ACDS Notes

ACDS is Moving!

Conference 2016 

The success stories from the closing plenary, and presentation materials are now available on ACDS.ca.

Accreditation Update     

Committee Members Make a Difference

Advancing the role of accreditation within Alberta Government and Community Disability Services (CDS) requires a blending of knowledge, experience, innovation, motivation and critical thinking. These qualities are abundant within this field and have been a force that has kept ACDS' accreditation standards ahead of its competitors in Alberta.

For ACDS to continue to promote CET as the hallmark of excellence in accreditation and to retain the value of achieving Level II Accreditation, we are inviting you to lend your expertise to the following Standards and Accreditation Department committees.

Accreditation Council 

ACDS is looking for people like you to be the spokesperson for your region on its Accreditation Council. The Alberta Government and CDS are both continually evolving, so we need to persist in looking for fresh ideas and new fervor to add to the Council's work in being a positive influence in the province.

Accreditation Council members are connected to the Service Provider Councils in their regions and are keen to relate information from their regions to the Accred Council, and back again.

Interested persons can learn more about this Council at   Accreditation Council - Committee and apply to sit on the council by submitting an Application to Participate on the Accreditation Council to ACDS by fax at 403-291-9864 or by email at accred@acds.ca.

 

Commission on Accreditation

The Commission on Accreditation is an arms-length body that reviews Accreditation Level II site\level of excellence. The Commission is eager to have a few more representatives from Level II organizations join the group.

Your participation will benefit your organization

• by giving you insight into best practices within the field
• by giving you opportunities to give ACDS feedback on CET standards or indicators that need to be made more clear or more pertinent to organizations
• by helping you when planning for your organization's CET site survey

If you are interested, go to the Commission on Accreditation page to read more about the Commission and to download the Application to Participate on the Commission on Accreditation. Forms can be faxed to the Standards and Accreditation Department at 403-291-9864 or sent via email at accred@acds.ca.  

 

CET Testimonials

The Standards and Accreditation Department knows that many service providers have positive and engaging stories about their CET site-survey experiences. If you work for one of these confident and progressive organizations, and if promoting CET appeals to you, we'd like to record your testimonial. Please contact us at accred@acds.ca. ACDS will be using testimonies to market the CET standards.

 

Policy and Form Templates

ACDS members have suggested we create sample policy and form templates for each of the CET indicators that ask for one or the other. Standards and Accreditation (S&A) is ready to get this project underway ... with your help.

 

Benefits of this Project

• Service providers will have policy that meets the key points required by CET
• Service providers will get ideas for improving their existing forms
• Staff, including those who do not have English as a first language, will have policy they can understand and follow
• Staff's time will be freed up by using forms that are uncluttered and focused
• Service providers and staff can develop a solid understanding of human resources and the workplace
• Individuals will be given services that follow best practice and contribute to quality of life

You are the Best Source of Information

CET surveys show that many of you already use forms and have policy that are informative, written in clear language, and highlights the key points required by CET. We are asking you, as mentors and fellow workers in Community Disability Services, to let S&A use your forms, policies and best practices as a starting point for creating our templates.

 

You can tell us you are interested

by sending a message to accred@acds.ca with the subject line, "Policy and Form Examples." We will connect with you and, together, determine the best way for us to collect your examples. 

Intrusive and dehumanizing interview scrapped 

On Monday, the NDP government confirmed it would be scrapping the contentious evaluation system known as the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) and replacing it with an "Alberta-made" solution.
St. Albert Gazette

'Intrusive, embarrassing' test dropped for Albertans in developmental disability program 

"We will be working with service providers ... organizations, advocates, to get something in place that assesses the needs of persons with developmental disabilities in the most respectful manner, " Sabir said Monday.

Edmonton Journal

ADWA - Be Among the First to Get Certified 

Ideally, we would like to include 50 ADWA members in the pilot representing a good cross-section of the workforce. We are looking for people with anything from one year working in the disability field to a lifetime of experience. We hope to include participants from a range of large and medium-size cities to small towns and rural areas. 

Alberta Disability Workers Association

Government seeks input on new safety ideas for people with disabilities 

John te Linde, PDD Consultation Team Chair, said in a release that they plan to explore solutions that respect the dignity of people funded through the PDD program while enabling them to live safely. 

Metro News 

The province of Nova Scotia has struck down the Incompetent Persons Act...
...as a result of a man going to court to gain control of his own life. Nova Scotia has one year to produce alternative legislation to replace the Act. This will be a very interesting process both for Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada as this sets a precedent that may lead to others challenging guardianship orders in court. How will Nova Scotia balance the rights of persons with disabilities against the need for caregivers to be able to make decisions in certain situations?
Click here to discuss this in the Community of Practice

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