The word “accredit” dates all the way back to the year 1535.  It is a Latin word, and the dictionary describes accreditation as 1: to give official authorization to or approval of; and 2: to consider or recognize as outstanding.  NBNC has started the process of accreditation with the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL).  This is a national organization that helps service providers explore how they do business and ensure that good, basic care is provided.  While we know that NBNC meets the very highest standards—those that families such as yours demands—the State of North Carolina is now requiring agencies to become accredited.  So, what does it mean for you?  We will be reviewing our policies and procedures to make certain all the “t’s” are crossed and “i’s” dotted just right.  We’ll be tweaking our forms and asking you to complete surveys.  A bit of your time will be needed to complete this process, but at the end you can have confidence in the official stamp of approval that accreditation will give NBNC.

ACCREDITATION

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!!

The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights and the constitution of the State of North Carolina all guarantee people basic rights.  No one can have his or her rights limited without certain legal actions—and that includes anyone with disabilities.  NBNC will be sending you a booklet on “Rights & Responsibilities” that describes the rights—as well as the responsibilities—we all have as citizens.  During the monthly home visits your NBNC Qualified Professional will review one of those human rights topics.

 for a survey on basic home safety to arrive in your mailbox  in the next few weeks.  It is something that you can do with your family, and it has lots of good ideas about preventing accidents and keeping everyone safe.

The glue that holds communities and other social networks together is called ‘social capital.’  Social capital encourages collaboration and cooperation between members of groups for their mutual benefit.  People form social systems to meet a range of needs.  These include our families, communities of interest (like church, Internet or professional groups) and neighborhoods.  It gives us the opportunities to share our concerns and interests—and care for each other.  All the people receiving and providing services through NBNC are, in fact, a unique community—just one of the many that let us build relationships and share information.  Share your social capital contacts with the rest of us through this newsletter; we’ll publish your involvement in the coming months.

SOCIAL CAPITAL