PHFC receives reaccreditation from EAGLE - The Presbyterian Home for Children

The Presbyterian Home for Children has been reaccredited by the EAGLE Accreditation Commission under the United Methodist Association for four more years.

EAGLE is the only faith-based accrediting body in the world for ministry to children as well as senior adults. In particular, we were commended on “maintaining strong connectional unit relationships with our three separate Presbyteries.” It is referencing the Presbytery of North Alabama, Presbytery of South Alabama and the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley.

The report also said that “each Presbytery makes a significant commitment to the Board of Directors and the PHFC CEO is highly committed to the needs of the Presbyteries, including quarterly in-person report-outs to each.”

Lastly, we were commended on “creating a Junior Board that acts independently from the Governing Board and is comprised of young professionals with a mission to provide fundraising, public relations and volunteerism support to PHFC.”

The Home first achieved accreditation from Educational Assessment Guidelines Leading toward Excellence (EAGLE) in 2017.

Doug Marshall, CEO of the Presbyterian Home for Children, said he is proud that the Home and its staff have been examined by two of the nation’s leading accreditation bodies. In 2020, the Home achieved accreditation through the Council on Accreditation, the nation’s leading accrediting organization for social service agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

“Accreditation is important because it’s a formal recognition of the high performance standards that have always made the Home special,” Marshall said. “Both of these accreditations are objective, independent and reliable validation that we are delivering the highest quality services to all of our stakeholders.”

EAGLE’s primary emphasis is on excellence in Christian ministry, with a focus on how applicant organizations incorporate their Christian mission, religious heritage and values throughout the organization and its daily operations. Other areas of emphasis include focusing on results and outcomes, striving to improve, meeting legal and regulatory requirements, and ensuring privacy, accuracy, accessibility and confidentiality of both client and staff data and information.

EAGLE is a Methodist-related organization. The Methodist church is ecumenical in its approach to faith, and faith-based organizations affiliated with many other churches seek EAGLE accreditation.

“We challenge organizations not just to compete in a challenging human services environment, but to soar above the competition while living their faith values,” the EAGLE website states.

Marshall said accreditation helps organizations like the Home strive for excellence by challenging them to demonstrate how they are adhering to standards followed by excellent organizations.