Inclusion/Exclusion Policy for Resources

 1)      Inclusion Criteria: 
a)      All not-for-profit organizations registered as federally exempt 501(c)(3), or organizations of equivalent status, public agencies, and self-help groups may be eligible.
b)      For-profit organizations may be included if they meet a community need where insufficient not-for-profit or government services exist to meet the need and if they are licensed or certified by respective licensing entities.
c)      Organizations shall have been in existence for six months or are affiliated with another organization that has been in existence for at least one year.
d)     Organizations must have a demonstrated ability to provide the service as stated on the resource profile form, as indicated by information from consumers or professionals. 

2)      Exclusion Criteria:
a)      Any agency that consistently claims that it performs certain functions or is open certain hours and is not, will be reviewed and possibly deleted from the database.
b)      Any agency that provides a service that is characterized as illegal in nature.
c)      Individual practitioners. 

3)      Methodology
a)      All information will be validated annually.
b)      The name and title of person verifying information from each agency will be noted.
c)      Inclusion/exclusion policy will be reviewed, at a minimum, every three years.
d)     Returned and approved agency profiles will be kept or stored for a minimum of three years.
e)      The 211 regional participants will safeguard the resource database through duplication or computerized back-up. The back-up database will be kept in a secure location where it is protected from destruction or theft.