CQL CANADA ACCREDITATION

 - more than a certificate on the wall!

Experience, quality, solutions, prestige, confidence and value  ...

just a few reasons why your organization should consider accreditation through The Council on Quality and Leadership Canada (CQL Canada).  Quite simply, our accreditation is unlike any other.  Anchored in the individual yet integrated throughout an organization, with CQL Canada Accreditation your organization can continue to grow and achieve a level of excellence and service that has not been achieved before.

As an agency, we have wanted to improve our planning process for the individuals we support for some time now and it is clear that incorporating the Personal Outcome Measures^® will help us achieve that goal.  As we look to improve the lives of the individual we support there was further value from your presentation through the discussions that were generated on the positive impact that Personal Outcome Measures^® will have on our staff and their skills and abilities.

 North Shore Connexions Society

Very useful information for us to use to improve the lives of the people we support.  I feel personally more competent in my supporting role after attending both phases of CQL Canada training.

Vectis Support Services

CQL Canada and its American partner CQL have almost 40 years of experience in defining, measuring and evaluating the quality of services in organizations and systems of organizations just like yours.  Our process begins with defining quality from the person’s perspective.  Personal Outcome Measures^® remain at the heart of the accreditation process.  In addition, we connect our history of promoting Basic Assurances^® and Shared Values with our new vision for Responsive Services^® and quality of Community Life^®.  We emphasize the role of community supports in facilitating personal quality of life.

CQL Canada combines these ingredients into a unique accreditation process.  We recognize that quality is not a “thing”, but an ongoing process that requires focused efforts over time.  As such, CQL Canada Accreditation is not simply an event that results in a plaque on the wall for a one-, two- or three-year term.  Accreditation with CQL Canada depends on an ongoing partnership with customers – one that creates an individualized quality enhancement experience.  This partnership enhances the organization’s ability to use limited resources, direct and increase human and financial capital in successful ways, and build on the internal organizational strengths and capacity.

  ACCREDITATION - PROCESS OVERVIEW

STEP 1 - MAKING THE DECISION

STEP 2 - THE APPLICATION

STEP 3 - PRE-ACCREDITATION TRAINING

STEP 4 - SHARED VALUES and BASIC ASSURANCES^® SELF-ASSESSMENTS

STEP 5 - PERSONAL OUTCOME MEASURES^® DATA COLLECTION AND VALIDATION

STEP 6 - ON-SITE VALIDATION

STEP 7 - CQL CANADA ACCREDITATION PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

STEP 8 - RESPONSIVE SERVICES^® AND COMMUNITY LIFE^® SELF-ASSESSMENT

STEP 9 -  RESPONSIVE SERVICES^® AND COMMUNITY LIFE^® VALIDATION (ON-SITE VISIT)

STEP 10 - INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT BASIC ASSURANCES^® SYSTEM

STEP 1  -  MAKING THE DECISION

When considering accreditation with CQL Canada the organization must determine what is important to them.  Do we share CQL Canada’s values, do we want to be evaluated based on our ability to provide Basic Assurances^®, to improve individual and family quality of life, on our responsiveness to people and on our ability to build Social Capital and community quality of life?  We believe what sets us apart from other accrediting bodies is that CQL Canada looks at the quality of services from the perspective of the person/family receiving supports and services.

The best way to make this determination is to obtain copies of the Quality Measures Manuals and to spend time reviewing each of the indicators contained within the Quality Measures.  Quality Measures 2005^® manuals order form.  Organizations located within British Columbia that decide on accreditation with CQL Canada will be given a full refund of the purchase price of the manuals once they have entered into a contract for accreditation.

CQL Canada Accreditation is right for organizations that want to:

·         improve people's personal and community quality of life;

·         use limited financial and human resources wisely;

·         implement practices that efficiently and effectively help them succeed in responding to people;

·         build internal expertise to measure successes and plan next steps; and

·         have a partner on the journey to excellence.

STEP 2  -  THE APPLICATION - 6 to 12 months, or earlier, before the first on-site visit

The next step toward Accreditation with CQL Canada is to submit an initial application six months or more before the anticipated date of CQL Canada’s first on-site visit.  The actual time depends on the organization’s need for support for the first on-site visit.  Some organizations submit the application early (twelve months or more in advance) and request assistance in determining their readiness for the first on-site visit.  Others (typically organizations with previous working relationships with CQL Canada) submit the application six months prior to the first on-site visit.

