Tearfund aims to work to the highest possible standards with integrity and transparency. We have identified a set of corporate Quality Standards in support of our vision and the delivery of our strategy which are in keeping with the organisational characteristics we aspire to and which summarise all of the relevant external and internal accountability and quality standards, codes, guidelines and principles to which we are committed:
Behaviours
We expect the highest behaviour standards across all of our work. We stand against all forms of exploitation, abuse, fraud, bribery and any other conduct that is incompatible with our values. We strive to transfer power to the people we serve; to transform our own, our partners’ and communities’ attitudes and practices on inclusion, conflict sensitivity, accountability, gender and learning.
Impartiality and targeting
We are committed to impartiality, providing assistance to the most vulnerable without regard for race, religion, ethnicity, ability, age, gender, sexuality, or nationality. We target our work on the basis of need alone while remaining sensitive to conflict dynamics, and proactively work to support those who would otherwise be marginalised or excluded, in particular children, the elderly and those living with disability.
Accountability
We are committed to ensuring that all our work is based upon effective communication with, participation of and feedback from the communities we serve. It is important that all interventions are transparent and based upon continuous learning. We also hold ourselves accountable to our partners, donors, supporters and colleagues, and to all those with whom we relate and interact.
Gender
In all our programmes we actively seek to challenge gender inequality and harmful beliefs and practices, and to work towards gender justice. We are committed to progressing gender equality, the restoration of relationships between men and women, boys and girls, and ensuring their equal value, participation, and decision-making in all aspects of life.
Empowerment
We are committed to community-led and participatory approaches to development and humanitarian response for sustainable impact that is based on root cause analysis. We encourage participation from all members of a community, and strive to support beneficiaries to have control over their own development at all levels, from local development activities through to local, national, and regional advocacy.
Technical quality
We are committed to the high technical quality of all of our work, and the work of partners, through meeting relevant national and international standards aligned with communities’ own priorities. We will continuously learn to improve and identify and replicate good practice that is demonstrated to have relevant and positive impact.
Resilience
We are committed to helping people understand, reduce and manage the risks they face as well as to address the drivers of vulnerability. This includes supporting people and communities in developing resilient livelihoods, strengthening social cohesion, improving access to services, stewarding environmental resources, reducing disaster risk and adapting to climate change.
Protection
We are committed to restoring relationships and building safe and secure communities. We seek to prioritise the protection of all - especially children and the most marginalised and vulnerable adults - from physical, social and psychological harm. We will take steps to assess risks, including conflict dynamics, to avoid any adverse effects of our work that might expose people to danger or lead to abuse. We believe that community members are the best actors in their own protection and will support their actions to stay safe, find security and restore dignity.
The purpose of Tearfund’s Quality Standards is to ensure that those we serve benefit from the increased quality, effectiveness, and impact of the work that we undertake. Our Quality Standards provide us with a framework: serving as a tool for staff recruitment, induction, training and performance management; serving as a tool for partner capacity development; to inform the work of project designers; and as a critical part of project monitoring, evaluation, learning and continuous improvement.
In supporting our partners, Tearfund’s approach is not to impose but to facilitate support to partners who share our commitment to good practice and improvement, and to seek to improve the quality of our partnerships. They are not intended to be used as a 'pass/fail' checklist and the framework recognises that questions of quality rarely involve simple 'yes/no' answers, but require analysis, transparency and continual improvement.
International codes and standards
As well as setting high standards for ourselves in our Quality Standards, we’ve signed up to a range of internationally recognised operating codes and standards because they enshrine our principles of respecting the people we work with. These codes and standards have helped to shape our choice of Quality Standards:
- The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief
- The Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS)
Tearfund has the first ever Certificate issued by the new organisation to verify compliance. This attests that Tearfund meets the requirements of the CHS. - The Keeping Children Safe Coalition standards
Tearfund was a founding member of the Keeping Children Safe Coalition, first established in 2003. The Coalition is made up of agencies who are committed to child protection, aim to achieve the highest level of protection for children with whom they come into contact and to work towards achieving the international standards developed by the Keeping Children Safe Coalition through voluntary compliance. - The UN Statement of Commitment on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and non-UN Personnel
Tearfund became a signatory in 2008. The statement commits signatories to incorporate core principles relating to combating sexual exploitation and abuse into their codes of conduct and staff rules and regulations. - The SPHERE Project – Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response
We are committed to the technical quality of our projects as laid out in the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. - The Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV
The Code sets out key principles, practice and evidence base required for successful responses to HIV. In endorsing the Code, organisations commit to continuous improvement and accountability. - NCVO charity ethical principles
We are signed up to a series of guidelines developed by the NCVO. These are principles that provide an overarching framework for voluntary organisations to guide good decision-making and conduct.
