ESS is committed to providing the highest quality of family-centered care and safety in our practices and the design and delivery of our services.

Every four years, we choose to undertake an accreditation process through Accreditation Canada as a way to build our culture of quality and safety. Accreditation helps organizations strengthen their quality improvement efforts by identifying what they are doing well and where improvements are needed.

ESS was first accredited in 2010, then in 2013, 2018, and most recently in October 2022.

We are proud to share we have met 100% of all accreditation standards and have once again achieved Exemplary Standing.  This is the highest level of performance awarded by Accreditation Canada.  View the full accreditation report and executive summary of their findings.

A note from our CEO, Alison Coke:

Dear Community,

We have been notified that ESS Support Services has been awarded Accreditation with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada.  This is the highest level of performance awarded by Accreditation Canada using globally recognized, evidence-based practices that result in the highest quality of care that clients, staff and stakeholders should expect.

This assessment was based on the findings of two expert accreditation surveyors as a result of their visit to ESS in October.  The survey involved several interviews with representatives of our Board of Directors, meetings with several staff teams, a series of visits at various ESS locations and conversations with clients, families and community partners.

Their final report judged ESS to have met 100% of the standards Accreditation Canada uses to judge agencies like ours across Canada.  In their verbal feedback session, the surveyors noted how unusual it was to have achieved a 100% evaluation.

This achievement reflects the excellence in the Governance provided by our Board of Directors, and the wonderful reviews they heard about ESS’ support and care from our clients – all of which would have been reinforced as they watched our staff team at work.  Being part of such a highly performing and caring agency is something to be truly proud of.

To have achieved such a high standard of evaluation at any time is praiseworthy.  To have achieved it following the extremely volatile and uncertain period we have all been through, makes this accomplishment simply astonishing.

Alison Coke

CEO, ESS Support Services