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.		  
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  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.		  
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  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.		  
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  EVALUATION

The review and assessment of organizational operations, programs and services.		  
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  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.		  
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  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. 		 
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  TERMINATION

See CASE CLOSING 		 
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Crisis Response and Information Services: Crisis Intervention; Crisis Hotline Services; Information and Referral Services
  
Private Org Public Agency  

PA-CRI 3: Quality of Services

 

The agency monitors service quality by:

  1. collecting data on service use;
  2. evaluating referral resources on an ongoing basis to assess the safety, quality, and effectiveness of services provided; and
  3. reviewing quality data quarterly.
Update: Added Research Note - 03/01/09
Interpretation: Evaluations of referral sources may be conducted through site visits or inquiries of the referral agencies reputation in the community.
Research Note: While a recent study of center directors from the 1-800-SUICIDE Network indicated that the suicide risk assessment is an integral part of all crisis calls, researchers monitoring crisis calls found risk assessments were inconsistently conducted. One suggested solution to this problem is to require that agencies develop a system for monitoring calls for quality assurance. In this study of the 1-800-SUICIDE Network, informing crisis callers that calls were being monitored did not lead to an increase in call termination.
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PURPOSE: Crisis Response and Information Services operate as part of the community's crisis response system to provide immediate, dependable responses and reliable information to promote safety and stability for the individual in crisis.
 
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