HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR OUR SITE VISIT?

Although staff and stakeholders are involved in all of your accreditation efforts, the site visit is the primary opportunity for everyone to feel their participation matters. There are several things that you should consider in order to assure a successful site visit.

• Prepare staff in advance. Meet with the staff as you did when you first decided to embark on this journey - reinforce how important their participation is and how confident you are that this will be a successful visit. Make sure they know who will be interviewed and what standards will be discussed.
• Consider conducting a mock site visit to create comfort with the site visit process and to help staff understand what to expect.
• Work with your Team Leader to develop the agenda for the site visit. Then share the agenda with your staff. This will assure they continue to feel included.
• Prepare a briefing booklet to assist the Peer Team in understanding the complexity of your agency.
• Work with your COA Coordinator to finalize your Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) prior to the site visit.
• Make arrangements for the Entrance and Exit meetings and send invitations to key staff to attend these meetings with the Peer Team.
• Identify a room for the Peer Review Team to use while on site that offers privacy and minimal disruption. Place relevant on-site documents in this room, including a copy of the Self-Study, so that they are easily accessible to the Peer Team. Provide the team with a key to this room.
• If evidence is in electronic format, arrange to have a computer available in the team room with access to online manuals and other important documents. If possible, arrange for Internet access at this computer. Designate a specific staff person to be available to the team to explain how to access electronic documents.
• Make arrangements for the team's Sunday record and documentation review. This will go smoothly if your on-site evidence (e.g., client records, QI minutes, Board minutes, grievance reports, and personnel records) are assembled prior to the team's arrival. Also be sure to designate a staff person to facilitate the Sunday visit who is knowledgeable about the location of records and other important documents.
• Identify key staff to escort the team members to other program sites.
• Prepare staff at all program sites for the team's visit, not just central office staff.
• Develop a plan to reward staff for their participation at the conclusion of the site visit and share the feedback from the Exit Meeting.