Organizations that support people with disability are expected to be managed professionally and to have systems in place to prove their accountability for the tasks they accept.
Quality in Practice
- Assure that everyone in the organization understands that the business of providing supports and services for people with disability is, in fact, a business. As with other businesses, success depends on more than a passion for the work. Policies, procedures, accounting systems and documentation are necessary for any business to grow and thrive.
- Organizations must comply with all laws, certification requirements, licensing standards, and contractual obligations. The organization is responsible for learning about all of these responsibilities and assuring they are in place.
- Establish a culture in which compliance with requirements is accomplished professionally, but is not the central focus of the work.
- Maintaining appropriate policies, procedures, and systems becomes the foundation on which the work is built. These policies, procedures and systems support the work of the organization, rather than organizational members supporting the policies, procedures and systems.
- Include a diverse group of people when learning about and establishing policies, procedures, systems, and documentation requirements. Including people the organization supports, direct support staff, community members knowledgeable about the issues, and professional consultants (lawyers, accountants, etc.) will offer many options for creating a sound and efficient overall system.
- Assure that organizational requirements do not add to the rules and regulations the organization must already comply with. Heaping more rules and regulations and accompanying documentation on organizational members than is necessary will not result in more compliance or better outcomes for people supported.
- Research best practices from the world of business rather than relying solely on what is already known. There are many great resources that can assist in establishing good business practice in the wider business community.
- Accept the responsibility for continuous learning and for managing a professional organization when accepting payment for services rendered.
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©Copyright 2007. CQL-The Council on Quality and Leadership. Towson, MD.