Probationers prove their worth at the London Excellence Awards
Press release - 22 July 2008
The London Probation Area won the esteemed award for Innovation and Learning at last night's prestigious London Excellence Awards presented in partnership with the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI).
The London Excellence Awards, which this year took place at Lord's Cricket Ground, celebrates the achievements of organisations committed to quality and business excellence. The awards, based around the European Forum of Quality Management (EFQM) Business Excellence Model, focus on the key elements of quality in business and with awards in innovation, results, customer service, leadership and management systems, companies are assessed on their business standards and are provided with a benchmark for excellence.
The London Probation Area illustrated this excellence in their Model Borough Pathfinder Project, which focuses on promoting innovative ideas from staff members to achieve the 'model probation borough'.
When commenting on the achievement of the London Probation Area, Mike Debenham, Executive Director Policy and Professional Affairs of the CQI, said, "London Probation can be commended for their enthusiasm and extremely compelling commitment to organisational innovation."
With the Probation Service often presented as being a quagmire of controversy, three quality focussed Probation Areas, London, Sussex and Kent are challenging the negative perceptions to show that they are committed to putting quality at the heart of their industry. As finalists in 6 out of the 10 categories including the awards for People Involvement, Results Focus and Leadership, these Probation Areas proved that quality management and innovation are of great importance to their organisations.
Rose Viggiani, Chief Executive of London Excellence, said: "The Probation Service has continued to impress us year on year and have consistently proven that they can push boundaries and set objectives towards business excellence. The London Excellence Awards recognise excellence, regardless of industry sector or size and the repeated inclusion of these Probation Areas will undoubtedly encourage other public sector organisations to place quality at the heart of their business."
The London Excellence Awards were opened to national organisations for the first time and, with more than 100 people involved in the assessment process, the awards are renowned for their rigour and robust judging method, ensuring only the crème de la crème of UK industry walk away as winners on the night.
For further information about the London Excellence awards and full details on the finalists, assessors and judges, visit: www.london-excellence.org.uk
##Ends##
Media Contacts
Shelley Cotterell or Martineé Reid, Ridgemount PR
Tel: 020 8943 9349 Fax: 020 8977 7568
Email: Shelley.Cotterell@RidgemountPR.co.uk or Martinee.Reid@RidgemountPR.co.uk
CQI
The CQI is the only chartered professional body dedicated entirely to quality. With over 12,500 individual and company members worldwide it provides the support and learning to improve business practice.
London Excellence
London Excellence is a not-for-profit organisation whose vision is that all organisations in London and beyond will be recognised as performing to world-class excellence standards.