The Children's Mental Health Ontario accreditation committee consists of four executive directors from accredited centres, two representatives of citizen boards, one person external to Children's Mental Health Ontario who has experience in accreditation, one person with experience in children's mental health, and two non-voting ex officio members. After considering the site review report, the centre's reply to the report, and supporting materials, the accreditation committee submits its recommendation to Children's Mental Health Ontario's board of directors, which makes the actual award. Standards are divided into essential and desirable standards. The essential standards provide the common basis for high quality children's mental health services, regardless of the centre's size, location, or budget. The desirable standards are those which are desirable and permit centres to respond flexibly to community needs.
Full accreditation is valid for four years.
All essential standards must be achieved within two years and at that time the successful centre receives full accreditation. The operating costs of the accreditation program are covered by the annual dues of the association's members. The centre applying for accreditation also pays the cost of its site review. Accredited centres consistently report that the self-study process helps improve the quality of services. Accreditation also helps to build an ethic of continuous improvement into the organization and strengthen the identity of children's mental health centres.