Certification Committees

There are two key certification committees. One committee is the Standards Committee. This is a group of community members that have a connection to the field of addiction recovery (i.e., judges, counselors, social workers, program directors, etc.) that meets at regular intervals to review the certification standards and determine the need for additions, deletions or modifications. This committee also reviews any proposals from the field for either adding or revising existing certification standards.

The second committee is the Certification Committee. This is also a group of community members that have a connection to the field of recovery (as noted above). This committee is the pool of certification surveyors that will conduct the annual surveys of the various programs seeking certification. The number of surveyors needed for each program certification survey will be determined by the size of the program being surveyed. Surveys can last from 1-2 days depending on the size of the program. As you will see in the certification manual, these standards would be minimally expected from those programs seeking certification.

AAARC certification can reap many benefits for the recovery community at large. The award of certification itself is the ARC’s claim to excellence. It is a message to the public that a quality assurance review has been conducted in an objective fashion. Being certified can be very reassuring to prospective placement agencies, family members and loved ones as it is an indication to all that the ARC program offers a quality standard of living for its clients.

Eligibility

To be eligible for pursuing certification with the American Association of Adult Residential Communities, an ARC must voluntarily agree to adhere to the 58 standards within the AAARC certification manual. Upon entering into this agreement, the association will work closely with a designated ARC associate insuring that all operating policies and procedures are in place to meet the necessary requirements of the certification program.

The ARC will notify AAARC when they are ready to be surveyed. However, the initial survey must take place within six months from entering the agreement to be certified. Agencies/programs that can be certified under AAARC are those programs that are commonly referred to as “sober living homes”, “transitional homes”, or “half-way houses”. The certification process starts when the ARC completes the certification application.

The ARC will be required to provide a tour to the Surveyors at the start of the survey and must be readily available to surveyors in order to answer questions, clarify documentation and show proof of certain standards compliance. Surveyors will also interview ARC staff and clients at random to further verify compliance with standards. Upon completion of the survey, the ARC will be notified of their results. 100% compliance of all mandatory standards and 90% compliance of all non-mandatory standards is required for certification.

Additional benefits of AAARC certification are:

• Raising an ARC’s standards of excellence and being an AAARC leader in one’s community- resulting in improved policies, more effective and efficient operations, enhanced team awareness, and a reduction in potential incidents.
• Improved staff morale and professionalism- Staff have a better understanding of policies and procedures and this contributes to a safer environment for staff and clients.
• AAARC community relations committee insures greater community acceptance and trust, credibility with local government, our neighbors, and community leaders.
• Being on a list of AAARC certified ARC’s available to private and public local, county and state placement providers including treatment centers and the court system. Many placement providers (possibly all in the near future) require an ARC to be certified by the AAARC.
• Access to AAARC’s Evidence Based Outcome Assessment model which identifies measurable variables in terms of "success" for participants in your program.
• Defense against lawsuits. Certified ARCs have a stronger defense against litigation through documentation and the demonstration of a "good faith" effort to improve conditions of care.

AAARC Certification Gains you Membership in AAARC and gives you access to:

• Improved staff training and development; including staff training seminars and manuals; continuing education units course work (CEU’s).
• Legislative liaison- Information about legislative trends affecting our industry.
• Indigent recovery support services including licensed counseling services, future stabilization and receiving center.
• AAARC is teaming up with a number of local organizations in creating sustainable cottages industries providing employment opportunities for our recovery populations. We are presently offering pest control services for our members and are looking into landscaping and maintenance business opportunities.
• Intellectual and proprietary training manuals, industry specific resident and standard operating procedures manual(s) (SOPs).
• Members will receive special discounts on products and services including: property and casualty insurance, group health, life and disability insurance, Industry specific liability insurance.
• Lower your utility expenses, including gas, electricity, and water.
• Lower your telephone and Internet expenses.
• Access to AAARC’s ever growing network of industry related referrals.
• Customized complimentary advertisement and link from AAARC web site to your program.