READING, Pa. | The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services announced it has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA).
The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services says it provides services to the community, including mental, behavioral, educational, community programs and foster care, adoption and post-permanency services.
It took six months to achieve accreditation, officials stated. Organizations pursue accreditation to demonstrate the implementation of best practice standards in the field of human services. COA evaluated all aspects of The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services programs, services, management, and administration.
The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization’s administration, management, and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice, officials say. The standards driving accreditation ensure that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce.
COA accreditation, according to administrators, demonstrates accountability in the management of resources, sets standardized best practice thresholds for service and administration, and increases organizational capacity and accountability by creating a framework for ongoing quality improvement.
To achieve COA accreditation, The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services says it first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA standards. Thereafter, a group of specially trained volunteer Peer Reviewers confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with trustees, staff, and clients.
Based on their findings, COA’s volunteer-based Accreditation Commission voted that The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services had successfully met the criteria for accreditation.
“We involved the staff, our clients, and our stakeholders in the accreditation process, and it is a real credit to the work the team does every day to get the COA stamp of approval for the programs and services we provide to the community,” said, Dr. Vince LaSorsa, President and CEO of The Children’s Home of Reading, “It really reflects the great mental and behavioral health work that we are doing to help children and families in crisis succeed and thrive throughout Pennsylvania.”
An endorsement of COA and the value of its accreditation process is reflected in it being named by the US State Department as the sole national independent accrediting body under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to accredit intercountry adoption service providers, officials say.
In addition, COA is the only national accreditor designated by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop accreditation standards and processes for human service programs provided to military personnel and their families.
To learn more about COA, please visit the website.
To learn more about The Children’s Home of Reading Youth and Family Services visit their website.
