- …a statewide association of more than
115 private nonprofit agencies
dedicated to providing services of the
highest quality to vulnerable
children and their families
Members of the California Alliance are required to meet the standards of excellence called for in the Membership Manual of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services or by recognized nation accrediting organizations including the Council on Accreditation (COA), the Joint Commission, Commission for Accreditation of Residential Facilities (CARF).
California Alliance Accreditation is a total evaluation of an agency's operating systems. Each member agency is reviewed by a team that includes executives from other member agencies and specialized Alliance staff who are guided by standards in the areas of governing body, finances, personnel, physical plant/equipment, and program. Alliance Accreditation requires review of all programs represented by the Alliance advocacy efforts including Adoptions, Foster Family Agency, Residential Program, Education, Mental Health and Family Based Services.
In recognition of the expertise of the national accrediting organizations and the growing demand for nationally accepted standards of excellence, the California Alliance will cease to provide accreditation services in December 2014, and the Alliance will require that all member agencies be accredited by one of the recognized national accrediting organizations effective January 2015.
The Alliance does not contend that striving for quality and accountability makes member agencies perfect. Accreditation, however, does provide a valuable tool for executives seeing to improve mature agencies and develop younger ones, and provides to the Alliance a detailed assessment of organizational quality of its member agencies.
The Alliance requires all entities related to the member agency be accredited. The term "member agency" refers to the agency named as a member of the California Alliance and to all corporate and affiliated entities of the member agency, both nonprofit and for-profit, providing services in California covered under Alliance advocacy activities. Corporate and affiliated entities include, but are not limited to: subsidiary corporations; parent corporations with overarching fiscal, administrative or programmatic control; affiliated entities with interlocking management or governance; and any entity with clear administrative, fiscal or programmatic interrelationship with the named member agency.
The Alliance accreditation standards are based on sound theory and practice, and focus on the systems and procedures that are the essential elements of a healthy organization. The Standards are developed and updated by professionals with formal educational qualifications and direct field experience in the administration of programs for vulnerable children, youth and their families.
The California Alliance is proud of the reputation for quality earned by our members over the years. Accreditation is an important part of building and enhancing that reputation.
If you would like more information regarding Alliance Accreditation, please contact:
Kristian Ross-Patchin
Director of Membership and Accreditation Services
(916) 449-2273, ext. 206