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The ACRE Standards

The ACRE Good Practice Quality Standards  (The ACRE Standards) covers nine areas of organisational performance:

• Business planning
• User-centred service
• Trustees and the Board
• Managing activities
• Financial management
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Managing and supporting staff
• Training and skills development
• Networks and partnerships

Each of the nine Standards is divided into two incremental implementation levels (Levels 1 and 2), plus a Level 3 ‘check, review and improve’ requirement.  Continuous improvement is embedded within the ACRE Standards and is also formalised by the Level 3 requirement to ensure that everything in Levels 1 and 2 continues to be effectively implemented, and to further review and improve the way that the organisation operates.

RCAN Performance Improvement Programme
ACRE began the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN) Performance Improvement Programme in February 2004, with support from Defra.  As a result, RCAN has an exemplar programme for performance improvement which has the capability of delivering national, network-wide benchmarking on quality. 
The main aims of the performance improvement programme are:

• Supporting the capacity of the Rural Community Action Network in mainstreaming their activities and relationships at local, regional and national level
• Building the capacity of the Rural Community Action Network and ensuring the commitment to continuous performance improvement
• Promoting the role and capabilities of the Rural Community Action Network in key government policy arenas.

• Peer reviews
• Peer review reports
• Peer reviewer training
• Level 3 reviewing
• Benefits of implementing the ACRE standards
• Charity Commission Endorsement