Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between accreditation and regulation?- Does my organisation have to be accredited?
- How much time does our organisation have to get accredited?
- What pace do organisations need to move at?
- I'm very busy. How much time do I need to commit to the process and why?
- How can I get other people in my organisation involved in the process?
- What resources are available to help us?
- What about confidentiality?
- What are the resource implications of the Evaluation Report?
- What happens after accreditation?
1. What’s the difference between accreditation and regulation?
Regulations are minimum requirements, based on performance measurement and are mandatory for all registered providers. An organisation's continuing funding depends on meeting the regulations.
Accreditation is designed to provide an independent evaluation of performance against agreed national standards. The National Community Housing Standards are good practice standards with a point-in-time evaluation and are designed to be used for continuous quality improvement.
2. Does my organisation have to be accredited?
For a majority of providers accreditation is voluntary. However, the amendments to the Housing Regulation 2003 require the following classes of housing providers to obtain accreditation:
- affordable housing providers
- long term community housing providers managing more than 100 tenancies
- community housing providers managing studio units
- Community Rent Scheme providers.
3. How much time does our organisation have to get accredited?
Providers registered at the time of commencement of registration, 1 February 2007, have until 31 January 2010 to obtain accreditation.
Organisations which became registered providers after 1 February 2007 have until 31 January 2010 or 18 months, whichever is longer, to obtain accreditation.
4. What pace do organisations need to move at?
It is recommended that organisations complete the self-evaluation phase of the accreditation process within six months of commencement. This timeframe should be long enough to avoid major disruption to the staff's normal workload, yet short enough to maintain enthusiasm and momentum for the process.
5. I'm very busy. How much time do I need to commit to the process and why?
The time commitment will depend on the size and capacity of the organisation seeking accreditation. The majority of the work is in the self-evaluation phase which involves reviewing and improving your work practices and helping your organisation prepare for accreditation. The whole process is based on taking a continuous quality improvement approach to improving service provision. Organisations are encouraged to identify areas for improvement and then take a planned approach to implementing changes. Organisations can take up to six months to complete the self-evaluation phase. Following this, some organisations choose to undertake a further period of quality improvement planning and implementation before seeking accreditation.
The reason why it is important to follow this process revolves around the benefits that can flow from an organisation being involved in quality improvement and accreditation. Organisations that have been through the process often indicate that, after their evaluation, communication channels improved, coordination within the organisation improved, and they achieved greater efficiencies and an improved tenant focus.
6. How can I get other people in my organisation involved in the process?
Talk to them about the benefits of being involved. The Evaluation Report will validate what the organisation is doing well and identify what areas need improvement. The fact the organisation is being judged against nationally recognised criteria is significant. People involved in the work of the organisation are best placed to identify its strengths, as well as areas for improvement. This is an opportunity for everyone to have their say and make a difference to how the organisation develops in the future. Also, sharing the workload makes the process easier for everyone.
7. What resources are available to help us?
The 
National Community Housing Standards Manual is an invaluable resource for organisations working towards accreditation.
In addition, the Queensland Community Housing Standards and Accreditation Unit has produced a number of tools that are designed to assist community housing providers during the self-evaluation phase of the process.
Organisations seeking accreditation may also wish to consider contacting their local Community Housing Resource Worker, Regional Services Officer, or peak organisations.
The Standards and Accreditation Unit has compiled a Resource Directory. It contains information about other organisations, tools and resources that may assist organisations in meeting the Standards.
8. What about confidentiality?
All evaluators are bound by the Department of Housing's Code of Conduct or Standard of Conduct.
For organisations accredited after 1 January 2004, the Accreditation Status Report (which contains the accreditation status of an organisation, an outline of the organisation's history, a summary of its major achievements and a summary of the recommendations made) is a public document and can be viewed on this website on the Accredited Community Housing Providers page. The organisation may itself choose to share more information from its Evaluation Report with others.
9. What are the resource implications of the Evaluation Report?
The vast majority of recommendations in the evaluation report will be about 'working smarter, not harder'. Recommendations are rarely about increasing resources for services. Where additional resources are recommended, the evaluation report might be used by the organisation to negotiate with a funding body. Where recommendations have resource implications, such as improved information systems or increased staff training, these resources are often essential to provide high quality and cost effective services. However, in most cases, recommendations concern changing practices to be more cost-effective and provide an improved level of service.
10. What happens after accreditation?
The whole accreditation process is based on the idea of continuous quality improvement in service provision. Even the best organisations can get better! Following the awarding of accreditation status, an organisation should use the recommendations in the evaluation report, along with any other areas for improvement identified by the organisation itself, to develop a Quality Improvement Plan. Implementing this plan is part of the continuous quality improvement cycle which not only improves service delivery, but also ensures that the organisation is working towards re-accreditation in three years' time.
Last updated 23 October 2008
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