Accreditation Mandate? Panic or Plan!

Accreditation mandates are all the talk among leaders of human service organizations. Thanks to the recent passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) on the national level and state mandates for accreditation, like one recently instituted for adult foster care providers in Massachusetts, many child, family and behavioral healthcare service agencies are becoming alarmed about having to complete the complex accreditation process within short deadlines. Well, they can either panic or plan!

Accreditation requires that organizations undergo an objective review by an independent accrediting body and signifies that they are effectively managing their resources and enhancing the quality of life for the population served. Providers that earn accreditation signal their desire to reach beyond the minimum licensing standards and make a long-term commitment to strong governance, program consistency, outcome measurement and continuous improvement throughout their agencies.

Achieving accreditation is a worthy endeavor, even if it is a requirement, but many organizations underestimate the time commitment involved. In general, it takes 12 to 18 months to prepare for national accreditation – sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the original state of readiness.

Effective project management from the beginning is key. You must plan for an even flow of work in order to avoid a rush at the end. You also need to allow time for significant steps in the process, including, but not limited to:

  • Selecting an accrediting body. (See our tip sheet on how best to approach this evaluation.)
  • Securing budgetary allotment and board approval.
  • Each accrediting body calculates its own application fees, survey costs and annual fees, which may vary widely based on the revenue size of the organization being reviewed, and/or the number of programs and locations. Staff time, operational improvements and consultants (if utilized) may also add to overall expenditures.
  • Preparing standards-compliant policies, procedures, plans and protocols.
  • Making operational and service delivery improvements, as necessary.
  • Implementing updated processes to conform with accreditation standards.
  • Participating in a mock survey.

When an accreditation mandate is enacted, a deadline is imposed on organizations. Remember, though, that there may be hundreds or many hundreds of organizations trying to become accredited at the same time and the accrediting bodies only have a finite amount of capacity to accommodate all of these applicants.

With the Family First Prevention Services Act, for example, congregate care providers must become accredited “Qualified Residential Treatment Providers” (QRTPs) by October 1, 2019. Though states have the option to extend this deadline for up to two years, all affected service providers should already be proactively working toward accreditation.

When a mandate is instituted, impacted organizations should begin the accreditation process as soon as possible to get ahead of the influx of other providers seeking to become accredited and have enough time to thoroughly and calmly complete the necessary work. Once the process begins, effective project management and support from leadership will help ensure that accreditation activities stay on track despite other priorities that may arise.

Clearly, it is better to plan rather than panic!

Celebrating Foster Parents During National Foster Care Month

As I reflect on over 20 years serving as a foster care worker, what comes to mind first are the foster parents. I’ve recruited, trained, licensed, counseled, laughed and cried with foster parents and enjoyed most every moment.

Whether you are reading this as a person interested in fostering, an agency with a foster care program, a professional in the field, a child advocate, or just found this blog searching the web, I assure you my comments come from experience not only as a foster care worker but also as a former foster parent.

Foster parents are one of the most undervalued commodities in our country and we need a continuous growing pool of them.  With over 437,000 children currently in foster care across the U.S., the need for foster parents is tremendous nationally. Foster parents are our safety net for abused and neglected children, and the system is challenged with recruiting, supporting and retaining them.

The experience of a foster parent can’t be measured by conventional methods. The emphasis our society puts on academic degrees and professional success leaves out the intangibles. A foster parent’s value is in their devotion, their emotional and physical commitment to the well-being of a vulnerable child.

Who makes a great foster parent? A kind and compassionate person who has the desire to parent, teach, and love someone else’s children. We all may know people who could fulfill those requirements, but then there’s the hard fact that these kids are part of a system and a challenging one at that. The bureaucracy that faces foster parents often discounts their input even if it’s clear that they are the ones who know best what will help the children in their care.

If you are interested in possibly becoming a foster parent, here are some important tips to keep in mind:

  • Check to see that the foster family agency holds a national accreditation by either CARF, Council on Accreditation (COA) or the Joint Commission – this tells you that the organization values best practice standards that are well above state minimum rules and regulations. I have worked for several agencies in my career, some nationally accredited and some not. The difference was notable in areas of support to foster parents, staff, and overall agency professionalism.
  • Accredited agencies provide outstanding support to foster parents and additional child-specific training.
  • Ask to speak with other foster parents, attend an orientation, and meet with the program director.
  • Ask to see the agency’s program goals and outcomes for foster care.
  • See how foster parents are included in organizational quality improvement process.
  • If you are looking at a nonprofit agency see what the composition of the board of directors is and if they are involved in activities to support foster parents.
  • Review a non-profit agency’s IRS form 990, which are available online at https://www.guidestar.org.
  • With a for-profit agency, you may want to research the leadership team.

