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Oconomowoc, WI, December 13, 2005 – Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center, (ODTC), a company providing residential, respite, educational/ vocational and day school services to people with disabilities, has been awarded Praesidium Accreditation™ by Praesidium, the national leader in abuse risk management. Praesidium Accreditation™ is a prestigious honor that publicly demonstrates to consumers—and insurance underwriters—that ODTC has worked to achieve the highest industry standards in abuse prevention. ODTC is strongly committed to safety and abuse prevention, and is the first program of its type to achieve this Accreditation in the State of Wisconsin.
Consumers rightfully expect that companies will do whatever necessary to keep predators away. Criminal background and sex offender registry checks provide some level of assurance, but only about four percent of molesters have criminal records. Consumers want proof that companies aren’t simply relying on yesterday’s methods.
To attain accreditation, ODTC underwent a rigorous Risk Assessment™ to review and scrutinize eight primary operational areas within their business including: policies, screening and selection, training, monitoring and supervision, consumer participation, feedback systems, responding and administrative systems. Their assessment results were benchmarked against The Safety Equation™—800 best practice standards and empirically based data collection methods to assess the risk of abuse in an organization. ODTC will be accredited for three years, and during this time will uphold fundamental organizational values and stringent safety practices that demonstrate their commitment to protecting those in their care from abuse.
Praesidium Accreditation™ provides solid proof of sound risk management practices and the honor distinguishes ODTC from others in their industry. “We are pleased to send the message that we will not compromise the safety of those in our care—for any reason,” said Jeff Kaphengst, ODTC Director. “As an entire organization, we are dedicated and committed to proactively keeping those in our care safe from sexual abuse.” |
