Accreditation

The Arts Council England Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed industry standards for museums in the UK.

To see the latest update on the Arts Council England Accreditation Scheme (May 2022), please click here: https://mdem.org.uk/museum-accreditation-update/

It tells everyone involved with a museum that they’re doing the right things to help people to engage with collections and protect them for the future.

There are currently more than 1700 museums across the UK participating in the scheme, demonstrating their commitment to ensuring museums are governed appropriately and are managing collections effectively for the enjoyment and benefit of visitors and users.

Accreditation is a scaled standard, so a museum can become Accredited, whether they are a National museum with 1000’s of visitors, or a small volunteer led museum open for 20 days a year. Accreditation provides an effective framework for a museum to progress and be the best they can be.

MDEM offers support in all areas of the Accreditation scheme.  We advise museums interested in joining, those working towards Accreditation and those already Accredited.

Accreditation Support in the East Midlands:

• Accreditation Adviser: Our Accreditation Adviser for the East Midlands is Jennie Crawford. Jennie is available to answer queries on Accreditation, support museums undertaking their Accreditation return or to provide advice and guidance for those thinking of applying.
• Accreditation Mentors: are supported by an active Mentors Network in the region, facilitated by MDEM. Please click here for more information.
• Accreditation Training: MDEM offers a range of Accreditation training and workshops for museums. Visit our events pages for more information.

Guidance and resources
The Accreditation scheme is managed directly by Arts Council England and detailed requirements on the scheme, including how to apply and accompanying guidance can be found via the Arts Council website.

MDEM and partners across England have created a range of resources to support museums in this area. Take a look below for the following:

• An Introduction to Museum Accreditation
• Museum Accreditation Webinar: Getting started (and the technical bits)
• Museum Accreditation Webinar: Organisational Health
• Museum Accreditation Webinar: Managing Collections
• Museum Accreditation Webinar: Users and their experiences
• In Conversation: What’s it like being an Accreditation Mentor?