4/7/2006 - Program Policy Working Group Meeting
The Program Policy Working Group (PPWG) met in New York City March 13-15. The meeting was attended by Lennart D’hulst of BFL, Marcus Sodre of BRA, Annette Domhan of GER, Tami Muto of JPN, Helen Lowman of US and Lisa Cohen, Mary Ann Zaremba and David Blythe of INT. Paola Cutaia of ITA was unable to attend. The PPWG was appointed in 2004 by Tachi Cazal at the recommendation of the Management Council. The membership is a group of experienced Program Directors who provide input to the modification and development of AFS program policies and who take a leadership role in maintaining and expanding the quality of AFS programs.
A number of items were discussed and a brief summary of actions plans is listed below. Comments or questions about the meeting may be directed to David Blythe at AFS International.
Applications:
In response to issues which have arisen out of the development of an on-line application and in response to issues raised by some Partners, a sub-group of Helen, Lenny and David will review the Participant Application and make suggestions to the PPWG for improvement. Additionally, AFS INT will work with the IT team to explore the development of an on-line application process for host families and in the process work to clarify minimum standards for host family applications.
Special Placements:
In light of questions raised by various Partners, Lenny, Helen and Mary Ann will review the AFS guidelines for Special Placements and forward their suggestions to the PPWG for further discussion and action.
Country Specific Criteria for G Status:
At the request of the European Program Directors who recently met in Vienna, the PPWG had a discussion about criteria some partners add to the standard criteria for an applicant to get a “G” (guaranteed) status. The PPWG is doing some research on this issue and will continue to discuss it and make recommendations to the Network.
Standards, Policies & Procedures data base:
Mary Ann will be reviewing both the format and the content of the Standards, Policies & Procedures data base. The PPWG will be giving her input and feedback on this ongoing process. All Partners are invited to share any suggestions or thoughts with Mary Ann via e-mail.
Early Returns and Support Agreements:
Annette will work with Tami, Marcus and David to help provide clear guidelines to Partners about communications in any ER situation and to help clarify the role of a Support Agreement (often referred to as a “Behavioral Agreement”).
Orientations:
The PPWG had a discussion with Betsy Hansel of how AFS’ process of participant orientation will be changed and informed by what AFS has learned from the Educational Results Project. Other groups are working on developing these ideas; the PPWG supports the ongoing efforts of AFS to provide better orientations.
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