The application provides CQL Canada staff with information needed to understand the organization’s services and to plan for the on-site visit(s) and ongoing relationship.  Additionally, this information is used to determine the number of people who will be part of the on-site activities and the number of CQL Canada surveyors assigned to complete the first on-site visit.

The application requests information on:

·         the organization and the services and supports it provides;

·         the people receiving services and supports;

·         preferred dates for the first on-site visit;

·         assurances and agreements; and

·         travel suggestions for CQL Canada surveyors.

The CQL Accreditation Application is available to downloaded from www.cqlcanada.com .  A written confirmation of the dates of the first on-site visit is sent after receipt of the application.  This agreement letter also identifies the CQL Canada team leader, the number of surveyors who will be on the team and the length of the first on-site visit.

STEP 3 - PRE-ACCREDITATION TRAINING

CQL Canada provides four days of on-site pre-accreditation training at no cost to CL British Columbia service providers who enter into a contract for accreditation services with CQL Canada.

The four days of training include the following -

DAYS 1 & 2

UNDERSTANDING AND USING THE PERSONAL OUTCOME MEASURES^®

This dynamic 2-day interactive workshop provides an opportunity to gain an understanding of the Personal Outcome Measures^® tool to ensure a person-centred focus for service delivery.  Participants will be provided with an overview of the Personal Outcome Measures^® and how they can be used to enhance individual quality of life and the quality of service.  Participants will have an opportunity to gather Personal Outcome information by conducting an interview using prepared role-plays.  Workshop participants will role-play a person who receives services and a staff person who knows that person best.  This workshop serves as an introduction to the Personal Outcomes Measures^®.

DAYS 3 & 4

BASIC ASSURANCES^® / SHARED VALUES

This workshop is designed to support organizations to prepare for successful quality enhancement and planning activities by:

• Assessing the organization's adherence to CQL Canada's Quality Measures^® - Basic Assurances^® and Shared Values,

• Involving staff in the exploration and information gathering process for greater awareness of the organization's quality system; and to,

• Support the organization in the development of a Quality Enhancement Plan that designates responsibility and accountability for performance improvement

STEP 4  -  SHARED VALUES and BASIC ASSURANCES^® SELF-ASSESSMENTS

      - 3 to 6 months before the first on-site visit

Following the pre-accreditation training, the organization conducts its own Shared Values and Basic Assurances^® Self-Assessments.  These Self-Assessments clarify the values of the organization and evaluate the comprehensiveness of the Basic Assurances^® system.  This discovery phase is essential to an organization’s path to CQL Canada Accreditation and represents the beginning of collaborative learning with CQL Canada.

The Self-Assessment Tool is a workbook that contains each of the Factors, Indicators and Probes to help an organization or system conduct an internal assessment.  The organization can use the Self-Assessment Tool as a baseline tool to assess its status before making any changes or as a tool to assess progress over time.  Each Self-Assessment asks the organization to evaluate how well it is meeting the Indicators for that area of the Quality Measures 2005^®. 

Information gathering strategies for Shared Values and Basic Assurances^® include learning from and listening to people. Spending time with people receiving services and supports in a variety of settings and situations is the best place to start.

Other information gathering methods include:

·         holding small group meetings (focus groups) to find out from people served, their families, staff and other community members how values and assurances are practiced within the organization; and

·         reviewing written materials such as mission and vision statements, person-directed plans, fund-raising materials, meeting minutes, policies and procedures, and incident management systems.

All Self-Assessment tools are available on CD at the back of manuals Shared Values, Basic Assurances^®, Responsive Services^® and Community Life^® and self-assessments can be completed and emailed electronically.

STEP 5 -  PERSONAL OUTCOME MEASURES^® DATA COLLECTION AND VALIDATION

(SELF-ASSESSMENT)  - prior to the first on-site visit

Collecting Personal Outcome Measures^® data is a key component of CQL Canada Accreditation. These data are a core metric for the accreditation process.  The process for collecting Personal Outcomes information is described in the Personal Outcome Measures^® 2005 Edition manual.

In short, the 21 Personal Outcome Measures^® Focused Conversations (interviews) are conducted with people and those who know them best.  These data become the organization’s Self-Assessment of Personal Outcomes.  The data and information gathered from these conversations lead to personal and organizational planning.

About 30 days before the Validation is scheduled, CQL Canada will identify a representative sample of people to be part of the organization’s Personal Outcome Measures^® Self-Assessment.  The organization conducts interviews with the selected individuals and records the presence of outcomes and supports.  This Self-Assessment is not mailed to CQL Canada.  Instead it will be reviewed by the CQL Canada team at its on-site visit.

