Many European social service regulators, public authorities, and service providers are currently developing or reviewing their quality standards for social services. At the national level alone, seven member states are working on developing or reviewing these standards. However, the voluntary European Framework for Quality in Social Services, which is intended to guide member states in developing their standards, is largely unknown, unused, and now outdated following its launch back in 2010. Since then, the concept of quality in social services has evolved, prompting the need to assess whether it remains in line with current practice. To give new impetus to EU efforts in enhancing social services quality, the European Social Network has developed a new, updated European Framework for Quality in Social Services, which it presented this month in the European Parliament.

How does the framework look?

ESN’s proposal lists 25 overarching quality standards for social services, which have been developed by the European Social Network Working Group on Quality in Social Services over a four-year period. This Group began its work with a scoping review of new trends in quality assurance, continuing with the identification of key principles of quality, and the translation of those principles into standards. 

These are formulated in a person-centred and outcome-oriented manner, combining ‘I-statements’ that describe the outcomes expected by people using services, and ‘We-statements’ that represent the aspiration of service providers to meet those outcomes. The standards are complemented by suggestions for ‘Arrangements’ that can be implemented to meet the standards, the most important element of the new framework.

What do social sector and European Commission leaders think of it? 

In their initial reactions, regulators, providers, inspectors, and EU decision makers were very positive about the framework.

“The I-Statements of the ESN framework will be an inspiration to write our new guidance for national standards in a more person-centred manner,” explained Markéta Kateřina Holečkova, Civil Servant, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Czechia. 

For Niamh O’Rourke, Deputy Director – National Standards for Health and Social Care, Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland, the ESN framework was helpful in the review of Ireland’s own national standards: “The ESN draft framework developed last year inspired us to add the ‘We-statements’ to our standards, which are currently under development.” 

For Heinz Stieb, Head of Care, Consortium of Retirement Homes in Vienna, Austria, the framework fulfils a crucial function for providers, authorities and service users: “The framework provides a common language that everyone understands, and it helps answer what good quality means in practice.”

Finally, European Commission Representative Oliver Bontout, ESN’s proposal is an inspiration for future EU action: “We believe the work being done can inform the EU’s future work on the quality of social services.”

What are the next steps?

Following the development of its draft framework, ESN is keen for the European Commission and EU Member States to take forward the proposal as a tool to review and revamp the current voluntary framework, for example, as a flagship action in the upcoming EPSR action plan. 

Alfonso Lara Montero, ESN Chief Executive Officer, underlined that it will be crucial to involve social service representatives in the discussion. “We are looking forward to working with the Commission and member states to develop this framework at the EU level. At the same time, we will be keen to work with authorities and providers to test our proposal in a piloting exercise at the local level.” 

• Click here to read ESN’s proposal for an EU Framework on Quality in Social Services, with the full report being released in December.
• Contact martin.lichte@esn-eu.org if you would like ESN to present the framework in your administration or organisation.