CQL is the Gold Standard in our Field
For more than 40 years, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership, has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure and improve quality of life and quality of services. The Arc Westchester received accreditation in 2016. We have continued to work hard through an integrated quality management improvement plan to maintain our accreditation.
What does CQL accreditation mean?
It is all about taking a look at what we are doing well and what we can do better to improve our supports that lead to a better quality of life. To do this, we are using standards based on the work of CQL.
- It is about continuous quality improvement.
- It involves all of us.
How do we achieve accreditation?
- Staff from all program areas and different roles (from direct support to leadership), people we support and Board members are WORKING TOGETHER to ensure 3 things are met
The Basic Assurances
- POMs (Personal Outcome Measures)
- Excellence in Person-Centered Practices
- These 3 factors form the foundation of our CQL accreditation and our continuous journey of learning and improving.
What are the Basic Assurances?
- They are all about people feeling HEALTHY, SAFE, and SECURE! The Basic Assurances are essential, fundamental and non-negotiable requirements for Arc of Westchester as a provider of supports.
What are POMs?
- The POMs are PERSONAL! It is all about CHOICE.
- Through the use of the POMs, we are learning to listen, follow and support rather than to make assumptions and provide care for people. We are learning important lessons from interview results and changes we can make in the way we provide supports to improve people’s quality of life.
What is Excellence in Person-Centered Planning?
- Excellence in Person-Centered Planning is both a process and a plan. This process occurs at the end of our accreditation.
- The result will be a quality improvement plan that becomes the basis of our commitment to Person-Centered Excellence.
- This is not just a certificate that we will simply display on a wall.
- It represents a real commitment to LISTEN TO and HONOR each person’s life story in order to provide the best quality supports possible.
- The accreditation process lays a firm foundation for our work together as we continue to make sure people we support are able to enjoy fulfilled lives and an inspired future!
