Family Arts
Standards
What are the Family Arts Standards?
The Family Arts Standards are a national accreditation for organisations committed to providing excellent family experiences.
The Standards are a good practice charter for welcoming families. They consist of 12 guidelines accompanied by a family friendly badge or quality mark, enabling an organisation to highlight that it recognises the importance of its family audience.
The Family Arts Standards are both a learning tool and a marketing tool: they offer guidance on how best to welcome families to arts settings and help families looking for arts activities to participate in together.
As a Standard Holder you’ll also be listed on the Fantastic for Families Directory.
“We are delighted to be a part of ‘The Family Arts Standards’. Chickenshed is a theatre company that recognises the importance of family audiences. Displaying the acclaimed family-friendly badge authenticates that our organisation is committed to welcoming families who wish to participate in arts activities together.”
– Chickenshed
Who can sign up?
The Family Arts Standards are for any organisation that wishes to engage families in arts activities. This includes arts organisations, producers, museums, libraries, and heritage centres. The standards are equally applicable to venues and non-venue based organisations.
The Standards benefit individuals working in different roles, with guidance on:
- Programming and promotion
- Consultation with families
- Staff training
- Facilities – for venues
- PLUS Additional guidance for non-venue based organisations
Curious to hear more?
Watch the video to hear from Peter Helps, Chief Executive of Sinfonia Viva, and Stephanie Sirr, Chief Executive of Nottingham Playhouse. They share how the Family Arts Standards have helped their organisations provide an excellent welcome to families.
You can also discover more about the Standards by reading our frequently asked questions.
Why sign up to the Family Arts Standards?
Being a Family Arts Standards holders has many benefits, including:
● Quality Mark:
Use the trusted ‘Family Arts Standards’ and ‘Fantastic for Families’ branding to elevate your organisation and amplify your marketing
● Self-Evaluation Toolkit:
Find out how your organisation is doing so far and how you can improve with our self-evaluation toolkit.
● Guidance:
Receive our top tips, advice, guides and toolkits on how you can provide quality experiences for families
● Demonstrating your commitment to family audiences:
As a Standard Holder, you’re demonstrating how important families are to your organisation!
● Join our Directory
As a Family Arts Standard holder you’ll be listed on our Fantastic for Families Directory
● It’s completely free!
Being a Family Arts Standard holder doesn’t cost anything. All you need is a commitment to providing the best experiences for families every step of the way.
How to Sign Up
- First, read the Family Arts Standards in full to determine if you are ready to commit to the Standards
- When you’re ready, ask your Chief Executive or Head of Department to email confirmation to Anna Dever, Executive Director of Family Arts Campaign on anna.dever@thealbany.org.uk
(If you are a small organisation and don’t have a head of department, don’t worry – you can still sign up! Just email us to let us know more about your company/venue) - In your email to Anna, please include a main contact for this activity within your organisation and your organisation’s full address and postcode
- You will then receive an email confirming your registration along with the logo and brand guidelines
Image credits:
Header – Oily Cart
First Image – Craft activities at Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, in Newcastle upon Tyne
