FAQs
What are the benefits of Flagship status?
Flagship provides:
- Credibility and proof that you have the expertise funders are looking for.
- A framework for effective organisational development.
- A means of measuring and improving services for women and other clients.
- Compliance with the Gender Equality Duty.
Which Flagship Award is right for us?
There are three Flagship Awards:
- Start-up Support Standards – for organisations which provide business support at the pre-start and early stage. ‘Early stage’ can include up to the first three years of trading, although some funders have a narrower definition.
- Established Business Support Standards – for organisations which provide business support to established businesses. Those businesses should be established for at least one year. This category is particularly appropriate for sectoral or specialist focussed programmes where women are likely to be even more under-represented, eg. Manufacturing, SET, incubation centres.
- Business Women’s Network Standards – for women’s networks whose primary focus is enterprise. (Subject to review during 2008).
Can our project apply for Flagship or is it just for whole organisations?
Any coherent programme of business support, or project within a larger organisation, can be considered for the Flagship Award. There must be clear boundaries to enable a complete service to be assessed. We have existing Flagship Award holders which are programmes within larger organisations (eg. WI:SE within University of Salford).
What help is available to achieve the Flagship Award?
We can deliver training programmes to help you to raise internal awareness and drive culture change. We can also provide members with a free Impact Assessment Toolkit to measure the social and economic impact of your interventions and underpin funding bids. Informal support from established Flagships can be arranged on request.
Do we have to be a member of Prowess to achieve the Flagship Award?
Yes. Flagship is about organisational development and culture change. Prowess membership links you into a national alliance committed to helping women start and grow businesses. Becoming a member is an important stage in your commitment to ongoing development. See our membership application page for more detail.
What if we don’t meet all the standards in full?
Commitment to Flagship is a new development tool for organisations who cannot meet all the Standards immediately. It includes support to identify achievable and time limited actions and milestones
Can my organisation stay “committed to Flagship” indefinitely?
No. The Commitment to Flagship status is awarded to organisations who can realistically achieve the Flagship standards within a set timeframe. The length of time an organisation can remain CTF will depend on the mutually agreed targets and timescales, and the regular review of progress towards these targets. It is anticipated that most organisations will be CTF for a maximum of 2 years.
How can Flagship work with IDB and partnerships?
Flagship can work well with brokerage or partnership programmes which are based on clear sub-contractual relationships. Brokerage or partnerships based on signposting and other non-contractual relationships do not always provide effective quality controls so are not appropriate for Flagship as a group. However Flagship can be achieved through each partner pursuing Flagship for their own organisation. IDB varies in each region and a bespoke approach will be needed. Large multi-site delivery partnerships are likely to need a bespoke package of support to achieve Flagship, including assessment visits to several partners.
Why do we have to provide childcare assistance?
This is clearly explained in the ‘Rationale’ sheet within the Flagship information pack.
Why do we have to provide a women-only option?
This is clearly explained in the ‘Rationale’ sheet within the Flagship information pack.
Can I apply for more than one Flagship Award at a time?
It is possible to undertake Start-up Support and Established Business Support Standards at the same time, for the same set of activities. For separate activities or programmes separate assessments will be required. It is possible for one organisation to hold several Flagship Awards for different types of support and/or different projects.
What will the Flagship Award cost?
For all details of fees see our fees page or refer to the ‘Process and Fees’ sheet in the Flagship information pack. In some Regions funding is available to support organisations through the Flagship process.
How long will the process take?
The Flagship Award process is rigorous and robust and generally takes 3-4 months. If you are very motivated, fast-tracking is possible.
Who carries out the Assessment visits?
Assessment visits are carried out by experienced and fully trained Assessors who have worked in the business support sector.
If we achieve the Flagship Award how long is it valid for?
Three years, subject to annual self-assessment.
Are the Flagship Standards independently accredited?
Flagship is based on extensive, industry-wide research and Awards are made by an Independent Accreditation Panel, which includes existing Flagship Award holders and other external agencies. The Flagship Award is endorsed by BERR and several RDAs and is working towards external accreditation by SFEDI.
We’ve already got lots of Quality Standards – do we need Flagship as well?
The Flagship Award is the only Quality Standard that drives better services for women and increases female entrepreneurial activity. Flagship is a contractual requirement for several funders and complies with the Gender Equality Duty.
Am I the right person to complete the self assessment form?
Ideally you should be in a senior/management position within the organisation with detailed knowledge of current operations. Input will be required from across the organisation and early engagement and support of senior management will be essential.