As we launch the CCR Accreditation, CCR Manager Adela explains how it developed and why it matters.
As Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA) marks its 25th anniversary, we are launching a standards and accreditation framework for Domestic Abuse/VAWG partnership boards. Drawing on more than two decades of learning, partnership working and survivor-led insight, it offers a clear way to develop and strengthen system-wide coordination.
From guidance to accreditation
The accreditation builds on In Search of Excellence, first developed by STADA in 2013 after work with more than 50 multi-agency partnerships.
Its 12 core components describe effective mechanisms underpinning Coordinated Community Responses, from leadership and governance to survivor engagement, specialist services, data and coordination. The framework was refreshed in 2020 to reflect changes in legislation, inequality, intersectionality and evidence about fragmented systems.
Why accreditation matters
The CCR Accreditation gives partnerships a practical framework for reflection, development and assurance, helping them recognise progress and focus improvement.
It recognises that domestic abuse requires coordinated action across agencies, communities, and specialist services, grounded in shared goals, survivor experience and safety and perpetrator accountability.
A framework for lasting system change
At its heart, the CCR Accreditation supports safer, fairer and more effective systems for survivors and their children, keeping survivor voice, equity and accountability central.
For communities strengthening their response to domestic abuse, it offers a shared route to excellence and lasting change.
Thank you to everyone who helped develop the standards and framework, including Natalie Wong, Marianne Dube-Lacroix, Sally Jackson, Meghan Field, Verity Meeson, Tracy Lyons, Caroline Bate, Aasifa Usmani, Emma Storey, Nicki Clarke, Arlene Mensah, Alison Ashton, Tahira Zulfikar, Alice Jackson, Chermal Williams, Amy Smith, Tanya Allen, Jackie Hyland, Eva Simpson, Jessica Edington, Sharon Crosby and Maya Rose.