Tidewater Youth Services Commission Operating Principles

While we are working to accomplish our mission, we are guided by the following principles:

• Everyone has the capacity to change, but the process can be complex. We must always remain flexible and open to alternative approaches.
• We are spending the public’s money and must always be accountable for how these funds are spent.
• Our clients are our reason for existence. They have an absolute right to our best efforts and the highest ethical standards.
• We are dedicated to upholding the principles of non-discrimination. Our staff should be culturally diverse and culturally competent.
• Our agency and staff should always model the kind of behavior we are promoting for our clients.
• Treatment within in the context of the family system is essential to progress and self-sufficiency.
• If a youth cannot be reintegrated into his or her family, our goal is to find an alternate living setting or prepare them for independent living.
• We are committed to being a learning organization that utilizes evidence-based practices, evaluates its outcomes, is open to new ideas, and works to develop the skills of its staff members.

For full text of the Commission’s operating principles, adopted by the Commission’s Board of Directors in 1996, please click on this link, TYSC Operating Principles