People In Aid

People In Aid was an international, not-for-profit membership organisation serving humanitarian and development agencies. It was established in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s after research identified weaknesses in the way relief and development organisations managed and supported their personnel. The organisation subsequently developed into a specialist resource and membership body with offices or operations in the United Kingdom, Australia, and East Africa. Its central proposition was that the quality of humanitarian and development programmes depended heavily on the quality of the organisations' people-management practices. People In Aid therefore focused on human resources strategy, recruitment, staff policies, management, communication, training, and the health, safety, and security of personnel working in often difficult environments. Rather than operating as a relief agency itself, it supported organisations that delivered humanitarian and development programmes. The organisation's principal instrument was the People In Aid Code, later called the People In Aid Code of Good Practice. The Code provided a sector-specific framework built around seven principles: human resources strategy; staff policies and practices; managing people; consultation and communication; recruitment and selection; learning, training and development; and health, safety and security. It was intended to help agencies evaluate their systems, identify weaknesses, and pursue continuous improvement. People In Aid supported implementation through membership, workshops, peer networks, handbooks, policy templates, research, information notes, audit tools, and employee-survey resources. It also operated a two-level recognition process. The first level, Quality Mark 1 or Committed, recognised an organisation's commitment to continual improvement. The second, Quality Mark 2 or Verified Compliant, indicated that an organisation had implemented the Code and undergone a process intended to provide assurance that appropriate management and information systems were in place. The Code and associated services contributed to the wider humanitarian sector's movement toward quality, accountability, and professional standards. People In Aid worked with organisations of different sizes, national origins, and operating models, and its framework sought to accommodate both local and international staff. Its activities included learning events, specialist networks, support for human-resources practitioners, and collaborative research with academic and sectoral partners. In 2012, People In Aid collaborated with the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International and the Sphere Project on JointStandards.org, a low-bandwidth website intended to make humanitarian standards more accessible to staff working in locations with limited internet connectivity. This reflected the organisation's broader role as a convenor and information provider within the aid sector. People In Aid ceased to exist as an independent organisation on 9 June 2015, when it merged with HAP International to form the CHS Alliance. Its work and standards-related legacy therefore continued through the successor alliance rather than through a standalone People In Aid operation. The last executive director was Jonathan Potter.

People In Aid emerged from concerns about the quality of personnel management in humanitarian and development organisations. A 1995 research report, Room for Improvement, identified weaknesses in existing practice and linked them to poor staff performance and reduced programme quality. The agencies behind the research, including the British government's Overseas Development Administration, responded by creating an inter-agency project, appointing a coordinator, and forming a steering group representing 12 organisations. The resulting initiative developed the People In Aid Code of Best Practice in the Management and Support of Aid Personnel, which was published in 1997. Agencies then began a three-year pilot intended to test the Code and establish how organisations could assess and report progress. The initiative combined a framework for good practice with an evaluative mechanism, reflecting the humanitarian sector's growing interest in quality, accountability, and organisational learning. People In Aid was formally established in 1999 and became a registered charity in the United Kingdom. Its purpose was to support agencies that wanted to strengthen human-resources management through the Code. By 2001, seven agencies had implemented the Code and published their findings in Ahead of the Field. Those organisations included the British Red Cross, Concern Worldwide, Health Unlimited, International Health Exchange, Mission Aviation Fellowship Europe, RedR, and Tearfund. Following this initial implementation phase, People In Aid expanded its practical support. It produced workshops, handbooks, policy templates, research reports, information notes, and affinity groups through which practitioners could share experience. The organisation also offered membership services, events, and networks dealing with subjects such as health and safety, reward, recruitment, and wider human-resources challenges in the aid sector. The Code was revised in 2003 and renamed the Code of Good Practice. The revision responded to feedback from participating agencies and sought to make the framework more relevant across different organisational cultures and approaches. During People In Aid's later years, the organisation placed particular emphasis on the role of both local and international staff in delivering effective humanitarian and development programmes. The Code consisted of seven principles covering human-resources strategy; staff policies and practices; management of people; consultation and communication; recruitment and selection; learning, training and development; and health, safety and security. Member organisations could pursue two recognition levels. Quality Mark 1, called Committed, recognised an organisation that had demonstrated a commitment to continual improvement through self-audit and stakeholder engagement. Quality Mark 2, called Verified Compliant, represented a higher level of implementation and involved external social-audit processes intended to provide assurance about the reliability of relevant management and information systems. People In Aid also participated in broader sector collaboration. In 2012 it worked with HAP International and the Sphere Project to create JointStandards.org, designed as a low-bandwidth resource so that humanitarian workers in locations with poor connectivity could consult standards information more easily. This project illustrated the organisation's role in improving access to professional knowledge beyond its direct membership. People In Aid's membership and recognition work involved a diverse group of humanitarian and development organisations. Examples recorded as Verified Compliant included the British Red Cross, CAFOD, Concern Worldwide, International Aid Services, Islamic Relief Deutschland, Leprosy Mission International, Mission Aviation Fellowship International, Mission East, People In Aid itself, RedR, Save the Children UK, Tearfund, Womankind Worldwide, and World Vision. Organisations recorded as Committed included Christian Aid, HAP International, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam Australia, Sightsavers International, TEAR Australia, The Brooke, and others. The organisation's independent existence ended on 9 June 2015. It merged with HAP International to form the CHS Alliance, bringing its people-management and accountability work into a broader institutional framework. Jonathan Potter was the last executive director of People In Aid.

