Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement from Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA) on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2021 (S.1927).

“The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation thanks Sens. Patty Murray and Richard Burr for their work to advance racial equity and promote primary prevention in the CAPTA reauthorization bill (S.1927), which was marked up yesterday in the Senate HELP Committee. This bill includes important tools for states and communities to help families overcome challenges and offers family strengthening supports that can help prevent maltreatment before it occurs. 

New focuses on trauma-informed approaches, minimizing racial bias and disparities in the child protective services system, alternative pathways to support families outside of child protection systems, data sharing across agencies to improve outcomes, engaging people with lived experience, and improving access for people who have experienced violence and/or trauma are all critical and transformative reforms. Additionally, we were pleased to see the public health approach to address fatalities from child abuse and neglect in the new Title III of this bill. 

This approach aligns with the central recommendation of the bipartisan federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, which stressed that fatalities are not inevitable; they can be prevented with the right resources and knowledge in place. This bill brings needed resources and reforms that have the potential to play a critical role in transforming child welfare systems into child well-being systems. We stand ready to work with members of Congress to support its passage.”

About the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA)
The Alliance-COA and resulting new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network of human/social services organizations that leverages the collective experience of the field and research to spark a current in the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Our goal is to activate the power of the social sector and create a unified, intrepid, just, and purposeful network that propels our field forward so all people can thrive. The new organization will provide a range of offerings and learnings to actively shape the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions. 

Episode 38 of the podcast More than Health Care: Nonprofits and Health Care Working Together is now available on the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities’ website and on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. Once a month, a new episode uncovers keys to collaboration and holistic health in pursuit of improved health outcomes and lower costs for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed health equity to the forefront of conversations nationwide, as reports of communities of color being disproportionately impacted by its devastation have grown. The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) saw an opportunity to engage a variety of voices and expertise around COVID-19 mitigation through their specialization in addressing health equity in underserved communities through research-backed programs and detailed implementation models.

In July 2020, MSM was awarded funding to begin a new initiative called the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN), led by Dr. Dominic Mack, MSM professor, family physician, and director of the National Center for Primary Care. “The ultimate goal [of NCRN] is to link disproportionately impacted communities related to COVID-19, to COVID-19 related services,” Dr. Mack explained. 

He emphasized that these communities are invested in their personal and community health but aren’t always given the right resources or information. An important part of this initiative is developing proper messaging that reduces stigma around the COVID-19 vaccine and barriers that are preventing individuals from getting treatment.

A key aspect of MSM’s NCRN model is that it is powered by partnerships. From day one, MSM has involved community partners in the initiative’s planning process to better influence its implementation. “We were able to develop a model that was based on partnerships throughout the nation … in which you put the partners in front of the implementation, not just involve them in research or developing the messaging, but actually put them in front of the program because these community-based partners have this experience, they’ve done scientific research, and they have the expertise to deal with their own communities,” Dr. Mack explained. By working with its partners and hearing from community members, NCRN has been able to gauge the impact COVID-19 has had on different communities across the country in a more detailed way, better informing their work.

Listen to Dr. Mack as he describes the Morehouse School of Medicine’s NCRN initiative and the importance of engaging all voices in Episode 38 of the More than Health Care Podcast available through the Alliance website or subscribe on the Apple Podcast, Google Play, or Spotify apps.

About the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN)

With the critical goal of improving social determinants through health equity, the Morehouse School of Medicine’s National COVID-19 Resiliency Network will mobilize community-based organizations across the U.S.to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities that are disproportionately impacted through disseminating culturally and linguistically relevant resources to the hardest hit communities. Subscribe to receive regular updates.

About the Podcast

While many are realizing that collaboration and holistic approaches are the solution, the health care and human services sectors are struggling to find the right formula to realize the full potential. The More than Health Care podcast is designed to help organizations overcome barriers to partnerships resulting from cultural differences, financial pressures, and rules and regulations.

In addition to showcasing inspiring examples of integration from across the country, featured experts will expose the myths, misconceptions, and shortcomings of efforts to address the social determinants of health through collaboration across sectors.

This podcast is presented by the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities-Council on Accreditation, Beech Acres Parenting Center, and KVC Health Systems. Host Jill Huynh, vice president of new business development at Beech Acres, and producer Erin Keltner, vice president of clinical services for KVC West Virginia, work at the intersection of health and human services, bringing the expertise and practical experience to uncover key takeaways for improving health care and human services integration.

