GET ACCREDITED
We’re Empowering the Night-Time Community
The NSSA is all about raising the bar for safeguarding in the UK’s night-time economy. We’re here to make sure venue staff feel confident and capable and that business owners take responsibility for keeping their customers and teams safe.
Accreditation Partners
Five Pillars of Excellence
1. Policy in Action
Safeguarding Policy & Practice – Policy is embedded into day-to-day operations.
- Staff understand the policy and can explain how it works in practice
- “What good looks like” scenarios used in staff briefings
2. Staff Competency
Training, Response & Culture – Staff are equipped, confident, and proactive
- Staff can describe how to intervene and where to escalate.
- Staff know how to de-escalate with civility and care.
- Clear welfare roles in place on event nights.
3. Customer Experience
Safety, Inclusion & Welfare – Customers feel safe, supported, and respected.
- Customers feel confident to report issues.
- Frontline staff reflect venue values of care and inclusivity.
- Systems in place for lone/vulnerable patron support at close.
4. Partnership & Community
Local Links & External Collaboration – Venue works with others to strengthen safety.
- Venue regularly attends local safety or partnership meetings.
- Emergency services recognise the venue as safe and collaborative.
- Feedback from partners contributes to venue improvement.
5. Continuous Improvement
Reflection, Learning & Leadership – the venue is reflective, open, and adaptable.
- Venue can show how an incident led to change.
- Leadership champions a people-first, safety-first culture.
- Safeguarding is part of induction and embedded in team values.
How the Accreditation Works
The accreditation process is designed to be practical, clear, and supportive.
Step 1: Register your venue
Complete the short registration form, make payment via Stripe, and tell us about your venue. Your Hopsy account is created within 24 hours, and you’ll receive a welcome email with toolkits and a booking link for your onboarding call.
Step 2: Kickstart with Your Onboarding Call
Join a 45-minute call with your NSSA representative to explore the 5 Pillars of Excellence, how the NSSA Compliance App works, and onboard to the Uniteverse Platform for real-time customer feedback, staff communication, and safety intelligence.
Step 3: Set Up and Assessment
With support from NSSA and Hopsy, upload your policies, risk assessments, and training records, then complete your digital self-assessment within 7 days using our guided toolkit.
Step 4: Results and Action Plan
An NSSA representative will visit your venue to observe live operations, assess staff readiness, and observe safeguarding in action.
You’ll receive a compliance score, safeguarding report, and tailored action plan, followed by a dedicated meeting to review outcomes and agree next steps toward full accreditation.
Step 5: Launch Your Safe Space
Show your venue means business when it comes to safety. You’ll get:
- An Accreditation certificate, the NSSA’s stamp of approval
- Stickers and signage that lets everyone know they’re in safe hands.
- Digital presence: logos, social media graphics, email signature icons, website listing
Want to boost your rep, protect your team, and pull in more customers? This is how you do it – safely.
Compliance & Scoring System
Venues are assessed on a 4-point compliance scale:
- Non-Compliant: No safeguarding training or policies in place.
- Limited Compliance: Safeguarding is applied inconsistently.
- Partially Compliant: Gaps identified, action required.
- Fully Compliant: Exceeds safeguarding standards.
Venues scoring 3 or below in any critical area must take corrective action to retain accreditation.
GET IN TOUCH
Have questions? Want to learn more? Don’t hesitate and contact us today: