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The Council on Quality and Leadership | NLCDD’s Partner Organization

The Affiliation

The affiliation between NLCDD and CQL is grounded in shared values, a mutual commitment to advancing the human services field, and complementary areas of expertise among our two teams.

Benefits to the Field 

Since 2022, the alliance between long-time industry partners has been founded on shared principles and strategic directives, while allowing both organizations to maintain their existing services, customer networks, and independent identities.

Together, NLC and CQL collaborate to benefit the broader field through the development of practical guides, timely publications, impactful research, and engaging learning experiences. Our shared efforts support field leaders, promote innovation, and ultimately improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Basis for the Partnership

Through alignment of vision, mission, and values, the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities is an affiliate of the Council on Quality and Leadership. This means that CQL provides administrative and operational support to NLCDD, enabling us to focus on cultivating field leaders at every level of the IDD system.

Importantly, the affiliation preserves the integrity of each organization’s core work: NLCDD continues its internationally recognized leadership institutes and research initiatives, while CQL remains focused on its accreditation, training, certification, and consultation services.

CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership

Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.

CQL Vision

The vision of CQL is a world of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.

CQL Mission

CQL is dedicated to the definition, measurement, and improvement of personal quality of life.

CQL Services & Offerings 

CQL has numerous services, insights, and tools to spark innovation in the field and promote ongoing organizational transformation, so that people receiving services can live vibrant, fulfilling, and meaningful lives. 

CQL Accreditation 

CQL Accreditation provides a proven framework for quality monitoring and enhancement through person-centered, internationally-recognized approaches. 

CQL Training 

CQL Training will expand your professional development and build knowledge, skills, and practices through both in-person and virtual training opportunities. 

CQL Certification 

CQL Certification helps ensure the quality and consistency of how the Personal Outcome Measures® are implemented by organizations and agencies. 

CQL Research 

CQL Research provides access to studies, findings, and analysis affecting the human services field, as well as insight through CQL’s PORTAL Data System. 

CQL Consultation 

CQL Consultation entails customized approaches tailored to your unique needs in human services, with collaboration and guidance from CQL experts. 

CQL Resources 

CQL Resources will help you implement best practices at your organization through a robust library of webinars, guides, manuals, briefs, videos, and articles.

We can always count on CQL to nudge us out of our comfort zone and guide us to the next level of quality.

Stephanie Scott, St. Louis Arc

Transform Supports & People’s Lives

Disability service providers can access hundreds of CQL tools to promote change, enhance services, and improve lives. CQL’s collection of resources share practical tips, expert insight, and specific strategies for the human services field.

Articles

Read the latest research, news, stories, developments, and alerts about human services field for people with disabilities.

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Capstone

Capstone brings together best practices by sharing resources, expertise, and insight to help you improve human services.

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Guides

CQL’s guides offer free access to a wide range of topics affecting the lives of people with disabilities.

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Webinars

The upcoming and archived webinars share applicable information to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

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Manuals

From non-negotiable requirements to transforming services, CQL’s manuals provide you with a path to quality.

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Events

CQL hosts numerous on-site trainings, workshops, seminars, and other events to share best practices in human services.

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Frequently Asked Questions

This partnership grew from a strong alignment of values, mission, and strategic priorities shared by both organizations. With CQL providing administrative and operational support, NLCDD is better positioned to focus on what it does best – cultivating strong, human-rights-centered leadership in the disability field. As well, both organizations, and the field as a whole, benefit from meaningful collaboration, shared expertise, and expanded opportunities to drive lasting impact.

NLCDD remains an independent, semi-autonomous organization hosting its leadership institutes, training, research, and customized support. We look for opportunities to collaborate with CQL and invite them to speak at our programs, including the Leadership Institute, when it makes sense for the training.

Through this alliance, CQL is providing administrative, operational, and marketing support to the National Leadership Consortium, as needed. Relationships with our network partnerships are not impacted by this affiliation; our connections, collaborations, and involvement of our 19 partner entities is just as important as ever within this alliance.

The partnership has no effect on CQL’s core services of accreditation, training, certification, research, and/or consultation. For example, participation in NLCDD programs is not a requirement for achieving or maintaining accreditation. As some human services professionals associated with CQL have in the past, they can still elect to participate in NLCDD’s Leadership Institutes or other programs to promote their own leadership growth.

This affiliation has no effect on CQL industry partnerships, connections, or customers; these relationships remain as important and strong as ever within this alliance.

Considering the collective expertise and experience of NLC and CQL, there are opportunities for the organizations to collaborate on resources, tools, guides, webinars, etc. This offers a wealth of knowledge and insight that can help spread best practices across the human services field, benefiting professionals and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who receive services.