• 2015

  Merger creates the CHS Alliance

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  People In Aid merged with HAP International on 9 June, ending its existence as an independent organisation.

• 2012

  JointStandards.org developed

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  People In Aid collaborated with HAP International and the Sphere Project on a low-bandwidth humanitarian standards website.

• 2003

  Code revised and renamed

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  The framework was revised following feedback and became the People In Aid Code of Good Practice.

• 2001

  First agencies report on Code implementation

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  Seven humanitarian and development agencies published implementation findings in Ahead of the Field.

• 1999

  People In Aid formally established as a UK charity

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  People In Aid became a formal organisation supporting agencies seeking to improve human-resources management through the Code.

• 1997

  People In Aid Code of Best Practice published

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  The first People In Aid management code was published and agencies began a multi-year pilot implementation.

• 1995

  Research identifies weaknesses in aid-sector people management

  [1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  The Room for Improvement report linked weak personnel practices with poor staff performance and diminished programme quality, prompting an inter-agency initiative.

A specialist, sector-led standards and professional-support organisation focused on improving people management in humanitarian and development agencies.

• Human-resources and organisational standards · 1997

  People In Aid Code of Good Practice

  People In Aid's principal framework for improving people management in humanitarian and development organisations. It covered seven areas: human-resources strategy; staff policies and practices; managing people; consultation and communication; recruitment and selection; learning, training and development; and health, safety and security. The Code was designed as both a practical management guide and a basis for organisational self-assessment, reporting, and external recognition.

• Organisational recognition

  Quality Mark 1: Committed

  The first recognition level under the People In Aid framework. It acknowledged that a member organisation had committed to continuous improvement in people management and had used self-audit and stakeholder engagement to identify areas for development.

• Organisational recognition

  Quality Mark 2: Verified Compliant

  The higher recognition level under the Code. It was associated with implementation of the People In Aid Code of Good Practice and external social-audit procedures intended to provide assurance that dependable management and information systems were in place.

• Humanitarian information resource · 2012

  JointStandards.org

  A collaborative online resource developed with HAP International and the Sphere Project to improve access to humanitarian standards. Its low-bandwidth design was intended to support staff working in locations where internet connectivity was limited.

• 2015

  Merge with HAP InternationalM&A

  Background

  People In Aid and HAP International were both active in humanitarian quality, accountability, and organisational practice, creating an opportunity to combine their work in a broader alliance.

  Action taken

  The organisations merged on 9 June 2015 to create the CHS Alliance.

  Aftermath

  People In Aid no longer existed as an independent organisation, while its people-management and standards-related work continued within the successor alliance.

  Source

• 2012

  Expand access to humanitarian standards informationStrategy

  Background

  Humanitarian personnel working in areas with limited connectivity needed practical access to standards and guidance.

  Action taken

  People In Aid collaborated with HAP International and the Sphere Project to develop JointStandards.org using a low-bandwidth approach.

  Aftermath

  The collaboration extended People In Aid's knowledge-sharing role beyond its membership and events programme.

  Source

• 2015

  People In Aid and HAP International merge to form the CHS Alliance[1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  People In Aid ceased operating as an independent organisation after merging with HAP International on 9 June 2015 to establish the CHS Alliance.

• 2012

  People In Aid joins humanitarian standards collaboration for JointStandards.org[1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  People In Aid worked with HAP International and the Sphere Project to develop a low-bandwidth website giving humanitarian personnel access to standards information in areas with limited connectivity.

• 2003

  People In Aid Code of Good Practice revised[1]People In Aiden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organisation revised its management code after sector feedback, with the updated version intended to reflect the cultural diversity and differing approaches of humanitarian and development agencies.

1. 1People In Aiden.wikipedia.org