Subscribe on  Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Learn more about the Alliance’s efforts to improve population health and well-being. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA) announced the recent addition of five new staff members in the focus areas of practice excellence in accreditation; equity, diversity and inclusion; safety and resilience; and brain science and trauma-informed care.

Diane Barnes, Ellie Walborn, and Keesha Souvenir joined Alliance-COA as accreditation coordinators to oversee and coordinate accreditation services for a variety of human and social service organizations. Alliance-COA offers full-organization accreditation, including phased approaches for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) under the Family First Prevention Services Act, for nonprofit, for-profit, and government programs in the U.S. and Canada. Alliance-COA also offers accreditation for military family readiness and child and youth development programs. They bring extensive experience in the sector to the accreditation team.

Diane Barnes joins the Alliance-COA having worked to support a wide range of accredited organizations with varying budgets, sizes, and areas of focus. Previously, Barnes worked for Catholic Charities of Venice to develop and implement the first federal grant to address human trafficking in partnership with the University of South Florida and Lee County Sheriff’s office. She has a decades-long career supporting those who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and mental illness.

Ellie Walborn joins Alliance-COA with a background in social services in the areas of foster care and elementary education. Most recently, she was a care coordinator at West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC), a private foster care oversight entity where she worked closely with the performance and quality improvement coordinators to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. She also served as the co-chair of WMPC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She was a member of the subcommittee to address permanency for LGBTQ+ youth at risk for homelessness and chaired the Employee Advisory council which helps to drive development of organizational culture and wellness initiatives. 

Keesha Souvenir joins Alliance-COA with varied experience. Most recently, she worked for the NYC Department of Corrections as an investigator. Prior to her work there, she worked in child welfare using the Sanctuary Model as well as utilizing her certification in Solution-Based Casework. She has developed effective crisis management skills throughout her work in social services including in her work as a crisis counselor for a visiting nurse service following Hurricane Sandy. 

Romero Davis has joined Alliance-COA as part of the Safety and Resilience Impact Area. Romero is a mentor; an award-winning leadership, professional development, and life coach; published author; and an advocate of safe communities and families. He has been active nationally working with agencies in areas such as poly-victimization; trauma in families; equity, diversity, and inclusion; juvenile justice; and domestic violence. Romero previously served as program manager for agencies focused on sexual assault and domestic violence. Davis will co-lead the technical assistance for the DOJ-funded Child Safety Forward initiative and will also support the Alliance-COA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) portfolio. 

Karen Johnson has joined the organization as Director of the Change in Mind Institute. Johnson is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in individual and organizational resilience, brain science, toxic stress, trauma, and trauma-informed approaches. She has over 25 years of experience working in behavioral health, community services and child welfare.  She led the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s trauma-informed services team and more recently served as an independent consultant working to advance trauma-informed, resilience-oriented approaches. She also led and developed community-based programs during her 19 years at SaintA in Milwaukee. Johnson will oversee a cohort of 10 Texas-based organizations in a collaborative learning model funded by the Powell Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation to strengthen their ability to translate brain science concepts into programs, practice, and policy change. 

According to Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of the Alliance-COA, “Barnes, Walborn, and Souvenir bring extensive expertise in quality improvement and accreditation, an important focus and critical service offering from the Alliance-COA. Davis brings tremendous depth of experience to our Child Safety Forward work to build the body of knowledge about strengthening child and family wellbeing to prevent crises. Johnson’s efforts will combine the newest science around brain research, trauma-informed care, adversity, and resilience to strengthen these crucial areas in organizations across the social sector. The addition of these five staff represent our continued growth and commitment to the areas of quality improvement, equity diversity and inclusion, and brain science as critical areas to propel our field forward and improve outcomes for all people.”

About the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA)
The Alliance-COA and resulting new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network of human/social services organizations that leverages the collective experience of the field and research to spark a current in the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Our goal is to activate the power of the social sector and create a unified, intrepid, just, and purposeful network that propels our field forward so all people can thrive. The new organization will provide a range of offerings and learnings to actively shape the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA) announced the recent addition of five new staff members in the focus areas of practice excellence in accreditation; equity, diversity and inclusion; safety and resilience; and brain science and trauma-informed care.

