COA - Council On Accreditation

	Adoption Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

Service Narrative (AS):

Part 1: Program Information

Organizations may complete one template for all programs, or a separate template that addresses each program being reviewed under this section. Provide responses in the boxes located in the Service Narrative template.

Organizations being accredited for the first time: Please provide information for the last year.

Organizations being reaccredited: Please provide information for the period since the last accreditation review.

1. Describe any significant changes, challenges, awards received, changes in funding, or obstacles faced by the organization.

2. Provide an overview of the different program(s) being accredited under this section. The overview should describe:

the programs' service philosophy and approach to delivering services;
eligibility criteria;
any unique programs or special services provided to specific populations;
major funding streams; and
any additional information referenced in the Table of Evidence

3. If service components are provided to persons and families through contract in cooperation with other organizations or through a formal, coordinated service delivery system provide a list that identifies the providers and the services for which they are responsible. Do not include services provided by referral.

4. Provide any other information your organization would like the peer review team to know about these programs.

Attachments

A list of all program sites, including the following information for each program site: a) name of program/site director; b) address; c) phone number; d) hours of operation; e) number of FTEs; f) average monthly number of clients served; and g) directions or a map to each program site from the main organization office
A demographic profile of persons and families served by the program(s) being reviewed under this service section with percentages representing the following: a) racial and ethnic characteristics; b) gender; c) age; d) major religious groups; and e) major language groups. Include an explanation of how the program ensures that it is providing culturally competent services
As applicable, a list of groups or classes including, for each group or class: a) the type of activity/group; b) whether the activity/group is short-term or ongoing; c) how often the activity/group is offered; d) the average number of participants per session of the activity/group, in the last month; and e) the total number of participants in the activity/group, in the last month
A list of any programs that were opened, merged with other programs or services, or closed
Two quarterly reports from the case record review process conducted for this service, with any related corrective action plans (See PQI 4.02/4.03)
Two quarterly reports of accidents, incidents, and grievances related to this service (See RPM 2.02)
All COA-approved NA Requests
A list of all NAs applicable to your organization provided within the standards

Part 2: Program Outputs and Outcomes

Provide a response in each box describing how the program is making progress toward achieving its aims, and achieving better results for participants.

1. A summary of where the organization is in the development of its program for measuring program quality and outcomes, specific to the service.

2. A list or description of program outputs and desired outcomes and any outputs and outcomes being measured including measurement tools used. Note: Program outputs may include consumer satisfaction, number of clients served, number of visits, timeliness of assessments, etc.

3. An overview of the organization's process for analyzing data.

4. Examples of program improvements made based on the outcomes data.

Attachments

Outcomes measurement/data collection procedures
Outcomes results reported for the previous two quarters
Domestic Adoption Service (AS) Profile


	Self-Study Documents	On-Site Documents	On-Site Activities
AS 1 Adoptive Parent Recruitment		Website or book with photo listings, if available Documentation of tribal participation in adoptive parent recruitment, when applicable	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel
AS 2 Assessment	Procedures for child assessments Procedures for identification and collaboration in ICWA cases Procedures for birth parent assessments Assessment tools and/or criteria included in assessment	Indian Child Welfare Act information provided to families Copies of tribal state agreements, when applicable	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 3 Homestudy Practice	Include description of homestudy process and/or procedures in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information Homestudy tool and/or procedures Procedures for background checks		Interview Program director Relevant personnel
AS 4 Service Planning and Monitoring	Service planning and monitoring procedures	Documentation of case review	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 5 Child and Youth Permanency	Include description of permanency planning process in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information	Reports or other aggregate data regarding the length of stay in out-of-home care, if the organization facilitates foster care adoptions	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 6 Service Philosophy	Include Service Philosophy in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information		Interview: Program director Personnel
AS 7 Pre-Adoption Services	Include description of Pre-Adoption Services in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information Procedures for establishing continued contact and openness in adoption	Informational materials provided to birth parents Orientation and informational materials provided to prospective adoptive parents	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 8 Temporary Care for Infants	Policy and procedures for licensure, approval, or certification of homes Procedures for foster home assessments, including criminal background checks Procedures for visits to foster homes Include description of healthcare services in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information	Training curricula	Interview: Relevant personnel Foster parents Review case records Review Foster Parent Records
AS 9 Placement	Matching and placement procedures Procedures for involving expectant/birth parents, when applicable Include description of assistance provided to adoptive parents during placement in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information	Documentation of tribal participation in placement process, when applicable	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 10 Community Partnerships	Include description of community partnerships in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information		Interview: Program director Relevant personnel
AS 11 Case Closing	Case closing procedures		Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Review case records
AS 12 Post-Adoption Services	Include description of post-adoption services in Service Narrative Part 1: Program Information	Community resource and referral list	Interview: Program director Relevant personnel Parents Children Review case records
AS 13 Administrative Practice	Fee policy and procedures Fee scale Record retention procedures Procedures for releasing information	Board minutes documenting the review and approval of the fee policy Documentation of licensure or credentials of collaborating organizations or individuals Service agreements and contracts	Interview: Program director Adoptive parents Observe record storage area Review financial records of fees paid by adoptive parents
AS 14 Personnel	Program staffing chart that includes lines of supervision List of program personnel that includes: name title degree held and/or other credentials FTE or volunteer length of service at the organization time in current position Chart that specifies caseload size, per worker, for the past six months Procedures or criteria used for assigning and evaluating workload	Job descriptions Documentation of training Training curricula Data describing staff turnover	Interview: Supervisors Personnel Review personnel files

