San Mar Family & Community Services has again achieved national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA), a worldwide leader in the field of human services. COA Accreditation provides independent and objective verification against standards of best practice, ensuring that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce.
The COA Accreditation process documents organizational competency for programs and services, as well as administration and management. Throughout the accreditation process, each organization’s unique mission, resources, and culture, as well as the goals of the people it serves, is evaluated for:
· Organizational excellence
· Improved service delivery
· Better outcomes for children, families, and communities
San Mar was evaluated on their three primary services lines, Treatment Foster Care, Outpatient Mental Health, and Community Change Initiatives. San Mar first became nationally accredited in 2001 and has maintained the status through each of the following 4-year accreditation cycles. The process to maintain that status is a daily effort across the organization in services, documentation, policies and practices. The commitment to achieve accreditation is above and beyond the expectations of state, licensing and regulatory requirements in Maryland.
To achieve COA accreditation, San Mar first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA standards. Thereafter, a group of specially trained volunteer Peer Reviewers confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with trustees, staff, foster parents, clients and community partners.
Successful completion of the process is demanding, and a direct reflection of San Mar’s hard work and dedication. Upon completion, our reviewers shared this feedback with the San Mar team:
“The files we reviewed are really extensions of people’s lives, and you can see the care reflected there.”
“It’s really not about the paper we read, or the interviews we had, it’s the feel we had with staff and clients. It’s a very good feel here. People are cared for and respected. Honestly, we felt it before we arrived here.”
“Clients feel incredibly nurtured by your organization, they feel taken care of and are so thankful you exist. A client in the community said I wouldn’t be where I am without this organization. It made me a better parent, and it made me a better person”
San Mar CEO Keith Fanjoy commented, “This accreditation is a reflection of the efforts of everyone who is a part of our organization, and as always the leadership reflected by our Director of Continuous Quality Improvement, Gina Figel. Meeting standards and compliance requirements is just one of many key benchmarks we use to measure success, and we will continue to explore the ways we can identify opportunities to serve the community better by building on our strengths.”
San Mar’s next accreditation cycle will take place in 2030.
