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Home > Community Housing > National Standards & Accreditation > About the Framework > A Brief History


	About the Standards & Accreditation Framework
		Introducing the Framework
		A Brief History
		A Quality Improvement Approach
		2002 Review
	National Accreditation Council
	National Community Housing Standards Manual


	In 1997-98 the Australian Government funded the development of nationally agreed service standards for community housing providers. The project also piloted methods to evaluate services using these standards, and to identify options for accrediting services on the basis of such evaluations. The service standards were developed after consultation in every State and Territory. A system was recommended that establishes an overall framework for accreditation at the National level, to be administered at the State level. As a result, the next step identified was to encourage the development of a national framework for the use of standards to evaluate services in every State and Territory as part of a quality improvement process.


	This involves three main elements:
		The establishment of a State based system for reviewing services using the tools developed by the project, leading to quality improvement strategies;

		The accreditation and/or registration of services by States;
		The national oversight of these processes to ensure consistency in standards of accredited services and the national collection of data for future quality improvement, and or financing strategies.
	In order to achieve the latter, a minimal national structure was needed which represents jurisdictions currently or potentially involved in implementing national service standards and accreditation. As a result, the National Community Housing Accreditation Council was established.

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