The Joint Commission has renamed its Behavioral Health Care (BHC) Accreditation program to the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation program. The new name comes in recognition of how the program goes beyond behavioral health services to include human services, which address meeting human needs to improve the overall quality of life for individuals.
The BHC program has made several enhancements this year, including adding nearly 90 new and revised requirements related to child welfare services. These requirements address various services for children and families at risk including:
- Adoption
- Child protection services
- Family preservation/wraparound services
- Foster care
- Kinship care
- Respite care
- Reunification
The Joint Commission accredits child welfare agencies under the newly named Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation Program. The updated standards were developed with support from a Technical Advisory Panel of subject matter experts in the child welfare field, as well as a Standards Review Panel comprised of clinical professionals and administrators who provided insight into the practical application of the proposed standards.
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
This was reported by The Joint Commission on July 15, 2020.
Contact information: Julia Finken, Executive Director, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181; 630-792-5800; Email: jfinken@jointcommission.org; Website: https://www.jointcommission.org/
