Family Support Institute of BC (FSI) awarded CARF Canada Accreditation

(May 22, 2025 – New Westminster, B.C.)— We are proud to announce that the Family Support Institute of BC (FSI) has been awarded a Three-Year Accreditation by CARF Canada for our peer mentor services and our Board’s Governance Standards. Our accreditation will extend through March 31, 2028.

By pursuing and achieving accreditation, FSI has demonstrated that we meet international standards of quality and are committed to continual excellence.

This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization and shows our organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has gone through a rigorous peer-review process.

FSI is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing peer-to-peer mentorship for families supporting a family member with a disability all over the province of BC since 1985. We started with a small team of staff and six volunteer Resource Parents/Peers (peer mentors), and have now grown to a province-wide network with 19 employees and over 260 Resource Parents/Peers serving families within and beyond their own communities.

Here are some of FSI’s areas of strength as noted by CARF:

• FSI’s Board of Directors is committed to the mission and vision of the organization. Our Board membership is representative of all five health regions of BC (Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, Vancouver Island, and Northern Health Authorities). Most Board members are family members of people with disabilities, and may be Resource Parents/Peers themselves.
• FSI is strongly committed to furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize the value and significance of an intersectionality of social identities and how it plays a role in influencing individuals’ and families’ lived experiences; we recognize the myriad ways that equity-seeking populations in BC are affected by systemic injustices and the ongoing effects of colonization.
• FSI has good working relationships with funding and referral sources, which allows us to leverage on our networks and connections to maximize our impact across the province. Our peer support model enables us to reach diverse geographic areas and keep wait times down.

CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. CARF Canada is a member of CARF International. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.

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About Family Support Institute of BC:

The Family Support Institute (FSI) supports families who have family members with disabilities and mental health challenges. FSI is unique in Canada and is the only grass-roots, family-to-family support organization. FSI believes families are the best resource to support one another and the most vital voice for their family members. FSI supports all families with children of all ages, disabilities, and concurrent conditions. FSI’s supports are free to any family.

For questions or media inquiries, please contact:

Angela Clancy
Executive Director
Family Support Institute of BC

(604) 540-8374 ext 6