In the context of human services, standards establish what is expected of service providers in relation to the quality and effectiveness of service provision. Accreditation is the process of evaluating performance and certifying that standards have been met to the level required.

Accreditation is an active process. While standards can exist independently of an evaluation system, an accreditation system must have explicit standards with which to assess performance. Together, standards and the accreditation process form a framework for the delivery and management of a service, and a means of assessing performance to ensure quality and accountability.