Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

PLEA was first accredited by the COA (the Council on Accreditation) in 2005 for four years. In 2009, we changed to accreditation through CARF, an independent, non-profit accreditor of health and human services, because their approach is a better “fit” with the range of services we provide. Annually CARF accredits thousands of health and human service programs across the continuum of care—from children to seniors—and in a variety of settings, environments, and specialty options.

To make their assessment CARF surveyors conduct interviews with our personnel and the individuals we serve, review various documents and reports, and visit our offices and program sites. In 2009, we received the maximum 3-year accreditation, with several citations for exemplary practice, and have continued to do so from then on.

Our most recent CARF site survey was completed in March 2024 and lasts until March 2027. The report is overwhelmingly strong and positive. Surveyors provided just three areas of recommendation out of a total of more than 2000 standards. They recognized us specifically for our efforts to lean into Truth and Reconciliation, for how well respected we are in the community, our visionary and values-driven leadership, our strong succession planning, our involved and diverse board, and for the commitment, energy and creativity of our staff teams. All the programs and services we provide are covered under the CARF accreditation.

For more information about CARF and how the accreditation process works go to www.carf.org

Imagine Canada

Imagine Canada is a national organization that provides leadership in promoting and strengthening the charitable and nonprofit sector in Canada.

Between 2006 and 2013, PLEA participated in Imagine Canada’s Ethical Code Program, adopting its Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code as our policy. This committed us to being responsible custodians of donated funds, to exercise due care concerning governance of fundraising and financial reporting, and to ensure that we adhere to the standards of the Code.

In November 2013, PLEA achieved accreditation for a five-year period under Imagine Canada’s new national Standards Program. It is a set of shared standards for charities and nonprofits designed to demonstrate their compliance in five fundamental areas: board governance; financial accountability and transparency; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement.  We have maintained our accreditation since that point forward and are currently accredited to 2029.    

The goals of the Standards Program are to improve an organization’s transparency and capacity in these areas, and to strengthen public confidence in individual organizations and the nonprofit sector as a whole.

For more information about Imagine Canada go to www.imaginecanada.ca