respond to tenders, reassuring stakeholders and potential funders that you are fit for purpose with good governance practices. Showcasing a proactive approach to quality management.

Improve and Reflect: It will provide a tool for continuous improvement and reflection for each organisation. Through self-assessment organisations can identify and document best practices within their operations.
Consistency: It will provide a framework for consistency and internal audit.

Groups with the mark

Ready to apply?

Ready to apply?

Download our Good to Go Good Governance Mark Guide 2024 to find out more about the application process and what is involved.

Please note due to our capacity, we can only support 6 organisations at any one time to go through the process.

To register your interest please e-mail GoodGovernance@huntsforum.org.uk or fill in the form below.

A member of the development team will contact you to discuss this further.

We look forward to hearing from you.