Diane Barnes, Ellie Walborn, and Keesha Souvenir joined Alliance-COA as accreditation coordinators to oversee and coordinate accreditation services for a variety of human and social service organizations. Alliance-COA offers full-organization accreditation, including phased approaches for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) under the Family First Prevention Services Act, for nonprofit, for-profit, and government programs in the U.S. and Canada. Alliance-COA also offers accreditation for military family readiness and child and youth development programs. They bring extensive experience in the sector to the accreditation team.

Diane Barnes joins the Alliance-COA having worked to support a wide range of accredited organizations with varying budgets, sizes, and areas of focus. Previously, Barnes worked for Catholic Charities of Venice to develop and implement the first federal grant to address human trafficking in partnership with the University of South Florida and Lee County Sheriff’s office. She has a decades-long career supporting those who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and mental illness.

Ellie Walborn joins Alliance-COA with a background in social services in the areas of foster care and elementary education. Most recently, she was a care coordinator at West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC), a private foster care oversight entity where she worked closely with the performance and quality improvement coordinators to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. She also served as the co-chair of WMPC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She was a member of the subcommittee to address permanency for LGBTQ+ youth at risk for homelessness and chaired the Employee Advisory council which helps to drive development of organizational culture and wellness initiatives. 

Keesha Souvenir joins Alliance-COA with varied experience. Most recently, she worked for the NYC Department of Corrections as an investigator. Prior to her work there, she worked in child welfare using the Sanctuary Model as well as utilizing her certification in Solution-Based Casework. She has developed effective crisis management skills throughout her work in social services including in her work as a crisis counselor for a visiting nurse service following Hurricane Sandy. 

Romero Davis has joined Alliance-COA as part of the Safety and Resilience Impact Area. Romero is a mentor; an award-winning leadership, professional development, and life coach; published author; and an advocate of safe communities and families. He has been active nationally working with agencies in areas such as poly-victimization; trauma in families; equity, diversity, and inclusion; juvenile justice; and domestic violence. Romero previously served as program manager for agencies focused on sexual assault and domestic violence. Davis will co-lead the technical assistance for the DOJ-funded Child Safety Forward initiative and will also support the Alliance-COA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) portfolio. 

Karen Johnson has joined the organization as Director of the Change in Mind Institute. Johnson is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in individual and organizational resilience, brain science, toxic stress, trauma, and trauma-informed approaches. She has over 25 years of experience working in behavioral health, community services and child welfare.  She led the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s trauma-informed services team and more recently served as an independent consultant working to advance trauma-informed, resilience-oriented approaches. She also led and developed community-based programs during her 19 years at SaintA in Milwaukee. Johnson will oversee a cohort of 10 Texas-based organizations in a collaborative learning model funded by the Powell Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation to strengthen their ability to translate brain science concepts into programs, practice, and policy change. 

According to Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of the Alliance-COA, “Barnes, Walborn, and Souvenir bring extensive expertise in quality improvement and accreditation, an important focus and critical service offering from the Alliance-COA. Davis brings tremendous depth of experience to our Child Safety Forward work to build the body of knowledge about strengthening child and family wellbeing to prevent crises. Johnson’s efforts will combine the newest science around brain research, trauma-informed care, adversity, and resilience to strengthen these crucial areas in organizations across the social sector. The addition of these five staff represent our continued growth and commitment to the areas of quality improvement, equity diversity and inclusion, and brain science as critical areas to propel our field forward and improve outcomes for all people.”

About the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA)
The Alliance-COA and resulting new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network of human/social services organizations that leverages the collective experience of the field and research to spark a current in the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Our goal is to activate the power of the social sector and create a unified, intrepid, just, and purposeful network that propels our field forward so all people can thrive. The new organization will provide a range of offerings and learnings to actively shape the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the eating habits of many families. It’s also changed how many community-based organizations are helping residents with food access and education in healthy eating.

Over the last year, Episcopal Community Services in Philadelphia has pivoted its health and wellness programming to a virtual model. 

As video conferencing and virtual activities have become the norm over the last year, community-based organizations are maximizing the opportunities to help families build their knowledge and skills around healthy eating. In its move to virtual programming, Episcopal Community Services is creating a customized, nutrition-focused version of the Food Network with cooking demos, salad competition, and more.

Healthy For Life® , an online portal from the American Heart Association, developed in partnership with Aramark, makes it easy for community-based organizations to offer health and wellness programming. This full suite of resources, including a complete curriculum, facilitator guides, videos, icebreakers, and more, comes ready to share. 

Q&A with Episcopal Community Services

We connected with Pamela Egleston, Director of Health and Wellness Programming at Episcopal Community Services, to learn more about how they’ve adapted over the last year and their program’s successes. 

