International Standards for clubhouse programs
The International Standards for Clubhouse Programs,
consensually agreed upon by the worldwide clubhouse
community, define the Clubhouse Model of rehabilitation. The
principles expressed in these Standards are at the heart of the
clubhouse community's success in helping people with mental
illness to stay out of hospitals while achieving social, financial
and vocational goals. The Standards also serve as a kind of
"bill of rights" for members and a code of ethics for staff,
board and administrators. The Standards insist that a
clubhouse is a place that offers respect and opportunity to its
members.
The Standards provide the basis for assessing clubhouse
quality, through the International Center for Clubhouse
Development (ICCD) certification process.
Every two years the worldwide clubhouse community reviews
these Standards, and amends them as deemed necessary.
The process is coordinated by the ICCD Standards Review
Committee, made up of members and staff of ICCD-certified
clubhouses from around the world.
MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership is voluntary and without time limits.
2. The clubhouse has control over its acceptance of new
members. Membership is open to anyone with a history of
mental illness, unless that person poses a significant and
current threat to the general safety of the clubhouse
community.
3. Members choose the way they utilize the clubhouse, and
the staff with whom they work. There are no agreements,
contracts, schedules, or rules intended to enforce
participation of members.
4. All members have equal access to every clubhouse
opportunity with no differentiation based on diagnosis or
level of functioning.
5. Members at their choice are involved in the writing of all
records reflecting their participation in the clubhouse. All
such records are to be signed by both member and staff.
6. Members have a right to immediate re-entry into the
clubhouse community after any length of absence, unless
their return poses a threat to the community.
RELATIONSHIPS
7. All clubhouse meetings are open to both members and
staff. There are no formal member only meetings or formal
staff only meetings where program decisions and
member issues are discussed.
8. Clubhouse staff are sufficient to engage the membership,
yet few enough to make carrying out their responsibilities
impossible without member involvement.
9. Clubhouse staff have generalist roles. All staff share
employment, housing, evening and weekend, and unit
responsibilities. Clubhouse staff do not divide their time
between clubhouse and other major work responsibilities.
10. Responsibility for the operation of the clubhouse lies with
the members and staff and ultimately with the clubhouse
director. Central to this responsibility is the engagement
of members and staff in all aspects of clubhouse
operation.
SPACE
11. The clubhouse has its own identity, including its own
name, mailing address and telephone number.
12. The clubhouse is located in its own physical space. It is
separate from any mental health center or institutional
settings, and is impermeable to other programs. The
clubhouse is designed to facilitate the work-ordered day
and at the same time be attractive, adequate in size, and
convey a sense of respect and dignity.
13. All clubhouse space is member and staff accessible.
There are no staff only or member only spaces.
WORK ORDERED DAY
14. The work-ordered day engages members and staff
together, side-by-side, in the running of the clubhouse.
The clubhouse focuses on strengths, talents and abilities;
therefore, the work-ordered day is inconsistent with
medication clinics, day treatment or therapy programs
within the clubhouse.
15. The work done in the clubhouse is exclusively the work
generated by the clubhouse in the operation and
enhancement of the clubhouse community. No work for
outside individuals or agencies, whether for pay or not, is
acceptable work in the clubhouse. Members are not paid
for any clubhouse work, nor are there any artificial reward
systems.
16. The clubhouse is open at least five days a week. The
work-ordered day parallels normal working hours.
17. All work in the clubhouse is designed to help members
regain self worth, purpose and confidence; it is not
intended to be job specific training.
18. Members have the opportunity to participate in all the
work of the clubhouse, including administration, research,
intake and orientation, reach out, hiring, training and
evaluation of staff, public relations, advocacy and
evaluation of clubhouse effectiveness.
EMPLOYMENT
19. The clubhouse enables its members to return to paid work
through Transitional Employment and Independent
Employment; therefore, the clubhouse does not provide
employment to members through in-house businesses,
segregated clubhouse enterprises or sheltered
workshops.