May Is National Foster Care Month. With that, we should all take the time to recognize that we each can play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care. Hats off to all of the foster parents out there!

Jennifer Flowers Presents to Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D. C

Washington, D.C. (May 1, 2018) — Jennifer Flowers, founder and CEO of Accreditation Guru, delivered a well-attended, well-received seminar to members of the National Child Welfare and Mental Health Coalition at the national headquarters of the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D. C. Several coalition members participated over conference call.Entitled “Family First Prevention Services Act – Accreditation 101: Understanding the Accreditation Process for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs,” the presentation covered the new law’s impact on congregate care programs throughout the United States and outlined the basic steps and considerations these organizations must undertake to comply with the statute.

“Jennifer’s reassuring, helpful presentation emphasized the positive impact of accreditation on the quality of care for children and walked through the multiple steps involved, reminding us all of the time it takes for service providers to work their way toward accreditation,” said Stefanie Sprow, deputy director of child welfare and mental health at the Children’s Defense Fund, which chairs the Child Welfare and Mental Health Coalition and its series on implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act. “As one of the nation’s foremost experts in this field, Jennifer’s perspective is invaluable.”
The new law, passed February 2018, requires all qualified residential treatment programs (QRTPs) to become accredited by October 1, 2019 if they want to receive Title IV-E federal funding. But because the accreditation process can sometimes take up to 18 months to complete and a large number of organizations have yet to begin the process, accrediting agencies will be stretched to meet the additional demand. Time is getting short, said Flowers.

Operating under the Children’s Defense Fund umbrella, the coalition consists of approximately 250 people, spanning national, state and local organizations, the bulk of which provide child welfare services.

The interesting and informative presentation outlined the many benefits of national accreditation and covered the basic steps along the accreditation journey. Providers must choose among three accrediting bodies approved by the Department of Health and Human Services, document their adherence to their rigorous standards, submit to a review and site survey by the chosen accrediting agency and maintain the standards for either a three or four year period.

She also offered some tips for helping to smooth the process. The long, involved process can be demanding for service providers, but, said Flowers, they can either “plan or panic.”

Addressing the group by phone from Memphis, Hughes Johnson, managing director of compliance and performance improvement at Youth Villages, which operates in 14 states across the country, shared his organization’s experiences with accreditation. He called Flowers’s presentation spot-on.

“The accreditation and re-accreditation process helped us raise the bar for our staff and the population that we serve,” he said. “It is a tough process with a large number of standards, but it helped us develop a defined policy that holds us accountable.”

Flowers, a nationally renowned expert on accreditation and best practices for human service providers, advises organizations undergoing accreditation.

“In general, service providers are laser-focused on delivering quality care and they often fail to realize that accreditation is a complicated, involved process,” said Flowers. “This served as a wonderful opportunity to help members of the coalition provide valuable information to their constituents and help introduce them to the process.”

About Accreditation Guru, Inc.
Accreditation Guru has helped guide private and public health and human service organizations through the national accreditation process by creating an efficient, systematic approach that has resulted in a 100 percent success rate. Their expertise also includes implementing performance measurement and quality improvement programs, developing long-term strategic plans and increasing the effectiveness of boards of directors. For information about their services and how they can help your organization Prepare for Greatness™, please visit https://accreditationguru.com.

Left to right:
Stefanie Sprow, Deputy Director of Child Welfare and Mental Health at the Children’s Defense Fund
Jennifer Flowers, Founder and CEO of Accreditation Guru
MaryLee Allen, Director of Policy, Children’s Defense Fund

The Alliance’s New “Operations Support Services”

As a partner of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, Accreditation Guru is excited to share with you their new and game-changing “Operations Support Services” offering for the nonprofit sector. This offering is intended to help leaders address provision of operations support services related to human resources, finance, administrative operations, and more. This is available to ALL nonprofits in the United States, not just Alliance member organizations.

Across the country, daily tasks, ranging from detailed budget reports to regular donor stewardship, siphon limited energy and resources that could be better directed toward program implementation. Because dollars available for overhead functions are particularly scarce, nonprofits should look for smart ways to maximize these resources. For organizations that cannot cost-effectively sustain internal capacity and expertise in administrative functions, the gap will continually widen and plague their abilities to focus and execute on their missions.

The Alliance is dedicated to helping community-based organizations (CBOs) bolster their approach to risk management, improve the effectiveness of fund usage, and understand the benefit of shared services—all of which allow for an increased focus on mission and people served. The “Operations Support Services” offering was created to help fulfill the five identified “North Star” initiatives in the landmark report, “A National Imperative: Joining Forces to Strengthen Human Services in America,” by the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the American Public Human Services Association.

