CAPRSS accreditation is the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services' review of recovery community organizations and other programs that offer addiction peer recovery support services, across seven domains. This service is for recovery community organizations and peer programs preparing for that review. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) drafts the governance and operating documents for CAPRSS accreditation; your peer leaders own the recovery practice.
Last reviewed: October 2026. CAPRSS home page and Readiness Self-Assessment page checked on October 2, 2026.
What is CAPRSS accreditation?
CAPRSS describes itself this way: "The Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services (CAPRSS) is the only accrediting body in the US specifically for recovery community organizations (RCOs) and other programs offering addiction peer recovery support services (PRSS)" (CAPRSS home page). That is CAPRSS's statement about itself.
The governing text is the CAPRSS accreditation standards, organized in seven domains. CAPRSS states: "Accreditation is an intense and intensive process that looks at seven areas (called domains )" (CAPRSS Accreditation Readiness Self-Assessment). The seven domains CAPRSS names are:
- Recovery Principles, Culture and Climate
- Ethical Framework for Service Delivery
- Peer Leader Development
- Peer Supervisor Development
- Governance and Program Oversight
- Management Systems
- Peer Support Capacity: Core Competencies
CAPRSS does not post its full standards document, with a title and version, on the public pages we reviewed. IHS works from the domains above and from the standards text your organization receives from CAPRSS.
CAPRSS defines the organizations it has in mind: "An RCO is defined as an organization that is primarily composed of and led by people with lived experience of addiction and recovery. Many other PRSS programs are housed in host organizations, such a treatment providers, AIDS service organizations, or veterans organizations" (CAPRSS Accreditation Readiness Self-Assessment).
Who needs it and what triggers it
Funding is a common trigger. CAPRSS posts this notice: "We have received a number of requests regarding CAPRSS Accreditation due to a recent grant opportunity. When considering the accreditation process please note it takes 18 to 24 months to complete. If you are still interested in accreditation please complete the "Readiness Assessment"" (CAPRSS home page). CAPRSS does not name the grant on that page; the grant's own terms set whether accreditation is required.
CAPRSS serves organizations at three stages: "emerging organizations seeking information and resources to develop their programs; established organizations looking to improve depth, breadth, scope, and quality of the peer services they provide, and preparing to seek accreditation; "accreditation-ready" organizations applying for accreditation" (CAPRSS home page).
The first formal step is the Readiness Self-Assessment: "This short self-assessment will help you to determine whether your program is accreditation ready. ... Completing this survey is the first step in starting the CAPRSS Accreditation process" (CAPRSS Accreditation Readiness Self-Assessment).
How IHS helps
IHS works from the seven CAPRSS domains. The process:
- Gap assessment. IHS reads your governance, services and peer staffing against the seven domains and lists what is missing.
- Questionnaires. IHS sends questionnaires on governance, services, peer leaders and peer supervisors to the people who hold that knowledge.
- Evidence crosswalk. IHS maps each domain to the documents and records that show it in practice.
- Drafted documents. IHS drafts governance records, operating and human resources policies, ethics framework documents, peer leader and peer supervisor development materials and an evidence plan. They are written in your organization's own recovery language, and your peer leaders review, change and approve them.
- Application tracking. IHS tracks the application steps your organization completes, starting with the Readiness Assessment.
- Mock review. IHS reviews your documents and records against the domains the way a reviewer would, and lists what remains.
What you supply: your bylaws, board records, service descriptions and the peer leaders who own the recovery philosophy and practice. Your organization completes the Readiness Assessment and applies to CAPRSS itself.
The limit: CAPRSS states an 18 to 24 month process, and IHS cannot shorten the accreditor's timeline. Peer practice belongs to your community. The accreditation decision is CAPRSS's.
What to have ready
Each item ties to a CAPRSS domain or step as CAPRSS names it on its public pages (CAPRSS Accreditation Readiness Self-Assessment, CAPRSS home page).
- A written statement of your recovery principles and how they shape culture and climate (Recovery Principles, Culture and Climate).
