Accountability is a top priority for CRS. In 2018, CRS, Caritas Australia and CAFOD, jointly developed a Protection Mainstreaming/Safe and Dignified Programming Framework that lays out nine core components needed to uphold safety and dignity, meaningful access, accountability, and participation and empowerment in programming. CRS further demonstrated its commitment to accountability in 2019 by becoming a member of the CHS Alliance, "a global alliance of humanitarian and development organizations committed to making aid work better for people“.

In 2021, CRS embarked on an agency-wide validated process to assess its performance against the nine standards; CHS Alliance members must select one of three options to verify against the standard. The CHS have traditionally focused on humanitarian contexts, as has CRS’ own Safe and Dignified Programming Framework, which shares many elements with the CHS.

However, recognizing the need for quality and accountability regardless of the context, CRS utilized the CHS self-assessment process to collaboratively reflect, learn, and improve on how it applies the standards in both in its relief and development work – as one agency. CHS is used as a benchmark across the sector for quality programming (by donors and peer actors alike) and therefore it is an important tool to support CRS to continue to be a competitive and high-quality implementer in the industry.