March 20, 2025

It has been a while since we’ve last shared an update about our FOCUS Accreditation review. Since our virtual validation and the opening of online surveys for various interested parties in October and November, QRPI (the Quality, Research and Practice Initiatives department) has been working with district managers and other leaders to continue in our efforts to demonstrate our organizational commitment to meeting FOCUS Accreditation’s standards. Here is a summary of the activities that have taken place so far:

  • Karis provided copies of policies, procedures and documentation as evidence in meeting each accreditation standard and has continued to answer questions and provide additional information or documentation as requested by FOCUS since then.
  • Online surveys were made available by FOCUS, and different interested parties were invited to provide their feedback, including people using services, family members, employees, volunteers/students, community partners, funders, and board members.
  • Interviews were held with some leaders to discuss each group of standards, called “domains,” and how Karis demonstrates its commitment in meeting each standard. Meetings were held virtually, and additional information and documentation was shared through virtual meetings.
  • FOCUS attended a meeting of the Our Voices Matter council to learn about some of the great things that OVM has been doing, and to have a time to ask questions and hear from some of the OVM members about Karis.
  • Karis worked with FOCUS to select a sampling of documents relevant to employees, volunteers, and people using services, and how Karis demonstrates meeting standards related to these records. Documents were collected from our online databases and/or from districts and shared electronically via virtual meetings.

With all the work that has been done so far, the QRPI department wants to thank every person that has been involved in this process, and we look forward to the last steps in our journey to achieve a reaccredited status with FOCUS: our Onsite Validation!

Our Onsite Validation will take place from April 7th through April 24th, with activities taking place in each district over a 2-3 day schedule. For each district, the Onsite Validation will include:

  • 3-5 visits to Group Living / Group Home locations; and,
  • 1 event at a day services or office location; an intentional “Meet and Greet” with FOCUS.

More detailed information about specific visit locations, and about what to expect during these visits, is available on CH Connect under FOCUS Accreditation (VPN required).

If you have any questions, please contact quality@karis.org, or reach out to a member of our FOCUS Champions team, talk to your supervisor, or reach out to Justin Radstake or Peter Wyngaarden.