By partnering with the Alliance, CBOs can outsource various financial and administrative duties for which internal capacity and resources may be limited. As part of this new venture, the Alliance also is offering competitive and robust benefits packages, enhanced retirement planning services, and comprehensive EAP and work-life services to their employees at a reasonable cost, regardless of their size. In addition, the Alliance’s unemployment tax program combats hidden expenses, avoids claims volatility, and enables better management of cash flow and claim tracking.

The Alliance has established many strategic partnerships to facilitate provision of operations support services that can be customized for any size nonprofit:

  • Flexible accounting and bookkeeping assistance delivered directly by Alliance staff
  • Comprehensive, competitively priced group health insurance packages offered via industry
    leaders that cover thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of lives
  • Employee assistance and work-life services from FEI Behavioral Health, the Alliance’s
    social enterprise
  • The ability to provide a wide range of retirement plans and planning services to employees,
    with the added value of no administrative fees
  • A cost-effective alternative to the state unemployment tax system
  • Access to group purchasing savings programs

“Along with our expertise in human resources, finance, and administrative operations, it is our intent to enhance and expand our support services to help leaders address needs related to fundraising and development; marketing, public relations, and communications; and information technology,” explains Lenore Schell, Alliance senior vice president of strategic business innovation.
For more information, visit the Alliance’s website.

Why Your Organization Needs Hired & Non-Owned Auto Insurance

Hired & non-owned auto insurance is a highly misunderstood coverage and as a result, often gets put at the bottom of the insurance coverage priority list. Hired and non-owned auto insurance provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage losses caused by vehicles you don’t own, vehicles you lease, hire, rent, and/or borrow, but are used for business operations.
For this discussion, we are going to focus on coverage for vehicles not owned by your organization but used for your operations. Typically, these vehicles are personally owned by employees and volunteers—in other words, non-owned auto.

Organizations that don’t own company vehicles, may automatically think they don’t need auto insurance. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you have employees or volunteers that drive their own vehicles on behalf of your organization, for any reason, then you can become responsible for auto claims. Situations, where your organization may be responsible for damages, can include (but is not limited to):

• Using their own vehicle to go to meetings
• Using their own vehicle to go to the bank, the post office, or other errands
• Using their own vehicle to provide the services offered by your organization

If there’s an accident in any of these circumstances, then your organization can be held responsible and sued for damages. Auto liability claims can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Hired and non-owned auto liability coverage can help absorb potential financial losses and protect your business.

What is Hired & Non-Owned Auto Insurance?

Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability Coverage is for vehicles owned by employees or volunteers and covers injuries to other people and damage to other people’s property. This is coverage in addition to the coverage an employee or volunteer may already have on their vehicle. It does not cover damage to the vehicles owned by your employees or volunteers, only liability.

In the event your organization is in any way responsible for an accident, a driver’s own auto insurance will be responsible for any claims. However, if the claims are more than the liability coverage limits that the individual has on their personal auto policy, then your non-owned auto insurance could kick in to pay the remainder of the claim. In other words, the employee or volunteer auto insurance triggers first.

Example

The Executive Director of an organization was driving to the bank in their own vehicle to drop off some paperwork for a business loan. She was in a hurry and sped through a yellow light. A car turned in front of her and she hit the driver’s side of the oncoming vehicle. This collision resulted in considerable damage to both vehicles and severe injuries to the other driver.

The injured driver sued the Executive Director and the organization for the damage to his vehicle and his injuries. Because the Executive Director was driving for business, the organization would be responsible for the damages caused by the accident. The total claim was $450,000 including the associated legal fees.

The payments were as follows:

• The Executive Director’s personal auto policy paid up to her limit of $300,000
• The organizations non-owned auto policy paid the remaining $150,000
• The annual premium cost of the non-owned auto Insurance was $350

Auto claims are by far the most frequent type of claim we see, and auto claims involving injury can be quite large. All organizations have some type of driving associated with their mission and general operations. If an organization is deemed in any way responsible for an auto accident, even a small claim can quickly eat up the organization’s reserves and as we’ve seen, a small expenditure for the coverage more than compensates for the potential risks.

Make sure that you include non-owned auto insurance as part of your organization’s risk management arsenal.

~TJ Armstrong, Business Development Manager, Hawley & Associates, LLC

Corporate Social Responsibility—Good for Society, Good for Business

New or small businesses may think of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs as something belonging in the domain of larger companies, but that is not necessarily true. There are many ways that small or mid-sized companies can develop social partnerships that also make good business sense.