- Your ethics code or framework for peer service delivery (Ethical Framework for Service Delivery).
- Training and development records for peer leaders (Peer Leader Development).
- Supervision records and the supervision model for peer supervisors (Peer Supervisor Development). CAPRSS notes that "supervision in a PRSS setting is not clinical supervision. Rather, it is more akin to coaching."
- Bylaws, board minutes and program oversight records (Governance and Program Oversight).
- Operating, financial and human resources policies (Management Systems).
- Peer staff competency records and job descriptions (Peer Support Capacity: Core Competencies).
- A description of who leads the organization, since CAPRSS defines an RCO as "primarily composed of and led by people with lived experience of addiction and recovery," or of the host organization that houses your peer program.
- Your completed Readiness Self-Assessment, "the first step in starting the CAPRSS Accreditation process."
- A project calendar that allows for the 18 to 24 months CAPRSS states the process takes (CAPRSS home page).
If you want help sorting these, the introductory call is the place to start.
How it compares
Peer programs weigh these routes. They are not exclusive.
| Route | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| CAPRSS accreditation | Seven domains; CAPRSS states it takes 18 to 24 months and calls itself the only US accrediting body specifically for RCOs and PRSS programs (CAPRSS home page). |
| COA accreditation of a multiservice agency that houses a peer program | Social Current describes COA as accrediting "the full continuum of social and human services" (Social Current, COA Accreditation). Whether COA has a peer recovery service section was not checked for this page. |
| CARF accreditation of peer support programs | Not reviewed for this page. Compare CARF's published standards with your funder's terms. |
| A funder's or state's own peer-service rules, without accreditation | Not reviewed for this page; these vary by funder and state. |
| IHS gap assessment and drafting | Drafted governance and operating documents, an evidence plan and a mock review. It does not replace your peer leaders. |
What it costs
CAPRSS does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed; fees depend on scope. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- IHS is not CAPRSS and does not grant, predict or speed up an accreditation decision.
- IHS does not contact, apply to or speak for your organization to CAPRSS or to your funder. IHS drafts; you apply.
- IHS does not define your recovery practice or supervise your peer staff.
Frequently asked questions
What is CAPRSS accreditation for recovery community organizations?
It is accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services of recovery community organizations and other programs offering addiction peer recovery support services. CAPRSS reviews seven areas it calls domains, from recovery principles to peer support core competencies.
Is CAPRSS the only accreditor for peer recovery support services?
CAPRSS states that it is the only accrediting body in the US specifically for recovery community organizations and other programs offering addiction peer recovery support services. That is CAPRSS's statement about itself.
How long does CAPRSS accreditation take?
CAPRSS states that the accreditation process takes 18 to 24 months to complete. IHS cannot shorten the accreditor's timeline; it can help your documents be ready when the review needs them.
What are the seven CAPRSS accreditation domains?
CAPRSS names Recovery Principles, Culture and Climate; Ethical Framework for Service Delivery; Peer Leader Development; Peer Supervisor Development; Governance and Program Oversight; Management Systems; and Peer Support Capacity: Core Competencies.
How do we know if our peer program is accreditation-ready?
CAPRSS offers a short Readiness Self-Assessment to help a program determine whether it is accreditation ready. CAPRSS states that completing it is the first step in starting the CAPRSS accreditation process.
Does a grant require our recovery community organization to be accredited?
CAPRSS notes it has received requests tied to a recent grant opportunity but does not name the grant on its home page. The grant's own terms set whether accreditation is required and by when, so read them first.
How much does CAPRSS accreditation cost?
CAPRSS does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed. IHS scopes its own work after a free introductory call.
Can a peer program inside a treatment provider or other host organization be accredited?
CAPRSS accredits recovery community organizations and other programs offering peer recovery support services, and it notes that many such programs are housed in host organizations such as treatment providers, AIDS service organizations or veterans organizations.
How is peer supervision different from clinical supervision for accreditation?
CAPRSS states that supervision in a peer recovery support setting is not clinical supervision and is more akin to coaching. Peer Supervisor Development is one of the seven domains.