COA - Council On Accreditation

	Administration and Management

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

Administration and Management Narrative (PA-AM):

The Administration and Management Narrative provides an overview of key practices that contribute to the performance and productivity of your agency. This Narrative supports, but should not duplicate, evidence provided elsewhere in your self-study.

The Public Agency Administration and Management Narrative should concisely provide the Peer Review Team with a clear understanding of how your agency leadership (agency director, head or administrative team, Advisory Group, etc.) helps to shape, advance and sustain your agency’s mission and strategic goals.

Purpose Standard: Administration and Management (PA-AM)

The agency achieves its mission, vision and strategic goals to assure appropriate use of public resources for the public good through sound administration and effective management.

Provide responses to the following questions that address your agency’s achievement of the Administration and Management Purpose Standard. Highlight developments, obstacles and innovations in each of your responses.

1. Describe the activities of your agency leadership that contribute to effective administration and management. Include or discuss:

your agency’s position within the governmental structure;
changes in or unique characteristics in your management structure, including re-organizations and mergers;
any separate legal entities, such as foundations, not-for-profit corporations, for-profit subsidiaries, or holding companies that have been established on the agency’s behalf.

(e.g., Our county merged the division of MH with the division of Juvenile Justice two years ago; the Director of MH now oversees both areas, with the former Director of Juvenile Justice managing staff development and PQI for the combined departments…)

2. Cite 2-3 examples of activities or decisions that your agency leadership has undertaken which contributed to your agency’s growth and development.

(e.g., The agency leader and advisory board made a proposal to the OMB to reinstate funds for transportation vouchers for foster children who need handicapped accessible vans to attend therapy services…)

3. Identify a part of your strategic plan that has been:

the most difficult to advance, and indicate the reasons why; and
the least difficult to advance, and indicate the reasons why.

(e.g., Due to recent funding cuts in Medicaid reimbursement rates at the Federal level in residential treatment services, we have been exploring new resources and diversification strategies in order to meet our strategic goal of expanding our services to one of the underserved populations in our community…)

4. Describe the data available to the agency leadership, and how it is used for setting strategic direction. Specify any significant political, regulatory, cultural or economic changes that have impacted the agency’s direction and/or ability to fulfill its mission.

(e.g., We provide the State legislative committee on children’s services with a quarterly report indicating the number of children and families receiving prevention services so the committee can better understand the impact of our differential CPS response process...)

5. Describe how the agency leadership and respective oversight entity (e.g., board of commissioners, government office) work together to strengthen your agency’s capacity to meet its mission.

(e.g., Our agency leadership meets with the governor’s office to strategize about increasing partnerships with other state offices such as MH, JJ, CW…)

6. Provide any additional information about your agency’s leadership that would increase the Peer Team’s understanding of how the agency’s administrative and management practice(s) increase its viability and sustainability.

Attachments:

All COA-approved NA Requests.
A list of all NAs applicable to your agency provided within the standards.
Community Demographic Profile.

Note:

Agencies being accredited for the first time: Please provide information for the last two years.

Agencies being reaccredited: Please provide information for the period since the last accreditation review.


	Self-Study Documents	On-Site Documents	On-Site Activities
PA-AM 1 Agency Purpose	Mission/vision statement Long-term or strategic plan	Updates to long-term or strategic plan	Interview: Agency head Persons served Community stakeholders For Networks: Interview: Network providers
PA-AM 2 Agency Leadership	Table of organization	PQI plan SACWIS or IM plan PQI meeting minutes Dispute resolution policy/regulations Persons served handbook Personnel orientation handbook Testimony at budget hearings Minutes from intra-agency meetings Evidence of regular communication with personnel Agency head job description Agency head resume	Interview: HR personnel Training personnel Agency head/management personnel Program field personnel Community stakeholders PQI Director IM/data analysis manager Vendors Persons served
PA-AM 3 Scope of Services*		RFP examples Contract/MOU templates Stakeholder satisfaction survey instruments Other evidence of personnel knowledge of long-term or strategic plan	Interview: Agency head Contract management personnel Vendors Program field personnel Community stakeholders Persons served
PA-AM 4 Community Involvement and Advocacy	Summary overview/listing of community education and outreach activities related to service needs and service provision for the previous two years		Interview: Management and program field personnel Communication/public information personnel Community stakeholders Persons served
PA-AM 5 Agency Oversight and Community Representation*	Enabling legislation for oversight entities/entity charge Entity member bios	Public education materials Other evidence of collaboration and mediation	Interview: Entity chair and members Agency personnel support to oversight entity, if one exists or is funded
PA-AM 6 Organization of the Agency's Administrative Team	Functional table of organization	Policy and procedures manual Evidence of policy/procedure review and action taken	Interview: Management personnel
PA-AM 7 Administrative Responsibilities*		Policy drafts with comments from senior staff Agency head job description Functional table of organization Long-term or strategic plan	Interview: Management personnel Policy development or legal/ regulatory/compliance personnel Operations/program field personnel Community stakeholders

Fundamental Practice Standards:


Essential Life and Safety	Health and Welfare	Client Rights

RELATED FILES


	ADMINISTRATION The personnel responsible for management functions of the organization, including fiscal management, human resources, and service delivery. Such personnel determine organizational goals, acquire and allocate resources to carry out a program, coordinate activities toward goal achievement, and monitor, evaluate, and make needed changes in processes and procedures to improve the likelihood of goal achievement. The term is synonymously used with MANAGEMENT.


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


	PERFORMANCE A measure of how well an organizational system provides services to consumers. Performance is often based on key indicators, such as rates of service, cost per consumer, degree of satisfaction with services, and extent of consumer access to services.


	PUBLIC AGENCY An agency under government auspices. A public agency is typically governed and operated by a public entity (e.g., a state, a county, or a department of the federal government. Public agencies seeking accreditation will utilize the Public version of COA's 8th Edition Standards, found at http://www.coastandards.org/standards.php?navView=public.


	PEER REVIEW An evaluation process in which professionals from similar backgrounds review the work of their associates.


	LEADERSHIP A nonprofit organization's leadership consists of its governing body, chief executive officer, and may also include its senior management. In a public agency the term refers to the agency head and administration team. The term "leadership" is not generally applied to for-profit organizations. With respect to COA standards, in for-profit organizations the term leadership applies to the owner and board of directors if one exists.


	ADVISORY GROUP A group of individuals selected by an organization's governing body or management who possess unique skills and/or knowledge and whose role is to make recommendations, provide information, and/or share input from stakeholders. Advisory groups do not have formal governance authority or responsibilities. Advisory groups can be ongoing or ad hoc.


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed 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.


	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, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	PREVENTION Actions taken to minimize and/or eliminate social, psychological, or other conditions. Prevention can occur at the individual, group, community, and societal levels and enhances opportunities to achieve positive fulfillment.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


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


	AGENCY HEAD See CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER


	STAKEHOLDER Any person, group, or organization that has a vested interest in the services provided by the organization. Examples: clients, consumers, personnel, funding organizations, referral organizations, vendors, and governmental bodies.


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


	JOB DESCRIPTION Explicit obligations and specific tasks required of personnel as a condition of employment. Such descriptions are in writing and may include educational, experiential, and skill requirements associated with the job.


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	OUTREACH Contact initiated by a provider to identify persons in need of services, to provide information to them about services and benefits, and to encourage the use of appropriate services.