SCO Family of Services Reaffirms Commitment to Safety, Achieves Praesidium Accreditation

Garden City, NY – SCO Family of Services, a leading provider of essential human services for more than 125 years, has once again been awarded Praesidium Accreditation® by Praesidium, the leader in abuse risk management. Praesidium Accreditation® is a prestigious honor that publicly demonstrates the organization has worked to achieve the highest industry standards in abuse prevention.

“There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of the individuals we are entrusted to serve,” remarked Suzette Gordon, President and CEO of SCO Family of Services. “At SCO, we are committed to building a culture of safety – where every member of our workforce has the tools and knowledge to foster healthy interactions and minimize the potential for risk. Achieving Praesidium Accreditation is a testament to the dedication of our employees and reaffirms our agency-wide commitment to safety.”

To achieve accreditation, SCO underwent a rigorous process to implement Praesidium’s Accreditation Standards focusing on eight primary operational areas within its business: policies, screening and selection, training, monitoring and supervision, consumer participation, internal feedback systems, responding, and administrative practices. Praesidium then verified the agency’s successful implementation of these standards. SCO Family of Services will be re-accredited for three years, and during this time will commit to uphold fundamental organizational values and stringent safety practices.

SCO was first awarded Praesidium Accreditation in 2013 to demonstrate the agency’s commitment to creating a culture of safety and prevention and the adoption of sound risk management practices. Since that time, SCO has undertaken multiple successful reaccreditations, weaving safety into the fabric of the organization.

About Praesidium
Praesidium specializes in preventing sexual abuse in organizations that serve youth and vulnerable adults. For over 30 years, the company has reviewed over 4,000 cases of abuse within organizations to determine the root causes of sexual abuse within organizational settings. Praesidium employs more than 50 staff, including licensed social workers, lawyers, health care researchers, and other experts. The company has served over 5,000 clients with a broad range of products and services to aid organizations in preventing abuse, including online and instructor–led trainings, organizational risk assessments, model policies, and background checks. Praesidium is the largest and most comprehensive sexual abuse risk management firm globally.

About SCO Family of Services
SCO Family of Services is one of the largest human services agencies in the metropolitan area, serving 50,000 New Yorkers each year. We help New Yorkers build a strong foundation for the future. We get young children off to a good start, launch youth into adulthood, stabilize and strengthen families and unlock potential for children and adults with special needs. SCO has played a vital role delivering human services in communities throughout New York City and Long Island for over 125 years. For more information, please visit www.sco.org.