ASSISTANCE DOGS INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES 2018

A bit of history: The ADI Accreditation program began in 2002 Five programs were accredited the first year There are now…..

131 ADI Accredited programs worldwide

Requirements to pursue ADI Accreditation Program must be an approved Candidate in ADI in good standing, or an Accredited Member in good standing that is seeking re-accreditation Candidate programs that were approved after July 1, 2017 must have been a Candidate for a minimum of two years before they can apply for accreditation. Candidates approved prior to July 1, 2017 must wait a minimum of one year before they can apply for accreditation. The ADI Operations Administrator must also approve the Candidate's request to apply for accreditation. Programs must be willing to commit to the education and training processes required for staff, volunteers, clients and supporters. The accreditation application form and required fee must be submitted to the ADI Accreditation Coordinator in due course.

Accreditation Process Steps ADI website – Accreditation home page: https://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/members/accreditation/

2. Submit request for ADI Accreditation Documents: 2. Submit request for ADI Accreditation Documents: info@assistancedogsinternational.org These documents outline the accreditation process from start to finish and will assist you in understanding the accreditation procedures. Be sure to thoroughly review ALL of the documents. NOTE: The 2018-2019 revised Accreditation Manual, which will combine the ADI Minimum Standards and Ethics and Accreditation Standards on to one document, is in progress. Further information will be available from ADI after October 1, 2018.

3. Conduct BASELINE SELF-SURVEY ASSESSMENT: Go through the Accreditation Manual standard by standard to determine if your program appears to be in compliance with the ADI standards or what will need to be done to achieve compliance.

4. Contact the ADI Accreditation Coordinator to notify ADI that your program is interested pursuing accreditation. accreditation@assistancedogsinternational.org The coordinator will contact the program to set up a teleconference meeting to discuss the accreditation procedures and the program’s readiness to initiate the process. If ready, coordinator will send accreditation application to program. Current fee is $1,750.00 If program is not ready, coordinator will make recommendations about actions program can take, such as visiting Accredited Member programs and seeking a mentor that can help guide the program.

5. Compile Pre-assessment Paperwork Binder and work on other preparations for the accreditation survey. Please read the Pre-assessment Paperwork Instructions document before assembling and organizing the documents. Work to bring all policies procedures, records, and facilities into compliance with the accreditation standards. Provide necessary training and prepare staff, board members, Clients, volunteers and supporters for the accreditation survey.

6. Conduct Mock Accreditation Survey Have one or more Board members or other knowledgeable volunteers conduct a mock survey rehearsal to help determine your program’s readiness for accreditation. 7. If Mock Accreditation Survey is successful, contact Accreditation Coordinator for information about submitting pre-assessment paperwork to ADI.

8. ADI preliminary review of pre-assessment paperwork ADI Accreditation Coordinator or Accreditation Assistant checks paperwork for overall completeness and readiness for review by Accreditation Assessor. ADI follows up with program regarding questions and any need for additional documentation. When paperwork is approved, survey is assigned to the ADI Accreditation Assessor.

9. Paperwork is sent to assessor. Assessor has up to 60 days to review materials. Assessor follows up with program regarding questions and any need for additional documentation. When paperwork is complete and approved by assessor, the on site survey visit will be scheduled. Assessor provides program with survey agenda two weeks before survey visit.

10. Assessor arrives at program to conduct accreditation survey. During the survey, the Assessor will need a private office area to review files and additional paperwork.

Assessor will also interview board members, staff, puppy raisers, other volunteers, and clients.

Assessor will also observe training with staff, puppy raisers, and clients. This can occur at the facility and in public.

The assessor will inspect facility, kennels and grounds.

Assessor may also visit prison program location to conduct interviews and observe training.

11. At conclusion of survey, assessor determines need for any further compliance documentation and discusses this with the program. 12. Assessor meets with program executive staff and invited guests to discuss survey findings and recommendation. Assessor departs. Once all aspects of survey are complete, assessor completes Accreditation Survey Report, and electronically submits report and recommendation for review by the ADI Accreditation Review Committee (ARC).

14. ARC reviews report and recommendation from assessor at next monthly meeting. If there are no compliance issues, ARC approves survey. If there are questions, ARC may extend process to get further compliance documentation. ARC will approve or deny survey when additional documentation is reviewed. If survey does not pass, program may appeal in writing to ADI Board of Directors. Board decision is final.

15. Programs that achieve full five-year ADI Accreditation receive an official letter from the President of ADI, the ADI Accredited Logo and ADI Accreditation Certificate.