Accreditation
In December 2009, Mainstream was proud to announce that we received accreditation status from FOCUS Accreditation. Accreditation status confirms that we have demonstrated a commitment to quality services and quality improvement and that we meet all of the standards set out by FOCUS Accreditation.
Accreditation status is granted for three years and our second validation is due in November of 2012. In order to be re-accredited, we must demonstrate that we meet all of the original standards as well as many new ones developed by FOCUS Accreditation. Every two years, FOCUS Accreditation releases a new set of standards to ensure that they remain current and are in line with standards of excellence in our sector. FOCUS released their new standards in 2010 and we will be using them as our guide during this process.
In April of this year, we formed a new Accreditation Team consisting of a representative from the Supportive Independent Living Program, Resource Centre, Options Niagara, the three Supported Living sites and Administration. The committee members are responsible for working through FOCUS’ standards to ensure that all programs meet all the requirements. They are also responsible for sharing information with their teams to ensure that everyone across the organization is engaged in the process.
Accreditation is a powerful tool that helps guide us as we continuously strive to improve the quality of the service we provide.
If you have any questions about the accreditation process, please contact Céline Parent, Quality Improvement Coordinator, at 905-934-3924 extension 37 or cparent@mainstreamservices.com.