Achieving Quality through UserLed Services

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Achieving Quality through User-Led Services

• Speech of Dana Migaliova
• Action in Europe 2009, Tampere, Finland, 24-27
  June

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Brief history of the quality concept

• Differences between East European and West
  European countries
• conditions and environment created for socially
  unprotected citizens in West European countries
• bringing people with disabilities to big
  institutions in the Eastern block countries
• necessity of changes after Berlin wall collapse

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I. Brief history of the quality concept

• Projects on quality evaluation and experience
  the biggest lesson for East European
  organizations, common objective to create united
  Europe.
• Quality indicators of evaluation methods input
  indicators these are easily measured standards,
  like square meters, number of staff persons, etc
• Negative side of input indicators not good in
  connection to the resulting quality of life of
  users
• 1988 - Inclusion International developed Quality
  Evaluation guidelines. It is important that
  various aspects of social and community
  integration be explored in evaluation of quality
  of life.

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II. A switch from input to output indicators

• A switch from input to output related indicators
  was made in 2003.
• Important event - Achieving Quality, a
  brochure published by Inclusion Europe. We can
  read in the brochure that the quality of life
  experienced by disabled people is determined by
  the kind of their support services.
• Some support processes that contribute to
  positive quality-of-life outcomes
• Person-centeredness
• Full participation in society
• Dignity and respect
• Choice and control
• Relations
• Independence and development.
• The best evaluation method is the method done by
  users themselves.

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III. Services are provided for people!

• Choice of the services depend upon the users.
• October 2007- publication of position paper of
  the High Level Group on disability Quality of
  social services of general interests.
• Point 4.5 of this paper states key principles for
  quality of social services to people with
  disabilities
• Participation
• Involvement in the service team
• Engagement in self assessment and feedback.
• Nothing about us, without us must be the
  guideline principle for services to disabled
  people.

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IV. The position paper of Inclusion Europe

• Service providers should ensure
• democratic representation of users in the
  management of services for disabled people
• effective control by users of the key aspects of
  service provision.
• Position paper User councils in special services
  for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Inclusion Europe clealy states the existence
  of such representation and control is an
  indispensable indicator of service quality.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• Ways to ensure the representation and control of
  the users
• Personal budgets
• User Councils
• User involvement in the evaluation of services
  quality
• 1. Personal budgets or direct payment programs
• usually delivered the mainstream of society,
• do not require specialised settings.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• 2. User Council
• It is creation of an elected body of user
  representatives
• Minimum conditions for the work of User Councils
  are set up in Position paper.
• Examples of good practices
• Mencap in the UK works with people with a
  learning disability to change laws and services,
  challenge prejudice and directly support
  thousands of people to live their lives as they
  choose.
• The Keyring Living Support Networks, Ireland.
  Publication Recruitment Guidelines
  explanation on participation in recruitment, how
  to lead interviews and how to involve service
  users.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• Self-advocating in Portugal self-advocates
  attend Faculty of Human Kinetics at Lisbon
  University to give lectures about self-advocacy
  to students of special education.
• The main topics of lectures life experience,
  difficulties in being heard.
• Results change of viewpoints of the students on
  people with disabilities, getting information
  about the people with disabilities they cannot
  learn from the books.
• Me Itse ry, the Finnish Self-Advocacy Society of
  Persons with Learning Disabilities, Finland.
• Development of A Guide for Individual Service
  Planning.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• Examples of good practices illustrate
• how important user participation is,
• how strong the impact on the services and
  professionals can be.
• To read position paper and the brochure User
  Council in disability services Recommendations
  for good practice go visit the website of
  Inclusion Europe www.inclusion-europe.org

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Representation
and control of the users how to achieve quality
through User-led services

• 3. User involvement in the evaluation of services
  quality the third way to ensure democratic
  representation and control by users of the
  services.
• Concrete example of promotion user involvement in
  evaluation is European project the Inclusion
  Europe is leading.
• NUEVA is a new evaluation model developed in
  Austria by association Atempo.
• NUEVA
• measures the quality of managed residential
  opportunities
• describes them by means of a quality profile
• evaluation process carry out people with learning
  difficulties and special needs.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• NUEVA project duration 2 years
• NUEVA Trainees 24 trainees
• NUEVAs criteria and questions prepared on the
  basis of their own experience as users of managed
  accommodation.
• NUEVA participative observation method for people
  with severe disabilities or complex needs.
• NUEVA image form of question in the
  questionnaire, and every choice of answer.
• NUEVA Catalogue presentation of evaluation
  results.

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Representation and control of the users how
to achieve quality through User-led services

• NUEVA offers managed residential opportunity
  providers new possibilities to optimize what they
  offer in various areas
• quality of management and accounting
• internal and external criterion
• Marketing
• target-group oriented consumer information.
• NUEVA Support of social service planning by means
  of comparison through analysis. Public services
  can act as the basis for quality control.

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Representation and control of the users how to
achieve quality through User-led services

• Decision of European Commission to finance
  transfer of the project in other countries. The
  title of the project UNIQ Users Network
  Improve Quality.
• Main steps of UNIQ project
• Introduction to NUEVA model 1 week training of
  people with mental disabilities in Austria.
• NUEVA team travel in 3 participating countries
  training with evaluators, live-testing in some
  services.
• NUEVA partners organize 6 quality Circle Meetings
  with users, professionals, service providers,
  decision-makers
• Work on Concept of quality, definition of
  criteria to a questionnaire.

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Conclusions

• Participation in delivery of social service and
  quality evaluation.
• Use of the main criterion of service evaluation -
  quality of life.
• Alternative communication tools to evaluate
  quality of services, support of a personal
  assistant.
• Make conditions for direct transfer of
  information about themselves, their experience,
  feelings, expectations to specialists.
• Seek dialogue with a person, not about a person.
• Talk, look and find common solutions.
• Focus on good state of a person, satisfaction,
  positive feelings, suitable conditions,
  environment created not only take, but also give.