The Sea to Sky Corridor's largest community services organization has been ranked among the world's top agencies based on its programs.
Two weeks ago, officials with the international Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) scoured through the Sea to Sky Community Services Society's (SSCS) many programs. They went through finances, examined the quality of employees and the society's initiatives.
The accreditation is essential to the organization to allow it to bid on Ministry of Children and Family Development contracts, SSCS outreach services manager Kathy Daniels said.
"We must prove we have a certain standard," Daniels said.
The review was extensive, to say the least, she said. Stakeholders were interviewed in a three-day survey and all SSCS's operations were put under the microscope, Daniels said.
"They were just shy of counting our paper clips," she said.
At the end of the process, CARF came up with a report stating that the organization had no recommendations, Daniels said. The options available to CARF included failing the society, handing it a one-year accreditation or the three-year accreditation. SSCS received the latter.
Only seven per cent of organizations surveyed in Canada, Europe and Australia have received such a high ranking, she said, noting CARF highlighted Squamish's youth centre as running exemplary services.
"It was really very emotional," Daniels said of the survey's results. "We knew we were doing a good job, but it's nice to be reassured. It feels amazing."
SSCSS is a non-profit charity that services Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish. Last year, approximately 55 families participated in its Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program, stated the society's 2011-'12 annual report. The organization also helped more than 1,600 in its mentorship and employment programs, the report noted.
