Friends of Youth is one out of eighteen agencies in Washington State to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA). Learn what that means for Friends of Youth and the wonderful things they had to say during their latest site visit!
COA is a nonprofit agency dedicated to supporting human services agencies like Friends of Youth in fostering a growth mindset and implementing data-driven decision-making processes to uphold quality services.
Our partnership with COA involves close collaboration, as their employees and peer reviewers work alongside us to evaluate current best practices and offer valuable insights and recommendations.
What are the benefits of being a COA-accredited agency?
Improved Service Quality
Enhanced Credibility
Employee Development
Ensure Compliance
Attract Funding
To learn more about COA and the benefits of being accredited visit the COA Website.
As part of our ongoing evaluation process, a team of volunteer Peer Reviewers, comprised of human service professionals, recently visited Friends of Youth to gain insights into our program services and operational procedures. We are pleased to share the following observations from the Peer Review team:
Friends of Youth has a clear commitment to quality services, noted in part by our extensive bilingual documentation and youth-first philosophy.
The Peer Reviewers recognized Friends of Youth’s attentiveness to client needs, noting that our care and consideration extended to both clients and employees.
Our agency was praised for our numerous opportunities within the agency for professional development and training, specifically highlighting our 30-60-90-day onboarding process for new hires.
Peer Reviewers were excited to learn the innovative ways Friends of Youth is engaging in quality assurance, including the integration of dashboards which will continue to be rolled out across the agency.
Friends of Youth was noted for prioritizing client safety, with extensive emergency preparation materials and equipment.
Friends of Youth’s Griffin Campus was highlighted for having services and employees who are representative of the clients we serve, including a team with primarily bilingual employees.
The Peer Review team commented that Friends of Youth’s self-awareness is refreshing and appreciated hearing from employees a transparent review of what is working well for the agency and where there are opportunities for improvement.
Peer Reviewers spoke highly of the new Willows Youth Services Center; the group named the importance of having program service centers like Willows and emphasized the meticulous care and effort invested in both designing the space and attending to the intricate details that consistently enhance the quality of services to those we serve.
Overall, Friends of Youth was reviewed against 992 standards across both administrative and programmatic principles. We are currently waiting for a determination from COA and remain an accredited agency in the interim. We are incredibly thankful for all our employees who invested countless hours in this endeavor, ensuring Friends of Youth consistently upholds high-quality services.
For any questions about COA or how the COA process impacts Friends of Youth, please reach out to riskandcompliance@friendsofyouth.org. Thank you!