Frequently asked questions: Standards of Excellence

What is the purpose of CWLA's Standards of Excellence?

To describe and promote best practice in child, youth, and family services
To guide agency administrators, program planners, practitioners, and the broader social service community – including policymakers – in their various roles as they seek to build and strengthen services to children, youth, and families.
To set the context for effective child welfare work by describing the historical and policy context, mission, philosophy, values, and principles for the field and the service area being addressed.
To set the bar – describing what policymakers, communities, agencies, and workers should strive for in providing services to children, youth, and families.
To improve service outcomes for children, youth, and their families.
To promote consistency and standardization of practice.
To create a common understanding among stakeholders and across jurisdictions about what constitutes best practice in child welfare and in each program area.
To promote cultural competence principles that focus on the continuous development of understanding and respect for the varied cultures of children, youth, and families and service providers in child welfare.
To bring additional resources to the field by making clear what is needed to deliver quality services.

This is challenging, difficult work. Agencies and staff must be equipped with the best possible guidance and tools.
Our efforts need to result in better outcomes for children and families, and we must do no harm.
It’s a big country with diverse government structures and delivery systems. Standards provide greater consistency and standardization across states and programs.
There is an increased focus in human services on accountability-reduced spending, managed care, etc.
There is increased focus on quality and accreditation as a means of improving services and meeting funding and contract requirements.
Federal Child and Family Service Reviews in states across the country have highlighted the need for improvements. States are looking for assistance as they develop and implement their Program Improvement Plans.

The goals of child welfare services and each discrete service.
A definition of each service in terms of its purpose and the children and families for whom it is appropriate.
What is considered best for both professional and administrative practice-how agency staff and boards must perform in carrying out each agency’s program.
Basic assumptions that underlie each service-the values, principles, and knowledge on which it is based.
Core elements or components of the service.
How the service should be connected with other services.
Key worker tasks and activities.
The resources, staffing, and organizational supports that must be in place to ensure service quality.

A core volume, CWLA Standards of Excellence for Management and Governance of Child Welfare Services, provides the organizational foundation for the program-specific volumes.
The program volumes, in contrast, describe key components of the specific service. Although the volumes describe best practices with specific populations-for example, pregnant and parenting adolescents-they do so in a family, agency, and community context.
The organization of the Standards stresses the connectedness of supports and services across informal and formal systems, as well as the strengths of individuals, families, and communities.

Agency administrators, planners, and managers in planning, organizing, and administering services; developing and revising agency policies; orienting staff and board members; conducting pre-accreditation self-studies; interpreting services to citizens, clients, legislators, and organizations; advocating for appropriate staffing and funding levels; and to shape policy discussions and initiatives.
County, state, and local public officials, legislators, budget officers, and service-planning entities in allocating funds for services.
Advocates in their efforts to improve caseloads and services.
Attorneys, court monitors, judges, and agency administrators in litigation.
Training staff in developing and revising training curricula for worker, supervisor, and managerial training.
Social work educators in developing course curriculum and content.
Licensing specialists in establishing state and local licensing requirements.
Accrediting bodies, such as the Council on Accreditation, as a foundation for their accreditation standards.
Federal agencies, such as the General Accounting Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as a basis for evaluating services and developing federal regulations that direct practice nationally and internationally.