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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Purpose – The paper examines from a practitioner’s perspective the European Quality in Social Services
(EQUASS) Assurance standard, a certification programme for European social service organisations to
implement a sector-specific Quality Management System. In particular, it analyses the adoption motives, the
internalisation of the standard, the impacts, the satisfaction and the renew intentions.
Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey
methodology. From the 381 organisations emailed, 196 responses coming from eight different European
countries were considered valid (51.4%). Data from closed-ended questions were analysed using simple
descriptive statistical techniques. Content analysis was employed to analyse practitioner’s comments to open-ended questions.
Findings – It shows that social service providers typically implement the certification for internal reasons, and
internalise EQUASS principles and practices in daily usage. EQUASS Assurance produces benefits mainly at
the operational and customer levels, whereas its main pitfalls include increased workload and bureaucracy.
The majority of respondents (85.2%) are very satisfied or satisfied with the certification, suggesting that it
meets their expectations. Certification renewal intentions are also high but some respondents report that the
final decision depends on several factors. The insights gained through the qualitative data are also described.
Practical implications – It can be helpful to managers, consultants and Local License Holders working (or
planning to work) with this standard. It can inform the work of the EQUASS Technical Working Group in the
forthcoming revision of the standard.
Originality/value – This is the largest survey conducted so far about EQUASS Assurance in terms of
number of respondents, participating countries and topics covered.
Description
Keywords
EQUASS Assurance Quality Management System Social Services
Citation
Melão, N., Amorim, M., Marimon, F., & Alegre, I. (2016). EQUASS Assurance Certification: The View of Pioneer Adopters. In Proceedings of the 2nd ICQEM Conference
Publisher
International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management