What is your community’s favorite Healthy for Life Educational Experience and/or recipe and why? 

The introductory session, “Feed Your Potential ” is usually a fan favorite.  Participants are pleasantly surprised at the recommended servings per day of fruits and vegetables to have a healthy diet.  The apple nachos recipe is the recipe most remember and say they will definitely try at home with their family.  Senior club members often comment that they will use this recipe for a healthy snack.  You can’t go wrong with staples like apples and peanut butter.

What is something you have done over the last year to ensure your community members have access to fresh food/groceries? 

After hearing from others in the Healthy For Life Group calls regarding the success they have had incorporating Healthy For Life educational experiences with Food Pantry participants, Episcopal Community Services is looking to expand our food pantry to an open market/food choice model.  We are excited to offer and include the educational component to this service.  Our target to begin is this spring and it may be a hybrid experience with the pantry pick-up in-person and the educational experience virtual pending safety guidelines around social distancing and number of participants who can gather in a designated indoor space. 

What is one thing you have learned regarding offering virtual programming to the community? 

The virtual experience offers convenience and potentially could reach a broader audience as the participant would not have to leave their home.  Although we tried encouraging participants to prepare the recipe along with the facilitator by sending the recipe in advance, it did not work out that way.  Nevertheless, our facilitator is very engaging and makes the educational piece of the experience interactive with pop quizzes in the chat etc.  The last half can be liken to a cooking show on TV.  The participants watch as the facilitator demonstrates how to prepare the recipe.  There is always banter back and forth as participants muse if only they could smell and taste the recipe.  So what we have learned is that if the facilitator is engaging the program works.  

If you could do it all over again, what’s one thing you would do differently when implementing a virtual/remote program? 

I would find a practical way to get the ingredients for the recipes to participants in advance so that they can prepare it, if not during the session, afterward to share with their families.  We did build in credits for attending each session in the form of grocery store gift cards as an incentive.  We are planning a “Salad Competition ” at the end the series with prizes like an air fryer, blender or slow cooker.  Another lesson learned is to give participants choice around prizes as some established household may have some of those essential items.Do you think you will continue with any of the changes you made once people are able to gather again and why?  

We will continue to have the “competitions”.  It is a fun way to engage participants and let them show off their culinary skills.  Who doesn’t like winning a prize?  We are definitely looking forward to engaging new participants from our newly expanded food pantry.

Access Healthy for Life Resources

Visit Healthy for Life® portal  to get started. Complete the facilitator orientation, access the welcome toolkit and curriculum, and join the online community.

Looking for guidance on how to start a Healthy for Life program in your community? Register now for the webinar Healthy for Life – Steps for Success , to be held June 17 at 1 p.m. CT. It will provide information on your role as facilitator and resources available.

Jody Levison-Johnson Named President and CEO of New Organization

Washington D.C. (Jan. 6, 2021) – The merger of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation has been approved by the boards of both organizations and by a majority of voting members of the Alliance. The vote capped a year-long exploration and four-month due diligence process overseen by both organizations, which share a long history and vision, with the Alliance serving as one of the original founders of COA in 1977.

Until the merger is approved by the state, Jody Levison-Johnson, currently the president and CEO of the Council on Accreditation, will serve as president and CEO of both organizations. She will serve as the inaugural president and CEO of the new organization, which will be headquartered in Washington, D.C., once state approval is granted. Susan Dreyfus, will serve as senior advisor to the CEO.

“The merging of our two organizations will bring together a vast range of knowledge, assets, and resources that allow us to more meaningfully support the human and social services sector,” commented Jody Levison-Johnson. “Through a shared set of values and a lens of equity, our new organization will spark a current of integrated and iterative approaches that connect the research and literature, field-experience, practice and policy in a way that catalyzes the voices of the social sector. This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage the collective intelligence of the Alliance, COA, and all of our organizations and partners to spur new thinking that advances our field and sector. It’s an honor and privilege to be entrusted with leading the Alliance and COA into its next chapter and creating this new organization.”

“This merger accelerates us forward at a critical time in our country,” noted Susan Dreyfus. “As our nation responds to the demands of a nationwide pandemic and economic challenges, we have the opportunity and the imperative to lead on behalf of the field and sector, as we have done throughout our history, to respond to the challenges of today and be prepared for those of tomorrow. I am honored to pass the mantle of leadership to Jody, whose expertise, experience and passion are uniquely poised to strengthen the reach and influence of our respective fields and the social, health and human services sector as a whole.”

