COA Accreditation

Accreditation provides an independent and objective verification against standards of best practice. COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, provides a partnership. 

Our staff and volunteer peer reviewers work closely with organizations to help them enhance and align practices with our standards. More than an evaluation, our process builds the knowledge and skills to engage in continuous improvement, adopt best practices, and achieve organizational excellence.

Why Accreditation

To the outside world, accreditation recognizes that an organization adheres to a set of best practice standards. To staff inside the organization, it can be much more. COA Accreditation is a powerful tool—a framework for effectively managing resources, implementing best practices, and incorporating community voice.

Enhance Credibility

Accreditation promotes trust and reassures your stakeholders, including donors, partners, government agencies, and clients. The thorough review confirms that your organization adheres to best practices.

Improve Service Quality

The accreditation process helps organizations enhance their services by supplying best practice standards and supporting continuous quality improvement.

Staff Development

The accreditation process includes valuable training and professional development opportunities for your staff, making them even more effective in their roles.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance and Preferred Treatment

Accreditation ensures your organization stays in compliance with legal requirements and mandates. This protects your clients and safeguards your organization from legal risks.

Attract Funding

Accreditation is an advantage when securing funding. Donors and grantors often require or prefer accreditation. Where applicable, recognitions make accredited organizations eligible for public agency contracts and higher reimbursement rates.

Who We Accredit

COA Accreditation accredits the full continuum of social and human services. Our more than 1,700 accredited organizations are in all 50 states, six Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico, and military bases worldwide. COA Accreditation also supports Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) accreditation and Whole-Person Care through our Health Home/Integrated Care standards.

Private Organization
Accreditation

For organizations that:

  • Offer social or human services
  • Are in the U.S.
  • Are nonprofit or for-profit organizations
View Private Organization Standards Request More Information

Canadian Organization
Accreditation

For organizations that:

  • Offer social or human services
  • Are in Canada
View Canadian Organization Standards Request More Information

Public Agency Accreditation

For agencies that:

  • Offer social or human services
  • Are state, county, local, or tribal government agencies, or a program mandated to become accredited within an agency (mandated program)
View Public Agency Standards Request More Information

Child & Youth
Development Accreditation

For organizations that:

  • Offer only early childhood education, out of school time, or youth development services
View Child & Youth
Development Standards Request More Information

Find Accredited Organizations

Inquiries from governmental agencies and insurance companies to verify the accreditation status of an organization should be submitted online.

Report a concern with an accredited organization through this form.

View the Map

The COA Accreditation Difference

Whole-Organization Accreditation

We have an all-in philosophy and review your organization’s administrative infrastructure as well as all programs have applicable service standards. This serves to comprehensively improve your organization and prepare it for any future accreditation mandates.

Field-Informed and Evidence-Based Standards

Our standards are developed through a rigorous multistep process that includes an extensive literature review, input from sector leaders and individuals with lived experience, and feedback from staff at accredited organizations and our volunteer peer reviewers. We offer free and open access to all our standards.

Dedicated Accreditation Coordinator

Each organization receives a dedicated accreditation coordinator, who can answer any questions, help you navigate the process, and address any challenges. In addition, we offer a user-friendly, online system for project management.

Supportive and Constructive Review Process

We view accreditation as a partnership and our approach is facilitative and strengths based, with multiple opportunities to show implementation of the standards. All reviews are done by volunteers from human and social service organizations because the peer relationship supports understanding and collaboration.

Free Accreditation Tools and Resources

We offer a variety of free tools, trainings, and resources to help organizations before, during, and after the accreditation process. We make it easy to publicize your accreditation with our promotional toolkit.

Access to Benchmarking Program

Private and Canadian organizations can see how they compare to similar accredited organizations in key performance domains through on-demand access to live dashboards.

Easy Access to Additional Resources and Solutions from Social Current

COA Accreditation is one of the many services offered by Social Current. Our consulting services, Impact Partnerships, Knowledge and Insights Center, and learning and networking opportunities can support you beyond accreditation. Accredited organizations receive special network rates on several Social Current offerings.

Free Intro to Accreditation Webinars

Accreditation Process

Through COA Accreditation, organizations receive support in implementing best practice standards for programs and services, as well as administration and management. We partner with organizations and share in their goals for:


  • Organizational excellence
  • Improved service delivery
  • Better outcomes for children, families, and communities


Throughout the accreditation process, we focus on each organization’s unique mission, resources, and culture, as well as the goals of the people it serves. We customize the process to reflect staff readiness and set up realistic timelines, find areas for support, and ensure proper staffing of the onsite review team.

1

Application and Accreditation Agreement

We review your application, confirm your organization is eligible for COA Accreditation, and provide an agreement for you to sign and return with your accreditation fee.

2

Intake and Assessment

We learn about your current readiness and specific needs. You receive an orientation to the accreditation process and applicable standards, as well as meet with your dedicated accreditation coordinator, who helps you throughout the entire process.

3

Self-Study

When completing the self-evaluation, your organization reviews current policies, procedures, and practices against COA Accreditation standards. Your organization collects and submits narratives and documentation that demonstrate implementation of the standards.

4

Site Visit

A team of volunteer peer reviewers conducts the onsite review. Our volunteers have many years of experience in the field and have received training to effectively review organizations.

5

Ratings Report and Pre-Commission Review

Your organization receives a report summarizing the peer reviewers’ findings. The report includes recommendations for showing more effective standards implementation and allows you to make improvements if needed.

6

Accreditation Decision

Our experienced Accreditation Commission reviews the report and your documentation, and it approves your accreditation or requests more information. Once a decision is reached, your organization receives a final accreditation report with ratings for all applicable standards.

7

Maintaining Accreditation

COA Accreditation is valid for four years, except for opioid treatment programs, which are mandated by SAMHSA to be accredited for three years. Organizations must submit an annual report to maintain the implementation of standards. As an added benefit, the data from these reports is used to inform the COA Accreditation Benchmarking Program. Private and Canadian organizations can see how they compare to their peers in key performance areas.

Resources

Benchmarking

Measure your organization’s health and stability through our COA Accreditation Benchmarking Program.

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FAQs

Get straightforward answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about COA Accreditation.

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Glossary & Tools

There is a lot of jargon in accreditation and some terms can be difficult to understand. Check out our accreditation and standards glossary.

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Promotional Toolkit

Spread the word about your achievement. Our curated promotional toolkits contain everything you’ll need to get started.

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COA Accreditation Trainings

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