What is Accreditation? 
In general, "Accreditation" is a certification, based on extensive examination, that a service organization operates at the level of "Best Practice", as evaluated against a set of rigorous standards by trained representatives of peer institutions.
Accreditation is much different than licensing. Agencies are licensed by the state; A license assures that the agency operates above a certain minimum legislated level in support of state laws. It does not, however, mandate a level of practice or proscribe operations in the detail that Accreditation does.
The Council on Accreditation is the leading organization for the accreditation of human services programs for families and children, and is the only body of its kind which certifies international adoption organizations.
What does it involve?
It covers every aspect of agency operation. Standards include operation as an effective non-profit organization, effective and accountable management, sound financial management , effective personnel practices and training, effective client services, documented and effective procedures, and, most importantly, effective and ethical international adoption practices. Requirements in each of these areas are set forth in extreme detail.
Preparation for accreditation review requires establishment of procedures, implementation of procedures, training in procedures, and documentation of compliance, followed by on site review by a peer review team.
Accreditation declares that upon review of peers and the governing board of COA that we operate at the highest level of quality service. Periodic reviews assure that the agency continues to operate at that level in order to maintain its Accreditation.
What does this mean to the adopting families?
The value to the agency, and to the children and the clients, is not in the award. The real value comes from the accreditation process itself, the extensive self study required, and the implementation of proven procedures and controls to improve agency operation. It establishes a solid framework for maintaining the highest level of service now and in the future. These standards represent the collective wisdom of thousands of human service professionals and their prudent application to our operations has made us stronger and more effective. Accreditation is a statement that our organization has complied with nationally recognized standards of best practice.
Of course it is nice to be recognized for your accomplishments, and the COA accreditation provides a valuable seal of approval and valuable assurance to parents and government organizations here and abroad that the agency is serious about quality adoption services.
So why is this timely?
On October 6, 2000 President Clinton signed into law the Inter-country Adoption Act, the legislation that implements the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption. This legislation sets forth many important requirements for protection of all parties involved in the international adoption process, including the requirement that organizations providing adoption services in inter-country adoptions covered by the convention must be accredited. So, you can see that accreditation is a critical issue for agencies who want to continue to provide inter-country adoption services.
So where does it fit in the big picture?
The Hague Convention will change a lot about international adoption. It will mandate accreditation for adoption service providers under the convention and it will change many procedures now used in the US. It will, however, only formally apply when both countries are signatories. Non-accredited agencies will be free to continue to process adoptions from non-Hague countries. While the signatories are expected to increase over the next few years, initially there are relatively few direct parties to the convention.
Quite independent of the Hague Convention, however, countries are looking for more ways to assure that their children are protected and well served. Countries are being more selective in picking specific agencies to work with and more demanding of quality services. Accreditation is one tangible assessment that they can look at to evaluate agencies. We expect this to be increasingly important in the future. For more information, contact Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children.
Information published by Christian World Adoption
COA
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