Agencies that fund programs and accredit social service agencies across America have been increasingly vocal in their desire to see an increase in quality services that promote positive outcomes for persons served during the last decade. Perhaps this is not too surprising, given the number of people that still wonder whether social service agencies actually provide the services they promise and, if so, whether the services they provide are good enough for their own families.
For Catholic Charities, the answer is not in doubt. The organization has been committed to quality service since its inception, as this commitment flows naturally from its core values that are manifested in its vision and mission. Today, Catholic Charities is committed to manifesting Christ’s spirit through collaboration with diverse communities, by providing services to the poor and vulnerable, by promoting human dignity, and by advocating for social justice. The tradition and purpose of this commitment is based on the teachings and ministry of our Lord. In order to continue and to improve upon this tradition of compassionate and respectful delivery of social work services, Catholic Charities strengthened its commitment to quality by seeking accreditation by a national organization in the early 1980s. As a result, accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children ushered in a new era that stressed the adoption of best practice standards and quality improvement processes that were focused on promoting positive outcomes for all persons served by the agency.
Promoting quality outcomes always begins with an understanding of the needs and expectations of the people we serve, but ultimately it means meeting or exceeding those needs and expectations. To that end, each program of Catholic Charities aspires to be more than just a single stepping-stone to help people reach their goals. Each is linked directly or by referral to multiple services that can provide additional support to help people achieve the outcomes they desire. In practice, we try to envision a client’s entire journey toward greater self-sufficiency while focusing on what we can contribute realistically to its successful completion.
Catholic Charities, while wholeheartedly committed to promoting positive outcomes for persons served, is equally dedicated to providing clients with a way to evaluate and comment upon the services they receive. This includes providing an opportunity for clients to indicate their basic satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the services and assistance they received. This information helps the agency to know whether it is meeting the needs and expectations of those it serves. To obtain additional information about its client services, representatives from all stakeholder groups, including persons served, personnel from all levels of the organization, members of the governing body and advisory boards, volunteers, interns and trainees, and others participate in the agency-wide Continuous Quality Improvement process. The participation of all these individuals is essential to the agency’s goal of providing quality services and desired outcomes for persons served.
Continuous Quality Improvement is a philosophy and a set of procedures that allows Catholic Charities to look at its activities and client outcomes and create plans for improvement. The concept is based on a Japanese principle, kaizen, which means progress through small continuous steps toward a goal. Continuous Quality Improvement is also a comprehensive process through which the agency systematically evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of the services it provides, determines whether its services meet pre-determined expectations about quality and outcomes, and corrects observed deficiencies identified by its process. Today, all programs of the agency participate in this process that began officially in 1993, a process that was later formalized in 1998 through the creation of the organization’s first Continuous Quality Improvement Plan.
In many respects, a Continuous Quality Improvement Plan is to the agency as a service plan is to an individual client. At Catholic Charities, Continuous Quality Improvement is an integrated and ongoing process to assess and improve organizational performance and to meet standards for quality outcomes for all persons served. Most importantly, this process enhances Catholic Charities’ historical commitment to quality service by making the empowerment of those individuals that it serves, especially the poor and vulnerable, central to its work.
Providing Help. Creating Hope. Serving All People.
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