The Accreditation Scheme for Museums in the United Kingdom sets nationally agreed standards for UK museums. To qualify, museums must meet clear basic requirements on:
Governance
User Services
Visitor Facilities
Collections Management
The scheme is administered nationally by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). MLA’s Accreditation Panel receives recommendations from the regional agencies according to their assessment of museums in their region. MLA North West makes recommendations regarding Accredited status for museums in the North West.
MLA North West’s Development Officer (Standards), Paul Fraser Webb, provides Accreditation assessment and advice for the region. If you have any questions or require any advice on Accreditation then please contact him using the details below.
The Accredited status of a museum often forms part of the criteria for funding organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Audit Commission, the independent watchdog for local government, has confirmed that Museum Accreditation will form the basis of a performance indicator within the culture service assessment of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA), the means by which local councils in England, and the services that they provide to the public, are assessed. Follow the link below for more details.
How to Apply
All museums in the North West which are currently Phase 2 Registered, Provisionally Registered, or undergoing a new application, will be invited by MLA North West to apply over a phased 5 year period. Click on the link to the MLA North West Briefing document below for more details.
If you are not already Registered and would like to apply for Accreditation then you need to contact our Development Officer (Standards), Paul Fraser Webb, whose details can be found below.
Further Information
There is a whole range of further information and support material available to museums considering applying or actually applying for Accreditation. Please have a look at the related links and documents below.
