AIRS Accreditation - Alliance of Information and Referral Systems

What is AIRS Accreditation?

AIRS Accreditation assesses the ability of an I&R program to demonstrate full compliance with the AIRS Standards for Professional Information and Referral.

It is the primary quality assurance mechanism for gauging I&R excellence.

Accreditation is a multi-phase process that assesses more than 200 distinct operational components and culminates in a detailed onsite review. The cost is $3,000 for members and $4,500 for non-members.

The importance of AIRS Accreditation is endorsed by both national and state entities as a benchmark for all I&R providers. For 2-1-1 services in particular, it has been deemed an absolute requirement for funding in most states.

AIRS Accreditation provides:

An objective evidence of achievement in the areas of service quality and effectiveness, community involvement and organizational stability
Demonstrated commitment on the part of your leadership to meeting the highest standards in the field
Enhanced credibility in the eyes of the public and your other stakeholders
Stronger position in what is emerging as a competitive field, e.g. an edge in competitions for the lead agency status in local 2-1-1 systems
Expanded access to new markets, government assistance and foundation grants
Improved protection against legal challenges
International recognition by your peers in the I&R sector

More than 100 organizations in the United States and Canada have successfully attained AIRS Accreditation. It is important to note that some of these agencies are relatively small (e.g. with less than 5 full-time staff). Organizational size is not a barrier!

Whether an I&R program is national or local in scope, comprehensive or specialized in nature, or offered in non-profit, for-profit or government settings, AIRS Accreditation is the best way to demonstrate the overall quality and effectiveness of an I&R service. The AIRS Accreditation Program is operated in alignment with the standards developed by the National Organization for Competency Assurance.

Please note that the AIRS Accreditation criteria are in the process of being reviewed in order to fully reflect the 6.0 version of the AIRS Standards. As this process involves comments from the field and may require I&R services to adjust their processes, these new criteria will not be established until late 2010. Until that time, all new accreditation applications will be assessed according to the existing accreditation requirements.

AIRS Accreditation involves the following stages:

Complete the Self-Assessment Readiness Tool. Accreditation is a time-limited process. An organization has 18 months from the date of their application, so it is important not to apply until you have many of the components already in place.
Complete and return the Application Form, along with the non-refundable application fee of $3,000 for AIRS members or $4,500 for nonmembers. The fee may be paid in two installments if preferred.
The majority of the process revolves around a collaborative sequence of documentation and consultation. The agency works with the AIRS staff liaison to better understand the accreditation criteria and the documentation required to meet those criteria. Generally, this involves two or three submissions with each submission getting the agency closer to full compliance. (During this stage, the AIRS I&R Toolkit which hosts best practices from AIRS Accredited agencies is an excellent source of initial documentation. There is also an "Accreditation Peer Mentor Group" of colleagues who have themselves successfully completed the Accreditation process.).
Once the applicable documents have been supplied, reviewed and approved, a site visit is conducted to ensure the agency is truly operating in accordance with the accreditation criteria. The review also deals with any outstanding areas where requirements have yet to be conclusively proven.
Following the site visit, a report with a recommendation from the review team is completed and submitted to the chair of the AIRS Accreditation Program for approval and a letter is sent to notify the agency of the results.

I have some questions and would like to contact someone at AIRS

I would like to see the application form!


			What is AIRS Accreditation? AIRS Accreditation assesses the ability of an I&R program to demonstrate full compliance with the AIRS Standards for Professional Information and Referral. It is the primary quality assurance mechanism for gauging I&R excellence. Accreditation is a multi-phase process that assesses more than 200 distinct operational components and culminates in a detailed onsite review. The cost is $3,000 for members and $4,500 for non-members. The importance of AIRS Accreditation is endorsed by both national and state entities as a benchmark for all I&R providers. For 2-1-1 services in particular, it has been deemed an absolute requirement for funding in most states. AIRS Accreditation provides: An objective evidence of achievement in the areas of service quality and effectiveness, community involvement and organizational stability Demonstrated commitment on the part of your leadership to meeting the highest standards in the field Enhanced credibility in the eyes of the public and your other stakeholders Stronger position in what is emerging as a competitive field, e.g. an edge in competitions for the lead agency status in local 2-1-1 systems Expanded access to new markets, government assistance and foundation grants Improved protection against legal challenges International recognition by your peers in the I&R sector More than 100 organizations in the United States and Canada have successfully attained AIRS Accreditation. It is important to note that some of these agencies are relatively small (e.g. with less than 5 full-time staff). Organizational size is not a barrier! Whether an I&R program is national or local in scope, comprehensive or specialized in nature, or offered in non-profit, for-profit or government settings, AIRS Accreditation is the best way to demonstrate the overall quality and effectiveness of an I&R service. The AIRS Accreditation Program is operated in alignment with the standards developed by the National Organization for Competency Assurance. Please note that the AIRS Accreditation criteria are in the process of being reviewed in order to fully reflect the 6.0 version of the AIRS Standards. As this process involves comments from the field and may require I&R services to adjust their processes, these new criteria will not be established until late 2010. Until that time, all new accreditation applications will be assessed according to the existing accreditation requirements. AIRS Accreditation involves the following stages: Complete the Self-Assessment Readiness Tool. Accreditation is a time-limited process. An organization has 18 months from the date of their application, so it is important not to apply until you have many of the components already in place. Complete and return the Application Form, along with the non-refundable application fee of $3,000 for AIRS members or $4,500 for nonmembers. The fee may be paid in two installments if preferred. The majority of the process revolves around a collaborative sequence of documentation and consultation. The agency works with the AIRS staff liaison to better understand the accreditation criteria and the documentation required to meet those criteria. Generally, this involves two or three submissions with each submission getting the agency closer to full compliance. (During this stage, the AIRS I&R Toolkit which hosts best practices from AIRS Accredited agencies is an excellent source of initial documentation. There is also an "Accreditation Peer Mentor Group" of colleagues who have themselves successfully completed the Accreditation process.). Once the applicable documents have been supplied, reviewed and approved, a site visit is conducted to ensure the agency is truly operating in accordance with the accreditation criteria. The review also deals with any outstanding areas where requirements have yet to be conclusively proven. Following the site visit, a report with a recommendation from the review team is completed and submitted to the chair of the AIRS Accreditation Program for approval and a letter is sent to notify the agency of the results. I have some questions and would like to contact someone at AIRS I would like to see the application form! Home \| Back to Top