March 19, 2012 - On February 9th, Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services was informed by the Council on Accreditation (COA) that they had met the accreditation standards of COA.
For over 30 years, COA's mission has been to partner with agencies to improve the lives of the people that they serve. To achieve this mission in today's difficult environment, COA has developed
Contextual Accreditation™.
COA explains Contextual Accreditation™ this way: CA is a strategy to strengthen, measure, and validate your agency's effectiveness. To make this strategy effective, CA focuses on each agency's unique mission, resources and culture, as well as the unique needs and aspirations of the people it serves.
This approach results in a process customized to reflect the capacity of each agency in terms of realistic timetables, areas for technical assistance and the most appropriate peer review team.
Richard Klarberg, President and CEO of COA, said, "Achieving COA accrediation will not be easy. While the process and the new 8th Edition Standards have been streamlined to ensure they are relevant and achievable by agencies of every size and mission, they continue COA's unwavering committment to excellence, client rights and essential life and safety standards."
"Our overriding goald is to protect the children in our care," stated Clayton L. Downey, President and CEO at Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services. "Achieving this accreditation is one way that we can continually monitor ourselves to insure excellence is always in our sights."
Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services was founded in 1950 by Miss Ettie Lee, a Los Angeles high school teacher, who opened the first group home in America. A pioneer in the field of child welfare, we serve over 1,200 young people and their families each year.
Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services is a nonprofit child welfare agency serving the complex needs of at-risk youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Its mission is to assist troubled youth who are in need of guidance and support to develop values and skills that will facilitate their success in life. Ettie Leecomplies with the highest standards of Community Care Licensing, Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services, and Los Angeles County Department of Probation. Ettie Leeis accredited by theCaliforniaAlliancefor Children & Families and the Council on Accreditation.