GVCSS formally launched the accreditation process for our Community Living program in January 2005. It marked the beginning of a 12-month process which culminated in a three year Accreditation Certificate with the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in the spring of 2006. Community Living became accredited again in 2009. Next year in 2012, for the first time, GVCSS will be seeking accreditation for the entire agency and will be accrediting the Home Support program. GVCSS is committed to a collaborative process that will involve all stakeholder groups including the people we support, their families and advocates, volunteers, staff, managers, Board members, funding authorities, community members and other interested parties. An accreditation committee comprised of the management team will be responsible for demonstrating that GVCSS is providing services to clients in accordance with the standards established by CARF. Our goal is to achieve accreditation by the spring of 2012.
This page has been designed to provide information about our journey to accreditation in 2012. Please read the following to learn more about accreditation at GVCSS and check back often for updates on our progress.
Accreditation is a peer review process designed to ensure that the participating service provider (GVCSS in our case) is delivering services that meet international standards in key organizational areas such as quality assurance, finance, human resources, business planning and occupational health and safety. Accreditation involves the review and development of policies, procedures and guidelines to reflect accreditation standards, employment standards, collective agreement language, health and safety regulations and funder contract expectations. This major documentation review will encompass all areas of the organization. While accreditation is a mammoth task for the Agency to undertake, we sincerely believe that the end result demonstrates to interested parties that GVCSS is truly responsive to the individuals we serve, and accountable for the quality of services provided in the community.
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is a non-profit organization based in Tucson, Arizona that accredits a range of health and social service programs. They research and set standards for various programs throughout North America, and then conduct site surveys at agencies like GVCSS to determine whether appropriate standards are being met. In addition to their excellent reputation in this field, CARF is also viewed as a reputable accrediting agency by our funding authorities.
Going through the accreditation process provides many benefits to our agency. For example, it presents an opportunity for GVCSS to examine our performance and see how we meet or exceed standards – it’s an opportunity to ensure excellence in our work. Here are a few more of the benefits GVCSS receives from participating in accreditation:
Accreditation has its own intrinsic value which benefits our overall performance as a major community service organization; however, it also helps us fulfill a requirement with our two primary funding authorities: Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). Since 2006, CLBC has required that Community Living service providers who receive over $500,000 in funding from the provincial government be accredited, and GVCSS has willingly complied. Now, for the first time, Home Support funding authority VCH has also included accreditation as a condition of our service contract with them, and as a result, we will now be accrediting Home Support and the entire organization.
CARF provides a set of standards for GVCSS to meet or exceed. At the proposed site survey date (approximately May/June 2012) the CARF surveyors will check if we are meeting the standards by reviewing our Agency documents (e.g. policies, procedures, service plans, etc.), visiting and observing our group homes and client homes, and interviewing program staff, clients and family members.
Everyone in the Agency will be expected to play a role in the accreditation process whether it is through staff/client satisfaction surveys, sitting on committees or simply providing input via our staff meetings. We want to ensure that this is an inclusive planning process.
There is also an Accreditation Committee, comprised of senior management members Ron McLeod, Robin Turnill, Diana Hill, Isabel Sum, Melanie Mendonca, Karen Foster, Shane Holland, and Diane Raniseth. Although this group will be steering the project, we wish to emphasize that the success of this initiative will depend upon the collaborative efforts of all GVCSS staff.
The Accreditation Committee is in the process of looking for feedback from staff, clients and family members to learn more about what is being done well in our Agency and also where improvements can be made. You may have or will be receiving a survey questionnaire asking for your input about GVCSS. We would greatly appreciate receiving your comments and also hearing from you in person.
We want to keep the communication lines open so that everyone concerned has an opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification about the accreditation process. Please check this page often for updates, or if you would like to speak to someone directly about accreditation, please contact our Chief Operating Officer Robin Turnill at 604.714.6418. Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!