ABSTRACT

Accreditation is gaining ground in human services as leaders find ways to demonstrate the quality and legitimacy of services. This study examined site-level accreditation for SafeCare®, an evidence-based practice designed to prevent and reduce child maltreatment. We leveraged two waves of qualitative data to explore the perspectives of trainers, organizational and system leaders, and program developers who participated in an initial rollout of a site-level accreditation process for SafeCare. Institutional theory was used to frame accreditation’s potential benefits, burden, and impact. Findings highlight specific considerations for the human service environment, including the inherent resource scarcity, interdependence among organizations, and the impact of cost and slow-moving bureaucratic processes.

摘要

随着领导者找到证明服务质量和合法性的方法，认证在人类服务领域正在取得进展。这项研究检查了 SafeCare® 的现场认证，这是一种旨在预防和减少虐待儿童的循证实践。我们利用两波定性数据来探讨参与 SafeCare 站点级认证流程初始推出的培训师、组织和系统领导者以及项目开发人员的观点。制度理论被用来构建认证的潜在好处、负担和影响。调查结果强调了对人类服务环境的具体考虑，包括固有的资源稀缺性、组织之间的相互依赖性以及成本和缓慢的官僚流程的影响。