Recently, the Business Council of Westchester held its first Thompkins Mahopac Bank Power Breakfast, a panel titled “Corporate Social Responsibility – Social Partnerships that Make Good Business Sense: Part II,” moderated by Jennifer Flowers Founder & CEO, Accreditation Guru, Inc. (AG). The CSR topic was brought back by popular demand, as in 2017 Jennifer moderated part 1, “Corporate Social Responsibility Done Right,” which broke attendance records for a Power Breakfast. Both programs featured a distinguished panel of local business leaders and drew well over 100 attendees. Key themes discussed included factors in determining a social responsibility program that makes sense for one’s business (with a focus on small and mid-sized); a lively discussion about promotion of efforts; and the effects that socially responsibility programs have on company culture, identity, and employee retention.

One issue that was discussed during the above-mentioned CSR panels was how smart partnering between for-profits and nonprofits is one way to create value for both the business and society simultaneously. Management time and resources are limited, so the greatest opportunities will come from areas where the business significantly interacts with—and thus can have the greatest impact on—society. Finding the right nonprofits to collaborate with will be those that benefit from your core business activities and capabilities—and that the company can benefit from in turn. Many mid- to smaller- sized businesses choose to collaborate with agencies in their hometown or county, thus focusing on impacting the community closest to them.

Some companies approach CSR as a way to demonstrate commitment to various causes, which can improve the public image of an organization of any size. The increased media coverage that can come from corporate involvement in the community may enhance relationships with existing clients and go a long way to attracting new ones. Of course, there are also the intangibles—the positive changes in corporate culture that come from a workforce that feels good about what they do in and out of the office. With the visibility of actual involvement, companies large and small have the ability to improve their name recognition, their brand recognition, as well as improving the public perception of the company as a whole.

Businesses often find that by having a CSR program, it will, in turn, lead to higher employee engagement. As Forbes reported in September of 2017, when Millennials are considering applying for a job, their top priority is what the company sells and/or produces.  But beyond compensation and benefits, what matters most to them is the company’s work culture, involvement with causes, office environment and attention to diversity. Millennials are increasingly engaging with causes and tend to believe that a company that is committed to socially responsible causes will care about treating them well too, thus increasing their loyalty to the company.

Here at Accreditation Guru, corporate social responsibility lies at the heart of who we are as a professional, service-oriented organization. AG is committed to volunteering its professional services (including nonprofit governance expertise and guidance), offering financial support, and volunteering for fundraising and other sustaining events, to a variety of local nonprofit associations as a way of giving back to the community and, most especially, lending a hand to those in need. AG also encourages all team members to give back and volunteer within their own communities.

In keeping with our core focus of working with human service agencies across North America, in 2017 AG proudly joined Westchester Companies for Kids (WC4K) in supporting Westchester Children’s Association, whose vision helps every Westchester child be healthy, safe and prepared for life’s challenges.

Accreditation Guru also supports the Northeast STEM Starter Academy at Mount Vernon (NSSA).  NSSA’s mission is to expose at-risk students to state-of-the-art science and technology resources and provide them with inspiration and pathways for eventual careers in the STEM sectors.

Never think that your organization is too new or too small to give back in a meaningful way. There are numerous opportunities and benefits to doing good for society while also being good for business. You just need to find the right fit and then get started!

 

News from AG’s Inaugural Company Retreat

The AG team descended on Florida, coming together from all over the country, to have some– ok, a lot of –fun and hone our vision for 2018 and beyond. We have always held ourselves to a higher standard of excellence, and now we have reaffirmed our vision
to be the leader in providing exemplary support throughout the national and international accreditation process by using our expertise to inform, guide and facilitate change so that organizations may better fulfill their own mission.

team photo
From L to R: Carol Smith, Mary Weaver, Jennifer Flowers, Bobbi Lison, Maddi Noleen, Diane Barnes
Ready to work!

For more photos of the AG team during our retreat, “like” us on Facebook!

2017 Blog Recap

Did you miss any of our Accreditation Guru blog posts during the past year? We published nearly 25 informative articles on topics ranging from accreditation preparation to nonprofit management to issues affecting the behavioral healthcare field. Below we have highlighted some of our most popular posts from 2017 that may be worth a second look for your organization as you beginning planning for the New Year. Thank you for being loyal followers in 2017. We look forward to providing you with more informative posts in 2018! Here’s to the happiest of New Years!

Accreditation

Nonprofit Management and Boards of Directors

Behavioral Healthcare

AG’s own Corporate Social Responsibility

And don’t forget our popular series “Accreditation in Action,” which highlights organizations across the country and how they benefit from being nationally accredited.