TRANSITIONAL EMPLOYMENT
20 The clubhouse offers its own Transitional Employment
program, which provides as a right of membership
opportunities for members to work on job placements in
business and industry. As a defining characteristic of a
clubhouse Transitional Employment program, the
clubhouse guarantees coverage on all placements during
member absences. In addition the Transitional
Employment program meets the following basic criteria.
a. The desire to work is the single most important
factor determining placement opportunity.
b. Placement opportunities will continue to be available
regardless of success or failure in previous
placements.
c. Members work at the employer's place of business.
d. Members are paid the prevailing wage rate, but at
least minimum wage, directly by the employer.
e. Transitional Employment placements are drawn
from a wide variety of job opportunities.
f. Transitional Employment placements are part-time
and time-limited, generally 15 to 20 hours per week
and from six to nine months in duration.
g. Selection and training of members on Transitional
Employment is the responsibility of the clubhouse,
not the employer.
h. Clubhouse members and staff prepare reports on
the placements for all appropriate agencies dealing
with members' benefits.
i. Transitional Employment placements are managed
by clubhouse staff and members and not by TE
specialists.
j. There are no TE placements within the clubhouse.
Transitional Employment placements at an auspice
agency must be off site from the clubhouse and
meet all of the above criteria.
Supported and Independent Employment
21. The clubhouse assists and supports members to secure,
sustain and subsequently, to better their employment.
22. Members who are working independently continue to have
available all clubhouse supports and opportunities
including advocacy for entitlements, and assistance with
housing, clinical, legal, financial and personal issues, as
well as participation in evening and weekend programs.
FUNCTIONS OF THE HOUSE
23. The clubhouse is located in an area where access to local
transportation can be assured, both in terms of getting to
and from the program and accessing TE opportunities.
The clubhouse provides or arranges for effective
alternatives whenever access to public transportation is
limited.
24. Community support services are provided by members
and staff of the clubhouse. Community support activities
are centered in the work unit structure of the clubhouse.
They include helping with entitlements, housing and
advocacy, as well as assistance in finding quality medical,
psychological, pharmacological and substance abuse
services in the community.
25. The clubhouse is committed to securing a range of
choices of safe, decent and affordable housing for all
members. The clubhouse has access to housing
opportunities that meet these criteria, or if unavailable, the
clubhouse develops its own housing program. Clubhouse
housing programs meet the following basic criteria.
a. Members and staff manage the program together.
b. Members who live there do so by choice.
c. Members choose the location of their housing and
their roommates.
d. Policies and procedures are developed in a manner
congruent with the rest of the clubhouse culture.
e. The level of support increases or decreases in
response to the changing needs of the member.
f. Members and staff actively reach out to help
members keep their housing, especially during
periods of hospitalization.
26. The clubhouse assists members to further their vocational
and educational goals by helping them take advantage of
adult education opportunities in the community. In
addition, clubhouses provide in-house educational
programs that significantly utilize the teaching and tutoring
skills of members.
27. The clubhouse has a method and takes responsibility for
objectively evaluating its effectiveness.
28. The clubhouse director, members, staff and other
appropriate persons participate in a three-week training
program in the Clubhouse Model at a certified training
base. Consultations by the Faculty for Clubhouse
Development are provided to all programs seeking to
implement the Clubhouse Model.
29. The clubhouse has recreational and social programs
during evenings and on weekends. Holidays are
celebrated on the actual day they are observed 30.
The clubhouse provides an effective reach out system to
members who are not attending, becoming isolated in the
community, or hospitalized.
FUNDING, GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
31. The clubhouse has an independent board of directors, or
if it is affiliated with a sponsoring agency, has a separate
advisory board comprised of individuals uniquely
positioned to provide fiscal, legal, legislative, consumer
and community support and advocacy for the clubhouse.
32. The clubhouse develops and maintains its own budget,
approved by the board or advisory board prior to the
beginning of the fiscal year and monitored routinely during
the fiscal year.
33. Staff salaries are competitive with comparable positions
in the mental health field.
34. The clubhouse has the support of appropriate mental
health authorities and has all required licenses and
certifications. The clubhouse seeks and maintains
effective relationships with family, consumer and
professional organizations.
35. The clubhouse holds open forums and has procedures
which enable members and staff to actively participate in
decision making regarding governance, policy making,
and the future direction and development of the
clubhouse.
October,1996 ©
Revised January 2001
General ICCD E-mail: ICCDNYC@compuserve.com
The Executive Director of the ICCD is Joel Corcoran
ICCD Webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2001 International Center for Clubhouse Development
Last modified: August 07, 2001