Quality label

The aim of the EFHCO Quality Label is to be a professionally recognized mark of quality standards, outlined in the statutes of our organization and achieved by a regular and stringent monitoring process.

EFHCO wants to ensure best practice with all its members as well as supporting other organizations in their aim to achieve the highest standard of professional Healthcare Clowning.

Organizations that abide with the following criteria can become EFHCO member and automatically receive the EFHCO Quality Label, as shown below.

 

 

Monotoring the quality label

EFHCO members can issue the EFHCO quality label after one-year membership.

For the reviewing of the annual finances and the accountability towards donors, EFHCO members cooperate with a local professional external auditor. Each year members provide the external audit review by the auditor to the EFHCO board.

Three independent reviewers carry out the audit of the quality of the healthcare clown organizations carrying the EFHCO label.  The reviewers understand the healthcare clown work, artistically and managerial,  but are not necessarily hospital clowns (anymore). They are carefully briefed upon the questions to ask to managers, artistic directors, clowns and their care institutions. These questions have been drafted especially for this quality label.

The board verifies that there is no conflict of interest between the reviewer and the member organization.

 

Initial Research

a.  Organizations who apply for becoming a full member and for the assignment of the EFHCO quality label are audited on two functions:

               1.       Management and office

               2.       Artistic Program

b.  When the initial research has been finished positively, the board decides on a membership. After one year of membership they decide upon issuing the quality label for a period of 5 years.

 

Monitoring

Yearly every EFHCO member is obliged to send the approved management and office documents to the EFHCO board.

1. The EFHCO board monitors the documents.
2. Independent reviewers are responsible for monitoring the management and the artistic EFHCO criteria.
3. The frequency of monitoring will be once every five years.
4. The reviewer that monitors a group informs the EFHCO board on his/her findings.
5. Procedure:

               a. If one or both parts are not met, the EFHCO board is informed.

               b.The EFHCO member is cautioned by the board and gets two months time to organize the management and office part. For the artistic part the member organization will have to improve its artistic procedure within 6 months.

              c. If after two months the member organization can present the requested document, or meets after 6 months the artistic requirements, the member organization preserves the quality label.

             d. If after respectively two or 6 months the Management and Office or the Artistic procedure is still not approved, the organization will lose its quality label and is no longer an EFHCO member.

 

Extending the EFHCO quality label

After approval of the Management and the Artistic Program of a member, the renewal of the quality label is issued at least 3 months before the contract ceases, again for a period of five years.