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Accreditation System

Why have an accreditation system?

Standards establish what is expected of service providers in relation to the quality and effectiveness of service provision.

Accreditation is the process of evaluating performance against the National Community Housing Standards and certifying that the required levels of service delivery have been met.

The development of standards and accreditation systems in human services has gained widespread support in recent years. A standards and accreditation system provides a formal framework for organisations and funding bodies to:

obtain a common understanding of good practice
work towards quality improvement
make systematic judgements about performance against standards, and
encourage greater scrutiny of outcomes and quality by consumers of services.

The Department of Housing has implemented a Performance Management Framework to improve its accountability and meet its responsibility for monitoring delivery of services by funded providers. The framework includes monitoring of organisations' compliance with their obligations and continuous quality improvement. The accreditation system in Queensland is the continuous quality improvement element of the Performance Management Framework.

The regulatory amendment introduced from 1 February 2007 also included the introduction of mandatory accreditation for providers funded under:

the Community-managed Housing – Studio Unit program, or
the Community Rent Scheme, or
the Long Term Housing program - if the provider is managing more than 100 tenancies, or
an affordable housing provider as defined under Section 4A.

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What do organisations get out of accreditation?

There is a range of benefits for organisations working towards accreditation including:

identifying the organisation’s strengths and areas for improvement through an informed review process
the opportunity to get an external perspective on the organisation and its work
greater accountability within the organisation, as well as to tenants, the community and funding bodies
team building and an increase in the organisation's people working together with a common vision
a stronger focus on improving outcomes for tenants through improving practice within the organisation
building an organisational culture of reflection on practice
providing the organisation with an opportunity to promote its service through the status and recognition of being accredited
building a clearer view and common understanding of good practice
enabling good practice to be shared across the sector, and
recognition within the sector through achieving accredited status and participating in the promotion of excellence throughout the community housing sector.

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Overview of the accreditation process

Accreditation is best thought of as a continuous quality improvement cycle. It is anticipated that most organisations embarking on the accreditation process for the first time will take from one to two years to work through the process to an accreditation decision. However, the system allows organisations to progress in different ways and over a shorter or longer period.

The following diagram gives an overview of the different stages in the accreditation process.

Self-evaluation

The organisation will provide:

a Commencement of Self-evaluation form

an Organisation Report

feedback from tenants

feedback from other stakeholders, and

profile of the organisation.

Quality Improvement planning

The Standards and Accreditation Unit can assist organisations to:

understand what is required to meet the standards

review materials developed by the organisation and provide written feedback, and

identify key areas that would benefit from further development.

Accreditation evaluation

The evaluation team will:

interview staff and board members

have discussions with tenants and with other organisations

sample tenant and property records

inspect the organisation's site

inspect documents e.g. policies, procedures and plans

analyse results and write a draft Accreditation Evaluation Report, and

negotiate any changes to the report with the organisation.

Accreditation decision

The Accreditation Assessment Panel will:

meet within one month of the organisation endorsing the report

be provided with the draft Accreditation Evaluation Report and any correspondence regarding any changes to the report

determine accreditation status and

send a letter and an Accreditation Certificate to the organisation, stating the accreditation decision.

Continuous quality improvement

The organisation will:

develop a Quality Improvement Plan that addresses the recommendations of the Accreditation Evaluation Report and any further issues that the organisation may have identified

implement the recommendations of the Quality Improvement Plan over the three-year accreditation cycle, and

contact the Standards and Accreditation Unit for further information or clarification.

Reaccreditation

The organisation will:

submit a new Organisation Report and all relevant documentation to the Standards and Accreditation Unit at least six (6) weeks prior to lapse of original accreditation status.

The Standards and Accreditation Unit will:

have regular contact with the community housing provider regarding progress, and

negotiate a re-accreditation date.

For more information on the accreditation process, view Getting started: Self-evaluation or contact us.

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Last updated 22 October 2008