Jody is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of human services. A longstanding champion for systems change, Jody is deeply committed to advancing policy that equips communities to thrive and ensures equitable access to quality services and supports. Prior to joining COA, Jody served as the assistant vice president of Practice Improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, where she oversaw the organization’s consulting portfolio and a large, privately funded adolescent mental health initiative. She has also served as the chief clinical officer for a multi-state children’s care management organization, as the deputy assistant secretary of the Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health, and as the vice president of Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI), a non-profit management and consulting services organization. Jody holds a Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts and PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University.

The new organization will engage a multifaceted and larger cross-sector network of partners (beyond existing COA-accredited organizations and current Alliance members) with a diversified range of offerings that contribute to the reach and influence of the human and social services sector. These will include peer exchange groups, learning networks and collaboratives, accreditation, certification, policy support across key focus areas and ongoing development of solutions and opportunities for addressing systemic racism and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion so that all people can thrive.

More details will be forthcoming about the offerings and pathways to engagement the new organization will provide for human and social sector community-based organizations, foundations, state associations, government entities, and all of those who make up the human and social sector ecosystem.

Media notes: To schedule an interview with Jody Levison-Johnson, please contact Jennifer Devlin at 703-966-3241 or jennifer.devlin@cox.net.

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About the Newly Merged Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation
The new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic inclusive multifaceted network of human and social services organizations and passionate allies who are committed to creating a just and equitable society where all people and communities flourish. Using the collective experience of the field coupled with research, we will offer a range of assets and opportunities that support the health and human services sector in their quest for continuous evolution and improvement and equip them to solve for the social problems that plague our communities and undermine the fabric of our nation. The new organization will provide a range of offerings informed by the field, learnings, and literature to actively shape the future of the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions.

On Wednesday, March 10, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act and it is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden this week. The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA) has been advocating for key policies for numerous months, and we were pleased to see many of our priorities have been included in this bill. 

This new $1.9 trillion legislation includes many important provisions for our sector and the communities we serve. These include (but are not limited to):

There are many other important provisions included in the bill, which are outlined below. 

For the Alliance and COA’s response to this legislation, read our statement. 

State/Local Aid

State & Local Budgets

Financial Relief for Nonprofit Organizations

Paycheck Protection Program for Larger Nonprofits

Unemployment Insurance Reimbursement for Nonprofits

Employee Retention Tax Credit

Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance

Paid Leave

Child & Family Well-Being

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)

Home Visiting 

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)

Health & Behavioral Health

Health Care Coverage

Public Health Workforce

Behavioral Health

Child Care & Education

Child Care

K-12 School Funding 

Higher Education Funding

Student Loan Relief

Food Assistance

Nutrition Assistance

Emergency Food and Shelter

Rental and Housing Assistance 

Economic Mobility & Supports

Direct Payments (Stimulus Checks) 

Unemployment Benefits

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Tax Credit Assistance

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Child Tax Credit

Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)

View more public policy news  and sign up for the weekly Policy Radar e-newsletter online.

Support This Work: Donate now to help us continue voicing sector concerns.

The following is a statement from Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities/Council on Accreditation (Alliance/COA) on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict of guilty on all three counts:

“The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation stand with our colleagues in Minneapolis and in communities across the country.

This verdict reflects the fact that our national reckoning on systemic racism in America is long overdue. Watching the Derek Chauvin trial unfold has been difficult for all Americans, and  for people of color who have lost another father, mother, son, or daughter at the hands of law enforcement, this tragedy, played out daily on our television screens, has been especially hard to bear. Systemic racism and implicit bias are infused across too many of the systems that should support people, resulting too often in harm to those they are meant to protect. While we  recognize the work that has taken place thus far to expand equity, diversity and inclusion, we must continue to build on it, and acknowledge that the road ahead of us is long, and that true systemic change is needed and required. We hope this verdict puts us on a path toward bringing about that needed change and healing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made all of us aware of the fact that no one is fully immune to adversity or struggle. We know that people are resilient and by enabling all Americans to access supports, including the opportunity to earn a livable wage, live in safe, secure neighborhoods, have access to food security and health care; we can give everyone the opportunity to thrive and achieve well-being.

Let’s strengthen our commitment as a nation to realign our systems to better reflect the social determinants of health that create the context in which we live our daily lives and pledge to do better to ensure everyone can reach their full potential, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, or their socioeconomic standing.”

