Since you do not meet all of the core criteria in the Welcoming Standard, you must submit an Audit Action Plan to become certified. Once your Audit Action Plan has been approved by your certification team and you meet at least 90% of the core criteria, you may receive your certificate with the expectation that you will continue to implement and fulfill any remaining activities in the Audit Action Plan. If you do not complete the Audit Action Plan, you may be subject to sanctions, including decertification.
Instructions for Completing the Audit Action Plan
Please complete this form within 30 business days (one and a half months) of receiving your Final Audit Report.
- Refer to your Final Audit Report for the list of non-compliant core criteria. Please list which criteria are being addressed for each plan. You may address multiple criteria with one plan.
- Each plan must address the underlying reason, or root cause, for non-compliance. In the Root Cause Analysis section, please explain why the specific criteria was not fulfilled. For example, the root cause analysis for lacking a language access program might be insufficient education throughout government departments and agencies on Title VI.
- In the Proposed Action section, please describe the actions that will be taken in order to fulfill the criteria. Actions must be verifiable and prevent future non-compliance.
- Under Implementation Deadline, please list the date that the criteria will be in compliance with the Welcoming Standard. You must contact your certification team by this date with evidence of compliance. Please note, the timeline to implement the Audit Action Plan is up to your discretion. However, we request that it be completed within six months or else you may be required to apply for recertification.
- In the section Person/Department Responsible, please name the individual who will be responsible for the specific action item and include a phone number and e-mail address.
Next Steps and Certification
Upon receiving your completed Audit Action Plan, your certification team will be in contact to inform you if it has been approved or if additional information is requested. Upon approval of your Audit Action Plan, you are responsible for implementing it and notifying your certification team of its completion. You will be asked to provide evidence to demonstrate its completion. An additional audit may be required for this step.
If you already meet at least 90% of the core criteria, you may receive your Certified Welcoming Certificate upon approval of your Audit Action Plan. Or, you may choose to wait until the Audit Action Plan is implemented and all remaining criteria are fulfilled.
If you do not meet at least 90% of the core criteria, you may receive your Certified Welcoming Certificate upon implementing the Audit Action Plan and fulfilling enough criteria to meet 90% of the core criteria. You will be expected to implement the remainder of the Audit Action Plan.
If you have any questions about completing the Audit Action Plan or next steps, please contact us at certified@welcomingamerica.org.