UK Museum Accreditation Scheme – guidance review now underway
April 20, 2023The current Accreditation standard (2018) is the industry standard for UK museums and there are currently no plans to review it. However, we are now undertaking a full review of the Accreditation guidance. The new guidance will be available by mid-2024.
As museums continue to respond to impacts like the global pandemic, increased costs of living, the climate crisis and Black Lives Matter, the supporting Accreditation Guidance, which details how applicants can meet the headline requirements set out in the standard, will be undergoing a review to ensure it remains relevant for museums.
The Accreditation Guidance will be reviewed and refreshed from Spring 2023-2024 with a new version due to be published in mid-2024.
The aim is to make the guidance clearer, more accessible and relevant to the current needs of museums. Overall, we are aiming to create an update that is straightforward for applicants and assessors to use, with clear read-across between the standard, guidance and application form.
The NI Museums Council will undertake some limited and targeted consultation during the review and refresh process to ensure that the new guidance meets the expectations and needs of our members.
Any participants or new applicants who are preparing an Accreditation submission using the current guidance should continue on that basis. The refreshed guidance won’t be ready until 2024 and we will build in some flexibility while the new version of the guidance becomes embedded.