Fundamental Practice Standards:


Essential Life and Safety	Health and Welfare	Client Rights
AS 3.04, AS 8.08	AS 2.05	AS 1.03, AS 2.04, AS 7.04

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	ACCREDITATION The formal evaluation of an organization against accepted criteria or standards. A professional society, non-governmental organization, or a governmental agency may conduct accreditation activities. A COA-accredited organization has undergone a period of rigorous self-study and is capable of providing programs and services that meet or exceed COA standards.


	SERVICE PHILOSOPHY The theoretical framework that describes and explains an organization's approach to service.


	ELIGIBILITY The degree to which an individual, family, group, or community meets the specific criteria and qualifications required to receive goods, benefits, or services.


	CRITERIA Systematically developed, objective, and quantifiable statements used to assess the appropriateness of specific decisions, services, and outcomes.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	PEER REVIEW An evaluation process in which professionals from similar backgrounds review the work of their associates.


	CLIENT See service recipient.


	MAJOR LANGUAGE GROUP The presence of a substantial core of people in both the community and the client population that share a language.


	GRIEVANCE See COMPLAINT


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.


	QUALITY In this context, the extent to which contemporary and generally recognized standards for professional practice are met and exceeded, and desirable service outcomes achieved.


	CONSUMER The individual, family, group, or community that seeks or receives services.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	INDIAN CHILD As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.).


	BACKGROUND CHECK The review of an individual's personal information typically performed by or at the request of an employer, which may include verification of educational credentials or employment experience, as well as an examination of the individual's criminal records, driving records, licensing records, and civil abuse or neglect history.


	PLANNING The process of specifying objectives, evaluating the means for their achievement, and exercising deliberate decision making about appropriate courses of action.


	MONITORING An evaluation involving a periodic review of consumer services, organizational activities, or conduct. Specifically, monitoring is an activity of case coordination, whereas more broadly, monitoring is an evaluation technique used in overall quality assurance.


	CASE REVIEW A regular and periodic examination of a consumer's service needs, service delivery goals and objectives, intervention plans, prognoses, and the timelines required to achieve them. The direct service provider and supervisor frequently conduct the case review, but it may also involve others, as in an interdisciplinary or inter-organizational case conference. The client, or the parent or legal guardian in the case of a minor, are included in his/her periodic case review by the team.


	OUT-OF-HOME CARE Services for persons living in environments outside of their usual households. Foster Care Services are considered to serve persons in out-of-home care.


	CERTIFICATION Assurance from a state or professional association that a person or organization possesses certain attributes, knowledge, or skills.


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	FOSTER PARENTS State- or county-licensed adults who provide a temporary home for children whose birth parents are unable to care for them. Foster parents are not considered employees or personnel and are specifically referenced in all relevant standards.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	CASE CLOSING A voluntary or involuntary process which occurs when an organization no longer assumes responsibility for providing services to a particular individual, group, or family. Also known as "termination" or "discharge."


	SUPERVISION Assumption of responsibility for directly overseeing and evaluating the work or work products of personnel within an organization. Also includes inspecting the act or process of accomplishing a function or activity.


	PROGRAM PERSONNEL All direct service and administrators or supervisors of direct services that are involved in the operation of the organization's social service programs. "Program personnel" does not include MIS, accounting, facilities, clerical, or other staff that are not involved in the provision or oversight of direct services.


	VOLUNTEER An individual who performs services for an organization for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Such service must be offered freely and without pressure or coercion, direct or implied, from an employer. If the individual is otherwise employed by the same employer for which s/he volunteers, the individual cannot volunteer to perform the same type of services that s/he is paid to perform as an employee.


	CASELOAD The aggregate number of clients and/or consumers of service (including individuals, families, and groups) for whom a given employee is responsible. See also WORKLOAD