This document discusses the development of the Cultivating Quality (CQ) quality assurance scheme for social and therapeutic horticulture projects. CQ was created by Thrive to establish professional standards for the field and ensure projects continuously improve their performance. It is based on the established PQASSO system but includes two unique standards related to working in gardens and using horticulture. The scheme is a self-assessment tool covering 11 standards and is intended to help projects improve services, obtain funding, and legitimize horticulture as a means to address client needs.

1. Quality Assurance for Social and
Therapeutic Horticulture
‘CULTIVATING QUALITY’
THRIVE QUALITY ASSURANCE SCHEME
Many voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) are skilled in
delivering innovative projects and essential services on scant resources,
usually with clear missions and goals; they play a vital role in their local
communities – none more so than projects offering Social and
Therapeutic Horticulture. The best VCO’s also strive to continuously
improve their performance – to do more and to do better. Planning,
managing, measuring and reporting their performance in a systematic
way can help them achieve this.
Performance improvement is used to describe the process of “increasing
the impact of an organisation in fulfilling its aims and objectives for the
maximum benefit of its users/members and the cause” Source: Improving
our performance: a strategy for the voluntary and community sector.
Quality Standards Task Group April 2004.
The concept of quality is difficult, and the meaning elusive, being put to
different uses, to serve different purposes. In essence, a systematic
attention to detail, within a strategic framework of polices and values, is
the key to quality.
Quality management originally evolved as a branch of industrial
engineering science (Bone, 1994). As interest in quality issues
developed, a range of techniques, all dedicated in different ways to
improving the quality of goods and services, was being initiated in
manufacturing and service industries in Japan, America and Europe.
In common with other managerial ideas and approaches, quality
management has taken time to move from its original home in industrial
manufacturing through the service sector, health care, public
bureaucracies and finally the voluntary sector.
The government’s desire for an increased role in service delivery for the
voluntary sector – highlighted by published documents such as ‘Private
Action, Public Benefit – A review of Charities and the Wider-Not-For-
Profit Sector (Strategy Unit 2002), along with initiatives such as the
‘Best Value’ approach (Donnelly, 1999), have put increasing pressure
and emphasis on the importance of transparency, accountability,
efficiency and effectiveness. Demands for user, carer, and community
involvement in the development, delivery and quality assurance of
services have acted as further pushes towards quality improvement. A
large number of quality systems are in use in the voluntary sector, some
well known, some less so; some generic and some sector specific; some
focusing on all aspects of an organisation’s activities, some on one
particular part.
However, there are no professional standards, outside statutory
regulations, that help steer the development and progress of Social and
Therapeutic Horticulture, Thrive, with the guidance of the Charities Thrive Briefing
Evaluation Service, have designed and developed Cultivating Quality
(CQ). Initially developed from Thrive’s original ‘Guidelines for Good Sheet no:
Practice’, written by practitioners and adopted by them in 1999. These
were always intended to be the basis of a more extensive set of
standards. Developed also, because, generic systems did not meet the
needs of projects working within the specialist field of social and
therapeutic horticulture.
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2. The scheme itself is an adaptation of the PQASSO (Practical Quality
Assurance System for Small Organisations) quality assurance system.
This offers the practitioner the assurance of using an established and
valued scheme with the addition of specialised information running
throughout the entire scheme, meeting the needs of gardening projects.
The framework is a self-assessment tool; with eleven standards,
including two unique standards that relate specifically to working in a
garden project and using the medium of horticulture.
It demonstrates that the introduction of a quality system can offer
improved work practices, improved services for clients, improved funding
and partnership opportunities, and collectively to help legitimise the use
of horticulture as a mainstream activity to deliver client needs, be they
social, health, educational or work related. It will also assist in building a
strong cohesive and professional network of social and therapeutic
horticulture projects.
Cultivating Quality can be applied to the full range of projects no matter
what their focus - employment, health, therapy or training – however
large or small – independent or part of a larger organisation, and whether
or not they serve a particular client group or multi-client groups.
The adoption and use of a quality system such as Cultivating Quality
takes commitment, time, planning and the investment of resources, but
should assist in supporting performance improvement and the ever-
increasing demands placed upon projects.
Implementing Cultivating Quality not only assists in aligning all the
different requirements of quality assurance, (evidence produced once,
can be used as many times as necessary) it is also an important way of
preparing to meet future challenges.
References/Bibliography
Bone, C.(1994) Modern Quality Management Manual, Longman, Essex
Charities Evaluation Services (2002) First Steps in Quality, CES, London
Commission on the Future of the Voluntary Sector (1996) Meeting the
challenge of change: voluntary action into the 21st century, CFVS/NCVO
London
Donnelly, M. (1999) ‘Making the difference: quality strategy in the public
sector’, Managing Service Quality, Bedford, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp47-52
Growth Point, Issue 80, Winter 2000, ‘The Guidelines for Good Practice
in Therapeutic Horticulture’ pp9-13
Strategy Unit (2002) Private Action, Public Benefit – a review of
Charities and the Wider Not-For-Profit Sector, Strategy Unit, London