Validation occurs to ensure reliability and validity of the Personal Outcome Measures^® Self-Assessment data.  Depending on the organization’s experience and internal capacity with CQL Canada's Personal Outcome Measures^®, there are several options for determining how the data are collected and validated.  The organization and CQL Canada team leader will negotiate the most appropriate option for data collections and validation based on the needs of the organization.  Some organizations collect the data and CQL Canada staff validates the data during the accreditation process.  For others, including all organizations experiencing CQL Canada Accreditation for the first time, CQL Canada collects the data with organizational staff as observers.

STEP 6  -  ON-SITE VALIDATION

Once the Shared Values and Basic Assurances^® Self-Assessments are completed and submitted and the Personal Outcome Measures^® data has been collected, the next step is an on-site visit by the CQL Canada team.  The purpose of the visit is to validate the information submitted with the application and the organization’s Self-Assessments.  It is a time to prepare for the continued partnership and determine opportunities for organizational learning and development.  Prior to the on-site visit, the CQL Canada team leader discusses the schedule and methods for gathering additional information with the organization, including the Personal Outcome Measures^® data.

During the on-site visit, the organization:

·         presents information about Shared Values and Basic Assurances^®;

·         organizes focus groups and other meetings, gatherings and visits with people;

·         coordinates the validation of personal outcome data; and

·         answers questions and provides additional information, as needed.

CQL Canada team members spend time at locations where people are supported.  At the conclusion of the visit, the CQL Canada team provides a summary of findings and highlights related to the Shared Values, Basic Assurances^®, and Personal Outcome Measures^®.

If an organization is unsuccessful in demonstrating that 100% of the indicators contained within the Basic Assurances^® are present at the systems level and in day-to-day practice (but has at least 34 indicators present)  the organization is given up to twelve months to develop and implement a plan to address areas of concern.  A member of the survey team then validates any indicators that were not present.  This validation may require an additional site-visit.  If an additional site-visit is required the surveyed organization is responsible for any additional costs.

STEP 7  -  CQL CANADA ACCREDITATION PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The on going partnership between CQL Canada and the organization represents a move from event-based accreditation towards a lasting relationship that supports the notion that “quality” is not something that happens in preparation for a periodic external review.   We do not achieve quality.  It is always in front of us as a goal.  Thus, we join the organization on a journey towards excellence.

The following conditions must be met to enter into a CQL Canada Accreditation Partnership Agreement:

·         Presence of 100% of the Basic Assurances^® systems and practices, or with an one year conditional accreditation have a plan in place to address the indicators which are not currently present;

·         Ongoing evaluation, learning and growth supporting Shared Values;

·         Personal Outcome Measures^® data that meets the threshold for the number of Outcomes and Supports present, 11 outcomes and individualized supports present on average.

STEP 8  -  RESPONSIVE SERVICES^® AND COMMUNITY LIFE^® SELF-ASSESSMENT

- prior to next scheduled on-site visit

Completing both a Responsive Services^® Self-Assessment and a Community Life^® Self-Assessment is the next step in the CQL Canada Accreditation process. These Self-Assessments reflect the organization’s responsiveness to people within the context of Community Life^®.

STEP 9  -  RESPONSIVE SERVICES^® AND COMMUNITY LIFE^® VALIDATION (ON-SITE VISIT)

Within twelve months of the on-site validation visit for the Basic Assurances^®, Shared Values Alignment and Personal Outcome Measures^® the organization completes and submits the Self-Assessments and CQL Canada schedules an on-site visit.

The purpose of the visit is two-fold:

1. CQL Canada validates the Responsive Services^® and Community Life^® Self-Assessments.

2. CQL Canada and the organization integrate information regarding Shared Values, Basic Assurances^®, social capital, personal and community quality of life, and innovative management practices into the organization’s quality improvement efforts.

STEP 10  -  INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT BASIC ASSURANCES^® SYSTEM

Two to three years following the initial accreditation visit, CQL Canada joins the organization on-site to review the Basic Assurances^® System and discuss the organization’s Integrated Quality Management Plan.

The organization maintains and evaluates a system of monitoring Basic Assurances^® for people at both the individual and organizational level.  Data collected about the presence of Basic Assurances^® and the policy for monitoring them are shared with CQL Canada prior to the on-site visit and are a primary topic of discussion during the visit.

The organization develops a plan for integrating all of its quality management efforts.  This plan is shared with CQL Canada prior to the visit.  CQL Canada and the organization evaluate the plan together and work jointly to improve it.