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About the Newly Merged Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA)
The merged Alliance and COA and resulting new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network of human/social services organizations that leverages the collective experience of the field and research to spark a current in the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Our goal is to activate the power of the social sector and create a unified, intrepid, just, and purposeful network that propels our field forward so all people can thrive. The new organization will provide a range of offerings and learnings to actively shape the future of the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions.

We are excited to announce that our COA Measures benchmarking reports are now available for our accredited private and Canadian organizations.  COA Measures is the first of its kind human services benchmarking program grounded in years of research.

We began this journey in 2016 with COA’s 2020 strategic planning process. We talked with and surveyed our network regarding their reasons for seeking COA accreditation and how we could provide even more value to their experience.  One theme which was raised over and over was the need for data.

This result is the product of years’ worth of work including research, pilots, surveys, and focus groups, that we couldn’t have accomplished without the incredible network of organizations that are part of our accreditation family.  The findings cover a wide array of measures of organizational health and sustainability, including finances, workforce, governance, and many more.  Accredited private and Canadian organizations can access their benchmarking report via their MyCOA portal.

Thank you to the hundreds of participants in our first ever endeavor, we couldn’t have done this without the generosity and time of our partners.  You can learn more about COA Measures here.

By Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation

It’s hard to believe it has been one year since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic and our world, as we knew it, changed.

There have been many heroes of this pandemic—the health care workers who persevere through long hours, personal protective equipment shortages, and unimaginable tragedy; the teachers who transitioned to virtual learning and continue to inspire their students; and the many essential workers who went about their daily jobs delivering packages, serving meals, and fighting fires despite the pandemic raging around them.

There is also another category of unsung essential workers that deserve our recognition and our accolades—our nation’s social workers. March is designated as National Social Work Month and this year’s theme from the National Association of Social Workers is Social Workers Are Essential. 

Social workers are social heroes. They play a vital role in our communities—ensuring food availability, securing adoptions and forever homes, providing medical and behavioral health services, and helping ensure that all individuals and families have the opportunity to feel happy, healthy, and a sense of belonging.

Social workers connect communities to vital resources and in many cases, sit in roles where they address ongoing systemic and policy needs. They have had to adapt throughout this pandemic to continue to provide these services both virtually and in-person. And, with the spread of the pandemic, the need for social workers has grown even greater.

Across our nation, social workers have met these challenges in unique, creative, and heart-warming ways. At times putting aside their own needs and those of their families, social workers have offered essential care to people in need, whether dropping off food donations to families on fixed incomes, securing laptops and tablets to allow communications between seniors and their families, or advocating for state and federal policy to ensure people were cared for during this most critical time.

The demand for social services has dramatically increased while initially resources available to provide their services plummeted. Thankfully, with passage of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act where social workers were active advocates, many of these challenges will be met. Midsize and larger social sector organizations who had been shut out of earlier relief funding will have access to critical support. The $350 billion in state and local funding will enable social sector organizations to continue critical partnerships with government to respond to the changing needs of communities. The child care sector, which has experienced tremendous disruption, enrollment drops, and extra costs, will see $40 billion in childcare stabilization funding. A new Child Tax Credit Expansion that economists predict will cut childhood poverty in half is included that will provide for the basic needs that enable all families to thrive.

These measures will have a tremendous impact on shoring up support for social workers who have done so much for our communities over the past year. These measures were also advanced by social workers, amidst all else required of them this past year. 

This March, let’s all celebrate the essential work of social workers who support individuals and families and answer their needs, not just in times of crisis, but every day.

Bridging Micro and Macro Social Work

Families and communities are stronger when they have access to the vital building blocks of health and well-being. Social work as a discipline and a methodology has been essential to the development and delivery of those building blocks and is most effective when grounded in the intersectionality of research, practice, and policy at individual, community, and systems levels. This bridging of micro and macro is what actualizes whole-person, whole-community aspirations into genuine and measurable impact. 

Learn more about these approaches in Families in Society, the Alliance and Council on Accreditation (COA) social work research journal. The articles featured below for this month’s observance demonstrate the essentialness of micro and macro social work. Alliance and COA network partners can access all 100+ years of journal content in the online library as part of their network benefits, while others can select access options on the journal website.  

About the Author

Jody Levison-Johnson, PhD, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of human services. She currently serves as president and CEO of the newly merged Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation.