Values and standards

What are Enabling Environments? 

Enabling Environments are places where there is a focus on creating a positive and effective social environment and where healthy relationships are seen as the key to success. You can find them in any kind of service, from a wide variety of sectors.

Have you ever been part of a place which made you feel valued? Have you ever met people who really supported you to develop and grow? Maybe it was because you had a chance to develop yourself, maybe it was because you got to take on new responsibility, or maybe it was because someone listened to your ideas. All of these are indications that you are in an Enabling Environment.

Places which are enabling create more opportunities and better outcomes for everyone there. They create happier, more productive, staff; better outcomes for individual recipients; and support everyone to give greater contributions and to be the best they can be.

Becoming an Enabling Environment will improve everybody’s experience of visiting, working or staying in your service.

How do we measure Enabling Environments?

The Enabling Environments standards are based on ten values, all of which are believed to be factors in positive psycho-social environments.

These values depend on each other for meaning and for clarity. Taken individually, each value will enhance an environment, but it is not until they are all working together, jigsaw style, that they create an Enabling Environment.

Each of the 10 values are defined by a standard, and for every standard there are criteria which are ways in which services can meet that standard.

Our framework is for anyone who wants to make their place more enabling and positive. It is flexible and can be adapted to fit any service or place.

Using the framework you can improve the quality of relationships in your service and help everyone to feel happier and healthier.

View the Enabling Environments Standards