Agency Steering Group AVSTTR Representative - Norma White |
What is the ASG? website
The aim of the group is to develop standards for agencies with a view to establishing a regulatory body. The ASG was formed because in 2003 the Independent Registration Panel stopped regulating agencies that provide LSPs (Language Service Professionals) to deaf and hard of hearing people. After meetings in Walsall and Leicestershire in 2003/4 the agencies present (mostly interpreter agencies) decided to start regulating themselves. The Agency Steering Group was set up with representatives from the business sector, a national charity, a statutory agency, a lipspeaking agency, Speech-to-Text (AVSTTR) and a deaf representative. There are about 70 agencies altogether around the country which the ASG represents. |
What have we achieved?
| Over
the last two years we have held three rounds of consultations to decide
on what the minimum standards should be. After much drafting and re-drafting
they have been split into two sections: staff and service. There are
four key points for staff: CRB checks; registration, training/monitoring
and health and safety. There are eleven points for service: Details
of Ownership/agency status; charges; complaints system; performance
statistics; advertising, insurance; data protection; equal opportunities;
service user agreements; terms and conditions for freelance LSPs and
a standards of service document. Hopefully all of this will mean that any LSP employed with or registered with an agency will have the right skills and qualifications to carry out a booking professionally and that anyone not fully qualified would be supported appropriately. Ultimately it will mean a much better service for deaf people and that their communication needs will be taken seriously as a profession. Voluntary sign-up of the conditions began in April 2006. An agency that has signed up can display this logo  on
their web site or letterhead. Click
here for a list of the agencies who have already signed up. |
Where do we go from here?
The
next step will be to finalise the production of a DVD which we have
commissioned that outlines the minimum standards and their benefits.
This will then be disseminated throughout the deaf and hard of hearing
community - as well as to agencies - to advertise the sort of service
that they should be expecting. Click the link to see the Agency Standards Document November 2006 (updated). Click here to see a video of the Agency Standards and Information about the ASG in BSL and spoken English. (This site takes approx 45 seconds to load) |
| The formation of a formal regulatory body is still the ultimate goal. |
Current ASG Committee: CHAIR
- Donna Rubin | Deaf Direct Marilyn
Osborne - RNID
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