Agency Receives 3-Year CARF Accreditation
Carey Services officials have announced the agency successfully completed a major accreditation, receiving a maximum three-year accreditation achievement through CARF International. The accreditation validates the high quality of services the agency provides to individuals with disabilities in several Indiana counties.
This is the ninth consecutive three-year accreditation Carey Services has received from the Committee on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, an international accrediting body. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to CARF standards.
“We are very pleased to receive CARF’s highest level of accreditation,” said Jim Allbaugh, Carey Services’ president and chief executive officer. “As an agency, we strive every day to be the best we can be for the individuals we serve and those communities we impact. It is great to have that daily work recognized and validated with a CARF seal of approval.”
Carey Services received the accreditation for the following program areas:
- Community Employment Services: Employment Supports
- Community Employment Services: Job Development
- Community Integration
- Organizational Employment Services
- Supported Living
The three-year accreditation will extend through Nov. 30, 2021. To obtain the accreditation Carey Services completed a rigorous three-day professional peer evaluation in October. Carey Services demonstrated to the survey team the agency’s commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.
The accrediting body’s final report specifically notes some highlights of the survey team visit:
- “Carey Services has exceptional staff members who truly value the work that they do. They want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the consumers. Their care and compassion are evident in all that they do.”
- “Families and guardians of the consumers served by Carey Services are very pleased with the services provided to their loved ones. They express that the services are top notch.”
CARF International was founded in 1966 and establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.
Family/Caregiver Quarterly Meeting Nov. 15
Carey Services works hard to provide the best possible care and create meaningful opportunities for those individuals we serve. As you undoubtedly know, the world in which we operate continues to change, with those changes potentially impacting many of the ways in which we operate and provide services.
With those environmental changes in mind, we want to encourage you to attend the first of what will become a quarterly informational meeting on Nov. 15. The meeting is designed to provide information for the individuals we serve and their families and caregivers. Light refreshments will be provided.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in Building B on our Marion campus. We’ll start the evening with an informational session from Marion attorney Teri Pollett-Hinkle, who will talk about important aspects of powers of attorney, guardianships, healthcare representative and representative payee. We’ll also have an agency staff member talk about state and federal regulation issues that could impact consumer services, including recent changes that define community integration. We also will spend time talking about what’s new and exciting within Carey Services.
We plan on these meetings becoming regular, quarterly events, and we look forward to your input on topics that would be of interest for that opening portion of the evening.
We hope you will join us on Nov. 15.
Amazon purchase can help Carey Services
Did you know your Amazon purchases can result in 10 times the donation amount to Carey Services? The AmazonSmile program lets you designate a favorite charity, where a percentage of your purchase price gets donated.
For the next 5 days, Amazon is increasing its donation by 10 times for each smile.amazon.com purchase.
Get started on your holiday shopping early, and increase the impact that donation will have for Carey Services by going to smile.amazon.com and selecting Carey Services as your charity. Amazon takes care of the rest.
We appreciate your support!
Carey Services President/CEO Honored
Please join us in celebrating Carey Services’ President/CEO, Jim Allbaugh, as the Arc of Indiana’s Impact Award Recipient for Outstanding Professional Achievement! We are thankful for Jim’s leadership and advocacy for/with people with disabilities, and their families, in our community and throughout the state.
Creative Hearts Sculpture Dedicated
Fall Fest Will Be October 3
Carey Services and the Early Head Start Program will participate in the annual Fall Fest on Oct. 3 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the YMCA in downtown Marion.
The free annual event is sponsored by Little Giants Preschool – Head Start and the Early Head Start program. The event is designed for families with children from birth to 12 years old who live in Grant or Blackford counties.
Numerous community organizations will be at the festival to provide information, developmental screenings and car seat inspections. Games and prizes for the children also will be available.
CARF Accreditation Visit Oct. 3-5
Carey Services will have surveyors from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities visiting our facilities and interviewing staff, clients and other interested parties Oct.3-5.
CARF accreditation is one of the highest accreditations that agencies in Carey Services’ industry can receive. The accreditation is voluntary, but Indiana requires agencies who work with people with disabilities to obtain one of several permissible accreditations. CARF surveyors can recommend up to a three-year accreditation at the completion of their survey time; Carey Services has received a three-year accreditation for its operations at the end of each of its surveys.
As part of the survey, CARF surveyors will interview people who receive agency services, their families, agency staff members and others in the community. Some typical questions might include:
- Do we provide a clean and safe setting?
- Do you receive the services you need and want?
- Are you treated with respect?
- Do you take part in planning your services?
- Are you told what you need to know about your services?
- Are your questions answered in a way your understand?
- So you know where to go with questions or concerns?
Interested people also can speak with surveyors. If you are interested in talking with a CARF surveyor during this visit, call Carey Services at (765) 668-8961. You may also contact CARF International directly (520) 495-7001 or feedback@carf.org.
Early Head Start Annual Report Available
Carey Services’ Early Head Start program has released its annual report for the most recent program year, which ran from May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018. The report highlights various accomplishments for the year, including obtaining the highest levels of accreditation, while serving more than 200 families and children for the year. The report also includes a farewell letter from Cathy Queen, who recently retired as program director.
You can view the annual report by clicking here.
New Early Head Start Director Begins Work
Beth Wickham has joined Carey Services as the director of the agency’s Early Head Start program, replacing longtime director Cathy Queen, who recently retired.
Wickham has more than 20 years of experience in Head Start programming. She began her Head Start career as a teacher and eventually became site director and education coordinator with the Community and Family Services program in Portland, Ind. She is a Gas City native and Mississinewa High School graduate who currently lives in Marion. She has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Ashford University and plans to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood education.
“I’m excited to be joining Carey Services and the tremendous team that has demonstrated much success over the years through the Early Head Start program,” Wickham said. “I’m passionate about helping children and helping them start off life on the right footing so they can be successful as they grow.”
Carey Services is the Early Head Start provider for Grant and Blackford counties, working with 130 children and families from pre-natal care through 3 years old at any given time. In 2017, more than 235 children and families participated in some facet of Early Head Start programming.
“Beth brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Carey Services and to the Early Head Start programming,” said Jim Allbaugh, Carey Services’ president and chief executive officer. “She’s already hit the ground running getting acquainted with her staff and the families we serve, and she will be a great person to continue the quality of care those we serve have come to expect from Carey Services.”