COA - Council On Accreditation

	Human Resources Management

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

Introduction

In the social and human services field, an agency's personnel are of critical importance. Employees and volunteers perform the tasks and provide the services that fulfill the agency'sgoals and objectives in accord with its mission. Ensuring that the agency is able to attract and retain a qualified workforce while simultaneously developing the policies, programs, processes, and culture that maximizes performance and productivity must be a key propriety for management.

Human Resources Management also holds important implications for risk management. Sound, consistently applied human resources help reduce the risk of employment litigation and costs. Sound practices help protect another of the agency's most important assets: its reputation in the community.

Interpretation: The term “workforce” covers full-time and part-time employees as well as volunteers. The use of these terms is governed by the following guidelines:

Direct service, clerical, professional, or management volunteers are considered to be part of an agency's personnel and will be included in the accreditation self-study;
If the agency does not use volunteers in its management, direct service, or any other ongoing activity, standards that only refer to volunteers do not apply to the agency; and
COA will not consider occasional or “casual” volunteers in its evaluation of an agency’s compliance. For example, a volunteer who is present a few times to assist in addressing direct mail campaign envelopes or a similar activity has no ongoing role. In contrast, a volunteer custodian, cook, or secretary who works on a regularly scheduled basis has an ongoing role and will be considered in evaluating an agency’s human resource practices.

Interpretation: Network personnel can include:

employees of the network management entity, including administrative personnel and direct service providers;
employees of network partner agencies who provide direct network services, if the network is a membership network;
employees of subcontracting network provider agencies; and
independent, individual providers.

Note: Please see Clarification: Volunteers,_Consultants_and Interns Standards and Self-Paced_Training: Human Resources (HR) in the Tools Index for additional assistance with this standard.


	PURPOSE: A stable, qualified workforce contributes effectively and efficiently to consumer satisfaction and positive service delivery results.

RELATED FILES


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


	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.


	HUMAN SERVICES Programs designed to address individual and group development and well-being in addition to conditions that impact individuals and groups including: aging, delinquency and crime, child welfare, poverty, housing, education, employment, mental health, physical health, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities.


	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


	EMPLOYEE Paid member of an organization. Foster parents are not considered employees and are specifically referenced in relevant standards.


	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.


	OBJECTIVE A sub-goal stated in operational terms, i.e., a statement that makes clear what expected results are to be measured or assessed.


	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.


	CULTURE The customs, habits, values, skills, technology, beliefs, and religious, social, and political behaviors of a group of people in a specific period of time.


	PERFORMANCE A measure of how well an organizational system provides services to consumers. Performance is often based on key indicators, such as rates of service, cost per consumer, degree of satisfaction with services, and extent of consumer access to services.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	RISK MANAGEMENT A systematic process of evaluating and reducing potential risks that may befall personnel, clients, an organization, or a facility. Risk management activities are directed toward reducing an organization's legal and financial exposure, especially to lawsuits.


	PRACTICE Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.


	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.


	HUMAN RESOURCES A department or service that is responsible for recruiting, hiring, and retaining personnel and monitoring the regulations and services applicable to a particular organization.


	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.


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