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What is 4Quality?

4Quality! aims to analyse and share good practices on working conditions and skills development, quality of home care services and housework activities for dependent people at home, and the coordination between different services. It addresses specific issues concerning this sector;

  • the pressure on family carers
  • poor working conditions and the subsequent high turnover
  • a lack of skills development and quality measurements especially in services delivered to vulnerable people.

The first phase of the project involves research into qualifications, quality of work and services in 11 countries: Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. The research outcomes will be presented at three regional seminars organised in Rome, Brighton and Vienna throughout 2015. European stakeholders active in the field of social services will have the opportunity to exchange good practice examples and discuss their potential transferability in other countries. Finally, the results will be published in a comparative study, which will include recommendations for policy-makers and a toolkit.

ESN’s role

Within the 4Quality! project, the European Social Network (ESN) is organising one of the three regional seminars which will take place in Brighton on 27 May with stakeholders from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland. In addition, ESN members will participate and contribute to all three seminars.

The Brighton seminar will include two working groups, the first of which will assess the relevance of national reports in the personal and household services sector. While the second working group will focus on the transferability of practice examples, with ESN members presenting case studies on workforce development and service quality.

Both will be accompanied by feedback sessions with an aim to develop policy recommendations. The outcomes of the project will also contribute to discussions around workforce development and the quality of jobs and services in other working areas of ESN, including ageing and care, support for people with disabilities, and children’s services.