Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) has become the first accredited delegated Aboriginal agency in British Columbia.
The Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International announced that CSFS has achieved three-year accreditation, the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization.
"The accomplishment of achieving three-year CARF International accreditation can be directly attributed to CSFS's dedicated board of directors and staff members, all of whom perform at the highest standard of excellence,” said Warner Adam, Executive Director of CSFS. “In addition, our long standing executive team ensures that services are of the highest quality and are tailored to fit the individual needs of clients and communities.”
There are currently 22 delegated Aboriginal agencies in B.C. that, under the ministry of children and family development (MCFD), provide various levels of guardianship, foster care, voluntary services, and full child protection services to Aboriginal children in care.
As MCFD does not require delegated Aboriginal agencies to be accredited, CSFS voluntarily partook in the extensive accreditation process.
“Accreditation assures CSFS’ stakeholders and clients that the organization is dedicated to international levels of accountability and quality improvement across all of our programs and services,” says a CSFS press release.
Carrier Sekani Family Services started as a grassroots organization in 1990, tasked with providing front line services to improve overall health and wellness for Carrier and Sekani First Nations people. Staff numbers have grown from a small group of three to over 160 employees.
The organization has provided child welfare, health, and legal services to First Nations persons living in the Prince George, Vanderhoof and Burns Lake areas, both off and on reserve.
Carrier Sekani Family Services offers holistic health and wellness programming to community members; its health department provides adult and youth clinical counselling, addictions treatment, early childhood development, occupational health and diabetes prevention education. The organization also provides First Nations foster homes, violence prevention and employment programming.
“All of our services are proudly offered combining traditional and culturally relevant methods with the best in evidence-based practice,” said the CSFS press release.
Founded in 1966, CARF International is an independent, non-profit accreditor of health and human services. Having a CARF accreditation signals a service provider's commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community.