3. Thrive Quality Regional Champions
Region Project Client base Sector Quality
& numbers Stat/Vol/PL Scheme/s
C
South Thrive Trunkwell MD Community ALI
East Garden Project, 14-84 yrs Voluntary CQ
Reading 60+ LSC-
0118 988 4844 (SAR)
South HMP Grendon & Offenders Statutory HMIP
East Springhill, Adult males CQ
Aylesbury 560
0129 644 3152
South Minstead Training LD Voluntary ALI
East College, 18+ CQ
Lyndhurst KEY:
0238 081 4134 ALI = Adult Learning
London Thirve Battersea MD Voluntary RNID Expectorate
Garden Project 14-80yrs ALI CQ = Cultivating Quality
0207 720 212 CQ HMIE = Her Majesty’s
South Shaw Trust, MD Voluntary IIP Inspectorate of Education
West Salisbury 18-65yrs CQ (Quality Framework)
0172 233 7192 HMIP = Her Majesty’s
South Richmond MH Voluntary IIP Inspectorate of Prisons
West Fellowship 18-65yrs CQ IIP = Investors in People
TWIGS, LD = Learning disability
Swindon LSC = Learning & Skills
0179 352 3294
Council
South Oak Park Day LD / VI Private Ltd Quality MD = Multiple disability
West Service 17-63yrs Co. process
Bodmin, Cornwall OFSTED = Office for
S/S Standards in Education
0120 887 1422 CQ PD = Physical disability
West Where Next LD / PD Voluntary ALI PQASSO = Practical Quality
Midlands Nurseries, 14-75yrs IIP
Redditch Assurance System for Small
CQ Organisations
0152 769 955
West Ideal for All, MD Voluntary IIP RNID = Royal National
Midlands Growing Under 4’s CQ Institute for the Deaf –
Opportunities, (Sure Start) (Louder than words
Smethwick 7-90yrs Quality Charter)
0121 555 7959 SAR = Self Assessment
East Charnwood LD Voluntary PQASSO Review
Midlands Gardening 18yrs + (level 1) S/S = Social Services
Project, 20 CQ SQMS = Scottish Quality
Loughborough
0150 963 1774 Management System
North Horticare LD Statutory IIP
West (Cumbria County 18yrs + CQ
Council), 21
Kendal
0153 977 3518
East St Elizabeth’s LD Voluntary IIP
Centre, (inc severe OFSTED
Much Hadham epilepsy) CQ
0127 984 4257 18yrs +
ext 257 70
Yorks & Northdale LD Voluntary CQ
Humber Horticulture, 18yrs +
Northallerton 32
0160 977 0269
Scotland Suntrap Garden PD & Voluntary SQMS
Project, exclusion (possibly HMIE
Edinburgh from ed. future PLC) CQ
0131 339 7283 12yrs +

4. Number of recorded projects per government region
Frequency Percentage
South East 129 16.3
South West 98 12.4
Scotland 88 11.1
West Midlands 76 9.6
London 73 9.2
Yorkshire & Humberside 59 7.4
North West 57 7.2
Eastern 56 7.1
East Midlands 56 7.1
Wales 48 7.1
North East 33 4.2
Northern Ireland 14 1.8
Ireland/Eire 5 .6
TOTAL 792 100.0
Data Source: A summary of the details provided by the
Thrive/Loughborough University research project.
Health, Well-being and social inclusion. Therapeutic horticulture in the UK
(Published May 2005).
A total of 836 projects filled in a questionnaire, but not all respondents
answered all questions.
The number of respondents providing information is given at the bottom
of the table.
The Southeast region has the highest number of recorded projects and
on mainland Britain the Northeast region has the lowest.
There are projects in each region and country and in each county of
England.
Thrive does not have any office or staff in Ireland and the projects
known are likely to be an under-estimation of the activity taking place.
The Cultivating Quality Regional Champion selection process
endeavoured to include a diverse range of projects, covering all the
government regions. However, there is no representation for Wales at
this present time.