Governance

The American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) maintains governance structures designed to preserve standards integrity, organizational independence, accreditation impartiality, fiduciary oversight, and public trust.

As the independent national standards-setting organization and steward of Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP), FRBH maintains governance structures that safeguard the integrity of the FRBH National Standard and support its advancement as a public good across trauma-exposed public safety professions.
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FRBH assigns distinct institutional responsibilities across standards development, implementation support, governance, accreditation evaluation, accreditation determination, and administrative functions. These governance structures preserve independence, accountability, and institutional integrity irrespective of changes in leadership, funding, organizational growth, or external influence.

‍Governance Principles

‍The FRBH governance framework is designed to preserve:

• Structural independence
• Standards integrity
• Accreditation impartiality
• Fiduciary oversight
• Governance accountability
• Separation of authority across standards development, implementation support, accreditation evaluation, accreditation determination, and administrative functions

Standards development, implementation support, accreditation evaluation, accreditation determination, and governance oversight are structurally insulated from undue operational, financial, political, commercial, advisory, and external influence.

Distinct institutional authorities, responsibilities, and accountability preserve independence, impartiality, standards integrity, and public trust.

‍Board of Directors - Governing Authority
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The Board of Directors serves as FRBH's highest fiduciary and governance authority and safeguards the organization's mission, stewardship responsibilities, the integrity of the FRBH National Standard, structural independence, and institutional accountability.

Responsibilities include:

• Adoption and oversight of the FRBH National Standard
• Oversight of the development, maintenance and stewardship of the FRBH National Standard
• Protection of accreditation independence
• Approval of governance and organizational policy
• Fiduciary oversight
• Governance accountabiliy

The Board of Directors is responsible for fiduciary oversight, organizational governance, strategic direction, policy stewardship, and protection of the FRBH mission. Board members serve defined terms in accordance with documented FRBH governance policy.

‍[View Leadership]

‍Accreditation Review Council (ARC) - Accreditation Decision Authority

The Accreditation Review Council (ARC) is FRBH's independent accreditation decision-making body established to preserve the integrity, impartiality, and independence of future accreditation determinations under the FRBH accreditation framework.
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Upon commencement of accreditation reviews, the ARC will render accreditation determinations in accordance with documented governance policies, impartiality safeguards, conflict-of-interest requirements, and established accreditation procedures.
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The ARC operates independently from standards development, implementation support, executive administration, advisory functions, accreditation evaluation activities, and operational management.

Intended Responsibilities:

Upon commencement of accreditation reviews, the ARC will be responsible for:

• Reviewing independent accreditation evaluation findings
• Rendering accreditation determinations
• Ensuring compliance with conflict-of-interest and impartiality requirements
• Applying governance policies, including recusal where required where required

ARC members serve defined terms in accordance with documented FRBH governance policy.

‍Executive Leadership - Administrative Authority

The Executive Leadership Team administers organizational operations and implements policies adopted by the Board of Directors in support of FRBH's stewardship responsibilities.

Executive leadership holds no authority over accreditation determinations.

Responsibilities include:

• Administrative operations
• Administration of the FRBH National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC)and its implementation support activities
• Standards publication and dissemination
• Administration and coordination of accreditation activities
• Organizational management

National Advisory Council — Multidisciplinary Standards Development & Integration

The FRBH National Advisory Council serves as the organization's multidisciplinary standards development and integration body, providing expertise and professional guidance to support the development, refinement, maintenance, implementation, and advancement of the FRBH National Standard across trauma-exposed public safety professions.

Council members represent diverse disciplines and serve in a non-voting advisory capacity. Collectively, the Council strengthens FRBH's standards integration function by contributing multidisciplinary expertise relevant to Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP)..

National Advisory Council members do not participate in fiduciary governance, accreditation reviews, accreditation determinations, accreditation appeals, or accreditation oversight activities and have no authority regarding accreditation decisions.

Council members are subject to documented FRBH conflict-of-interest policies and procedures.

Structural Safeguards

FRBH maintains formal separation among standards development, implementation support, governance, accreditation evaluation, accreditation determination, accreditation appeals, executive administration, and advisory functions.
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Individuals serving within one institutional function may be restricted from participating in other functions where conflicts of interest could impair independence, objectivity, or impartiality.

These safeguards preserve organizational independence, standards integrity, accreditation impartiality, and public trust.
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Stewardship
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As steward of the FRBH National Standard for Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP), FRBH advances nationally consistent workforce protection through three complementary institutional functions:
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• The FRBH National Standard
• The FRBH National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC)
• Voluntary independent accreditation
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Each function serves a distinct institutional purpose while operating within documented governance safeguards that preserve standards integrity, accreditation impartiality, and public trust.

‍Independence & Impartiality

FRBH maintains documented governance policies, conflict-of-interest requirements, impartiality safeguards, and structural independence controls that preserve the integrity of the FRBH National Standard and the independence of accreditation activities.

Additional information is available in the FRBH Impartiality & Conflict of Interest Policy.
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