LSS of South Dakota has achieved national reaccreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA), a service of Social Current. This is a significant accomplishment, as it is the culmination of an intensive year-long process to demonstrate the implementation of best practice standards.
“This accreditation is the result of the hard work, diligence and commitment to quality of LSS employees across the organization,” says Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, President and CEO of LSS. “The reviewers were impressed by the quality of the work we do, the impact LSS has on the community and the dedication of our team, and our team does this work at the highest level because they are truly invested in strengthening families across the state.”
The accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of administration, management and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice. These standards ensure services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented and provided by a skilled and supported workforce. Achieving COA accreditation attests to effectively managing resources, meeting or surpassing standardized best practice thresholds for services, and embedding a framework for ongoing quality improvement.
To achieve COA accreditation, LSS first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA accreditation standards. In April, a group of specially trained volunteer peer reviewers visited LSS in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls to confirm adherence to these standards during a series of onsite interviews with board members, staff members and clients. Because LSS is such a diverse organization that offers many services across the state, the reviewers analyzed the organization’s compliance with 1,540 best practice standards, conducted 104 interviews and reviewed thousands of documents.
Based on their findings, Social Current’s volunteer-based Commission voted that LSS had not only successfully met the criteria for COA accreditation but also had no need to respond to any findings. During the exit interview, reviewers spoke highly of the services LSS offers, using phrases including “human-centered” in reference to LSS’s residential services for youth, “best I’ve seen” when describing our independent living facility in Rapid City and “blown away” regarding the mentoring program.
LSS has maintained accreditation for decades.
“Accreditation is an intense process that we look forward to every four years because we are committed to meeting the highest quality standards for those we serve,” says Kiesow-Knudsen.
About Social Current
Social Current is the premier partner and solutions provider to a diverse network of human and social service organizations. Together with our network, we are activating the power of the social sector to effect broader systemic change that is needed to achieve our vision of an equitable society where all people can thrive. We support, strengthen and amplify the work of the social sector through COA accreditation, training, technical assistance and consulting, Impact Partnerships, and government affairs and advocacy. To learn more, visit SocialCurrent.org.
