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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alternate Shelter Society has been awarded its second three-year CARF accreditation CARF announced that Alternate Shelter Society has been accredited for a period of three years for programs (Valley House and Murrayville). Alternate Shelter Society received fewer recommendations than the previous survey. More importantly, we have received an exemplary conformance. This accreditation outcome represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the standards established by CARF. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation outcome has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable. Alternate Shelter Society is a non profit organization which has been providing residential support services to youth in the Greater Vancouver area since 1977. CARF is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body, whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For additional information contact Anna Glait, at (604) 879-0244. **************************************************************************************** carf INTERNATIONAL Survey Outcome - Three Year Accreditation> Organization Alternate Shelter Society 2661 East Hastings, Suite 2 Vancouver, BC V5K 1Z5 Canada Organizational Leadership Anna L. Glait, Managing Director Survey Dates April 16-18, 2007 Survey Team Daniel J. Kubas-Meyer, M.A., Administrative Surveyor Floyd Grant, LCSW, J.D., Program Surveyor Programs/Services Surveyed Crisis Intervention: Family Services (Children and Adolescents) Out-of-Home Treatment: Family Services (Children and Adolescents) Residential Treatment: Family Services (Children and Adolescents) Previous Survey February 25-27, 2004 Three-Year Accreditation Survey Outcome Three-Year Accreditation Expiration: February 2010 SURVEY SUMMARY Alternate Shelter Society has strengths in the following areas. :: The organization has a caring and committed staff willing to perform the multitasking necessary to operate an organization with few administrative staff members. :: The organization has the ability to survive periods of low funding. :: There is a strong commitment to the welfare of the adolescents served. :: The organization has a well-developed strategic plan with concrete strategies to adapt to the changing environment :: The organization has comprehensive operational and personnel policies and procedures. :: The organization has worked hard and made great strides improving clinical documentation. In the following area Alternate Shelter Society demonstrates exemplary conformance to the standards. :: The organization uses its outcomes analysis in an exemplary manner to improve the quality of its services. Alternate Shelter Society should seek improvement in the areas identified by the recommendations in the report. Suggestions given do not indicate non-conformance to standards but are offered as consultation for further quality improvement. On balance, it is evident that leadership and staff members of Alternate Shelter Society have put considerable time and effort into preparing the organization for accreditation. The organization provides excellent services that help meet the needs of both persons served and the community at large. Staff members clearly enjoy working for the organization and with the adolescents served. Although the organization did not fully implement its performance improvement plan from its previous survey, it has worked hard in most areas for improvement and is providing services for an at-risk population. The organization is encouraged to use its resources to address the recommendations scattered throughout this report. Alternate Shelter Society has earned a Three-Year Accreditation. The organization is recognized for its efforts to provide quality services and is encouraged to continue to remain current with the CARF standards as it addresses the areas for improvement noted in this report.
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