Schools and programs need to be accountable to parents and referral sources. 

Issues to consider as we develop this: 

·        Schools and programs maintain their commitment to all representations made to parents, students, clients, referral sources, and funding sources in order to secure an enrollment.

·        Schools and programs should be ready to respond informally to informally presented concerns, grievances, and questions raised by parents, students, clients, referral sources, funding sources. Only if problems cannot be resolved informally are formal procedures invoked.

·        Schools and programs will act at all times in the interest of the student /client including when there is a criticism or concern expressed on a client’s behalf.  They will take a zero tolerance approach to staff and managers who “retaliate” against a student /client /parent /referral source when a staff action is questioned or challenged.

·        Schools and programs will take action to correct any error or shortcoming pointed out by a client/ parent/ referral source as expeditiously as possible, when it has become an impediment to progress and/or has become a distraction.

·        Full disclosure of client information to parents and referral sources, while respecting student / client confidentiality.  This means that students / clients have a right to keep certain things private with a therapist, but progress does get reported, accurately and objectively.  Reporting is not shaded to make things look good.

·        Schools and programs treat parents and the student / client as customer no matter who is paying the bill.  State policies that require parents to concede child custody to a public agency in order to access public support are inhumane and exist only to add convenience to bureaucracies while demonstrating disdain for the actual benefit of the child or family. 

·        Schools and programs maintain communication with actual referral source, to the extent that the referral source desires that, even if there is a separate funding source.  In some cases a referral source has case management responsibilities that need to be respected. 

Of particular concern is that schools and programs that include publicly funded students / clients treating their funding source as the only “customer,” scapegoating parents, and expecting the professionals involved with a student/ client to cover for each other in the event of parent, student, or client criticism or voicing of concern. 

Feedback is invited. We will  publish selected feedback.  Email FamilyLightResponse@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: No  program review, no matter how positive, is a blanket endorsement. No criticism is a blanket condemnation.  When we express our level of confidence in a school or program, that is our subjective opinion with which others might reasonably disagree.  When we assert something as fact, we have done our best to be accurate, but we cannot guarantee that all of our information is accurate and up to date. When we address compliance with our guidelines, you need to remember that these are only OUR guidelines -- not guidelines from an official source.  We have also set the bar very high, and do not expect any school or program to be in total compliance.  It is not appropriate to draw a conclusion of impropriety (or even failure to live up to conventional wisdom) from our lack of confidence in a school or program or from less than perfect conformity to our guidelines.  Some will say we expect too much. Readers are responsible for verifying accuracy of information supplied here prior to acting upon it. We are not responsible for inaccuracies.

Last revised 07-21-09;