|
What
is Accreditation?
In general, "Accreditation" is a certification,
based on extensive examination, that a service
organization operates at the level of "Best
Practice", as evaluated against a set of rigorous
standards by trained representatives of peer
institutions.
Accreditation is much different than licensing.
Agencies are licensed by the state; A license
assures that the agency operates above a certain
minimum legislated level in support of state laws.
It does not, however, mandate a level of practice or
proscribe operations in the detail that
Accreditation does.
The Council on Accreditation is the leading
organization for the accreditation of human services
programs for families and children, and is the only
body of its kind which certifies international
adoption organizations.
What does it involve?
It covers every aspect of agency operation.
Standards include operation as an effective
non-profit organization, effective and accountable
management, sound financial management , effective
personnel practices and training, effective client
services, documented and effective procedures, and,
most importantly, effective and ethical
international adoption practices. Requirements in
each of these areas are set forth in extreme detail.
Preparation for accreditation review requires
establishment of procedures, implementation of
procedures, training in procedures, and
documentation of compliance, followed by on site
review by a peer review team.
Accreditation declares that upon review of peers and
the governing board of COA that we operate at the
highest level of quality service. Periodic reviews
assure that the agency continues to operate at that
level in order to maintain its Accreditation.
What does this
mean to the adopting families?
The value to the agency, and to the children and the
clients, is not in the award. The real value comes
from the accreditation process itself, the extensive
self study required, and the implementation of
proven procedures and controls to improve agency
operation. It establishes a solid framework for
maintaining the highest level of service now and in
the future. These standards represent the collective
wisdom of thousands of human service professionals
and their prudent application to our operations has
made us stronger and more effective. Accreditation
is a statement that our organization has complied
with nationally recognized standards of best
practice.
Of course it is nice to be recognized for your
accomplishments, and the COA accreditation provides
a valuable seal of approval and valuable assurance
to parents and government organizations here and
abroad that the agency is serious about quality
adoption services.
So why is this
timely?
On October 6, 2000 President Clinton signed into
law the Inter-country Adoption Act, the legislation
that implements the Hague Convention on
Inter-country Adoption. This legislation sets forth
many important requirements for protection of all
parties involved in the international adoption
process, including the requirement that
organizations providing adoption services in
inter-country adoptions covered by the convention
must be accredited. So, you can see that
accreditation is a critical issue for agencies who
want to continue to provide inter-country adoption
services.
So where does
it fit in the big picture?
The Hague Convention will change a lot about
international adoption. It will mandate
accreditation for adoption service providers under
the convention and it will change many procedures
now used in the US. It will, however, only formally
apply when both countries are signatories.
Non-accredited agencies will be free to continue to
process adoptions from non-Hague countries. While
the signatories are expected to increase over the
next few years, initially there are relatively few
direct parties to the convention.
Quite independent of the Hague Convention, however,
countries are looking for more ways to assure that
their children are protected and well served.
Countries are being more selective in picking
specific agencies to work with and more demanding of
quality services. Accreditation is one tangible
assessment that they can look at to evaluate
agencies. We expect this to be increasingly
important in the future. For more information,
contact Council on Accreditation of Services for
Families and Children.
Information published by Christian World Adoption
COA
120 Wall Street
11th Floor
New York, NY 10005
212-797-3000
email: coainfo@coanet.org
|
