Age-Friendly Standards
What are the Age-Friendly Standards?
The Age-Friendly Standards are a national self-assessed accreditation for cultural organisations and a recognised and trusted symbol for older audiences and family groups, including older people.
Organisations that sign-up to the Age-Friendly Standards value all generations and want to provide a welcoming and positive experience for visitors, regardless of their age.
The Age-Friendly Standards are designed to complement the existing Family Arts Standards, which codify good practice in welcoming families. The Age-Friendly Standards provide specific guidance on welcoming older generations. Displaying the logo affirms that an organisation has considered the often more complex needs of older visitors.
As a Standard Holder you can also join the Fantastic for Families Directory.
Whilst many of the Age-Friendly Standards relate to general inclusive practice and strong customer service, they also acknowledge that older generations may be more likely to experience barriers to engagement than younger family members. There is a need for organisations to implement comprehensive measures to discourage drop-off in cultural engagement in later life.
The Age-Friendly Standards do not aim to replicate or replace existing specialist guidance, particularly in the case of addressing specific conditions, such as dementia, and we have provided a reference section of Useful Links and Resources for further specialist advice.
Further information on implementation of the Standards for non-venues and touring companies can be found in the accompanying Guidance.
How were the Age-Friendly Standards developed?
These Standards were developed in consultation with older arts attenders, a range of arts and ageing experts, and a large number of arts and cultural organisations across the UK. The standards were also developed and supported by The Baring Foundation and Arts Council England.
Why sign up to the Age-Friendly Standards?
Being an Age-Friendly Standards holders has many benefits, including:
● 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 older audiences.
● Celebrating Age:
Stay updated on resources and webinars that support Arts Council England’s Celebrating Age work.
● It’s completely free!
Being an Age-Friendly Standard holder doesn’t cost anything. All you need is a commitment to providing the best experiences for older audiences and participants every step of the way.
● Demonstrating your commitment to older audiences and family groups, including older people:
As an Age-Friendly Standard holder, you’re demonstrating how important older audiences and participants are to your organisation!
● Join our Directory:
As a Age-Friendly Standard holder you can be listed on our Fantastic for Families Directory
How to Sign Up
- First, read the Age-Friendly 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 – Elixir Extracts HNG and Old Men Grooving – Photography by Ellie Kurttz
