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The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

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Stay on the Mark

The process for IFI Accreditation has changed over the last two years and is now undertaken by our external auditors; Direct Enquiries. If you were accredited during the National Sports Foundation phase of the Inclusive Fitness Initiative you will have reached or will shortly be reaching the end of your 3 year accreditation period from 2006-2010. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to remind you of the new process of accreditation and re-accreditation. If you are new to the IFI Mark and want to find out more, this information is for you too!

In 2011 we appointed an external agency – Direct Enquiries to carry out the IFI Mark assessments on our behalf.  Direct Enquiries are the Nationwide Access Register and have recently been acquired by Mitie Compliance. They have a large team of professional auditors who assess leisure facilities against the IFI Mark Standards which were reviewed in 2010.   

Any facility embarking on their journey to be accredited or re-accredited with the IFI Mark will be supported by the team to achieve the level of accreditation they wish to attain – provisional, registered or excellent.

The process of achieving the IFI Mark has never been simpler- just email Direct Enquiries or telephone 01344 360101 and speak to Alexa to register for your assessment. They will send you a confirmation email, a summary of the IFI Mark Standards and further information about the process and the case for inclusion.

IFI Mark Process DiagramThey will then arrange a pre-audit telephone questionnaire to make sure you are ready to proceed and have all the information ready for your assessment.  A site visit will then be booked in for an auditor to carry out the assessment at a suitable time for you.

Following the assessment you will be sent a secure login to Direct Enquiries FM Reporting Tool, which will show you which level you have reached against the IFI Mark Standards along with areas for improvement for each level. You will then have 2-4 weeks to rectify any issues you may have to reach your chosen accreditation level and/or simply to improve your facility to support accessibility for more disabled people. During this time, you also have access to a Resolve helpdesk at Direct Enquiries, where you will be able to call in for advice on how to fix outstanding issues.

At the close of your Resolve time you will contacted with your final IFI Mark accreditation level and receive your IFI Mark certificate and plaque to display at the facility.

Your IFI Mark status is valid for three years and during that time your facility will be displayed on our website where you can display any details to market your service provision to disabled people along with a presence on Direct Enquiries’ family of websites, including www.directenquiries.com, www.inclusivebritain.com and (where applicable) www.inclusivelondon.com, which is the Mayor of London’s official access portal for the 2012 Games and legacy.

The cost of your IFI Mark assessment for three years is currently just £495.00 excl. VAT per facility.  The accreditation will also support you to achieve the Quest - Access and Diversity GPlus 10 module.

For further information or to book your assessment please contact Direct Enquiries who will confirm your booking and begin the process in supporting you to be more inclusive to disabled customers.

Visit our Inclusive Fitness Initiative pages