The BJJ Quality Assurance Unit functions as a support team for the Bureau's residential programs by providing technical assistance and oversight of policies and practices. An integral aspect of the unit's work is serving as liaison for various federal and national agencies that set the standards of practice for juvenile justice programs.

Detailed Overview of Unit

The Quality Assurance (QA) Unit is a small team of professionals with a broad range of experience, spanning clinical skills, policy development, data management, statistical analysis and facility management. The unit operates from a philosophy of being a supportive unit that is able to offer resources and assistance rather than merely a policing unit although oversight and audit are essential elements of QA.

The tasks of the QA unit are broad, often including special projects and acting as Bureau liaison with both federal and national agencies. Such external activities are undertaken with consideration to the betterment of the state's juvenile justice programs, practices and policies as Michigan strives to establish itself as a leader in innovative, effective treatment and management of juvenile offenders. Currently, the Bureau participates in Performance-based Standards (PbS), a national continuous quality improvement program for juvenile correctional facilities administered under a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) by the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA).

Additionally, the QA unit is actively involved in the more typical activities of program auditing for both compliance and quality in policy and practice by the state-run residential treatment facilities. Compliance audits are intended to be a tool for improvement in both the individual programs and the state's juvenile justice system. Audits include technical assistance and resource sharing in order to evoke positive change.