COA - Council On Accreditation

	Human Resources

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

Introduction

In the social and human services field, an organisation’s workforce is its greatest asset. Since employees and volunteers perform the tasks and provide the services that fulfil the organisation’s mission, it is incumbent upon Human Resources Management to develop and implement strategies, plans, and programmes necessary to attract, motivate, develop, reward, and retain the best people to meet the organisation’s goals and objectives. The significance of Human Resources Management is that the capacity to attract and retain a stable, qualified workforce is the foundation for achieving positive results for the people the organisation serves.

Human Resources Management also holds important implications for risk management. Sound, consistently applied human resources practices help reduce the risk of employment litigation and costs. Sound practices help protect another of the organisation’s most important assets: its reputation in the community.

Interpretation: The term “workforce” covers full-time and part-time employees as well as volunteers. The use of these terms is governed by the following guidelines:

Direct service, clerical, professional, or management volunteers are considered to be part of an organisation’s personnel and will be included in the accreditation self-study;
If the organisation does not use volunteers in its management, direct service, or any other ongoing activity, standards that only refer to volunteers do not apply to the organisation; and
COA will not consider occasional or “casual” volunteers in its evaluation of an organisation’s compliance. For example, a volunteer who is present a few times to assist in addressing direct mail campaign envelopes or a similar activity has no ongoing role. In contrast, a volunteer custodian, cook, or secretary who works on a regularly scheduled basis has an ongoing role and will be considered in evaluating an organisation’s human resource practices.

Note: Please see Clarification: CA-Volunteers,_Consultants_and Interns Standards and Self-Paced_Training: Human Resources (CA-HR) in the Tools Index for additional assistance with this standard.


	PURPOSE: A stable, qualified workforce contributes effectively and efficiently to consumer satisfaction and positive service delivery results.

RELATED FILES


	CONSUMER The individual, family, group, or community that seeks or receives services.


	SERVICE One or more organisation-operated programmes or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organisation’s material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organisation that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licenced to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	HUMAN SERVICES Programmes designed to address individual and group development and well-being in addition to conditions that impact individuals and groups including: aging, delinquency and crime, child welfare, poverty, housing, education, employment, mental health, physical health, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities.


	EMPLOYEE Paid member of an organisation. Foster parents are not considered employees and are specifically referenced in relevant standards.


	VOLUNTEER An individual who performs services for an organisation for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Such service must be offered freely and without pressure or coercion, direct or implied, from an employer. If the individual is otherwise employed by the same employer for which s/he volunteers, the individual cannot volunteer to perform the same type of services that s/he is paid to perform as an employee.


	HUMAN RESOURCES A department or service that is responsible for recruiting, hiring, and retaining personnel and monitoring the regulations and services applicable to a particular organisation.


	PROGRAMME A system of services offered by an organisation. For example, an organisation providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programmes to different populations, e.g., a mental health programme for adolescent teens. The word “programme” can be used interchangeably with the word “service” or to describe specific programmes.


	OBJECTIVE A sub-goal stated in operational terms, i.e., a statement that makes clear what expected results are to be measured or assessed.


	RISK MANAGEMENT A systematic process of evaluating and reducing potential risks that may befall personnel, clients, an organisation, or a facility. Risk management activities are directed toward reducing an organisation’s legal and financial exposure, especially to lawsuits.


	PRACTICE Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organisational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality, and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, residential neighbourhoods, business districts, recreational sites, and health and human service sites.


	ACCREDITATION The formal evaluation of an organisation against accepted criteria or standards. A professional society, non-governmental organisation, or a governmental agency may conduct accreditation activities. A COA-accredited organisation has undergone a period of rigorous self-study and is capable of providing programmes and services that meet or exceed COA standards.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organisation’s tasks under the organisation’s administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards.


	EVALUATION The review and assessment of organisational operations, programmes and services.