Happy reading!

Annual Plan is Strategic Plan’s Greatest Tool for Success

Most nonprofit organizations have (or should have!) a long-term strategic plan, one that they have spent a great deal of time and resources to develop. By engaging various staff, board members and stakeholders, the strategic planning process can be an effective way to identify strategies that will support the organization as it strives to fulfill its mission. As stellar as the strategic plan may be, however, unless its strategies are methodically put into action, the plan itself becomes inconsequential to the agency’s operations.

Generally speaking, a strategic plan covers a three-to-five-year period (most common is three years) – which in today’s real-time, fast-paced operating environment can seem daunting to even the most seasoned nonprofit leaders. This is where an annual plan can become a strategic plan’s greatest tool for success. First, it is essential to understand the difference between the two. A strategic plan clearly defines the organization’s mission, lays out a vision of what it wants to achieve over the next few years, and defines several strategic priorities designed to guide the agency toward mission fulfillment. This is the framework for what is to come. An annual plan – or work plan – is staff-driven, designed with specific objectives, outcome measures, and areas of responsibility (including timelines) in order to provide the day-to-day guidelines needed to ensure the strategic goals are ultimately met.

We’ve gathered these key considerations to help create a valuable and effective annual plan:

  • Be sure annual planning remains an inclusive process for everyone involved, including internal and external parties; when people feel personally connected they are more likely to take ownership and responsibility for the tasks at hand
  • List only the strategies to be implemented during the coming year; this keeps focus on the short-term as well as laying out a manageable, rather than overwhelming, plan for the next year
  • Break down annual strategies into smaller goals that are assigned to specific areas or individuals, including due dates and follow-up procedures
  • Expect that future events will often cause the need to reevaluate and perhaps even change the course of part of the plan; being ‘at the ready’ and adaptable to unforeseen events will only help to move both plans forward!
  • Annual plans may also incorporate other regular planning processes, including review of the technology and information management plan, financial planning, human resources planning, etc.
  • The annual plan is precisely the place to be specific; use a variety of tools here that will highlight the details of the plan’s successes and shortcomings, such as metrics, measurements, or any other analytical tools that are relevant to evaluating the plan’s overall goals

Add “Donate Now” Button on Facebook in Time for #GivingTuesday

The giving season is right around the corner and now is the time to be sure that your nonprofit is ready spread your mission and acquire those much needed donations this holiday season!

Celebrating its fourth year on December 1, #GivingTuesday will bring people and organizations from around the world together for one common purpose – to celebrate generosity and to give. Founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y, in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation, #GivingTuesday now engages more than 30,000 organizations globally through the power of social media and collaboration. According to GivingTuesday.org, since the first #GivingTuesday, online donations on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving have seen an increase of more than 470%! Nonprofits cannot afford not to get in on this extraordinary opportunity.

One way to do this is to take advantage of Facebook’s recently launched “Donate Now” call-to-action button available (free of charge) for nonprofits to add to their Facebook pages and link ads that will connect donors directly with an organization’s donation page, making it faster and easier to donate than ever before. Many nonprofits already realize and take advantage of the value of a strong social following; by adding the “Donate Now” option, nonprofits are able to more readily turn online engagement into meaningful monetary support.

Here are our tips for making the most of these two giving opportunities:

  • Planning and preparation are key – assemble your fundraising team and begin planning now to inspire generosity
  • Add a #GivingTuesday message to your nonprofit’s website, Facebook page and other social media outlets to build momentum and reach all of your followers
  • Use the #GivingTuesday hashtag in your nonprofit’s Tweets – this will make your organization discoverable to anyone searching #GivingTuesday
  • Don’t consider #GivingTuesday as a one-day event – begin December 2 by connecting with your newly acquired and existing donors sharing the results of their generosity and how it will impact those you serve – in other words, create goodwill
  • Always engage and thank your valued donors – not just on #GivingTuesday – but the whole year through; long-term relationships can last a lifetime
  • While monetary donations are crucial for nonprofits, we can’t underscore the importance of volunteer efforts – encourage donors to get creative and give time for volunteering; those who can’t afford a monetary donation may be inspired to contribute in this way, making it a win-win for everyone involved
  • Reference your “Donate Now” button in your Facebook and other social media communications and dedicate specific content that make users aware of the button and perhaps how donations will be used
  • Pay attention to who is taking advantage of the “Donate Now” option; as with any campaign, information is key and analyzing and understanding who these givers are will go a long way in helping your nonprofit build sustaining donors

Free tools and resources for #GivingTuesday can be found at www.GivingTuesday.org.