Guus van Beek

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
New trends in quality and management – need for a paradigm shift?
Sub title: The illusion of traditional managing quality in social services.
The creation of a market economy structure in and between the member states of the European Union implies a variety of quality requirements for service providers in the social sector. The large variety of quality standards and quality systems make it complicated and complex for a social service provider to fulfil all these requirements. In many cases social service providers will choose for traditional and established quality management approaches, which are derived from approaches, and successfully implemented in a manufacturing environment. The core question which will be addressed in the presentation is:  Do traditional quality management systems, which originally are applied in a manufacturing environment, also contribute to the quality of the service or is it time for a paradigm shift?
The most crucial difference between a product and a social service is that a service is based on a relationship and an interaction between the person who delivers the service and the person who receive the service. The contribution of the professional in the provision of social services seems to be the most decisive factor for quality of these services. Recent research by McKinsey confirms this thesis. (McKinsey, 2007)
Those who are responsible for enhancing and managing quality in social services have the expectations that, by applying the traditional quality management systems, these systems substantial contribute to the quality of the service. If quality management systems intend to contribute to the quality of the service, the essential differences between products and social services must have consequences for the management of quality and quality management systems. Traditional quality management approaches may be well accepted but they may be not ‘fit-for use’ in their contribution to the quality of the services. 
The European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS), a quality approach designed for the social sector, has shown to be fit for various social services and based on the characteristics of these social services. The EQUASS Certification Programs have adapted the specific characteristics of social services, the requirements stated in the European Quality Framework for Social Service (Social Protection Committee, October 2010) and requirements of the Common Quality Framework for Social Services of General Interest (CEN workshop 51, 2010).
The presentation will address:
1. Impact of the established quality management approaches on the perceived quality of social services.
2. The main differences between products and social services and the consequences for managing quality and quality management systems in social services.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mr. Guus van Beek works as key expert for the European Platform for Rehabilitation and is responsible for the development, the promotion, the capacity building and the consultancy of the European Quality in Social Services programs, a quality approach and certification program for quality in the social sector. He has his roots in teaching pedagogic, educational psychology and organizational change at the University of Applied science in the Netherlands. A chairman of an International working group on quality in social services he has 20 year experiences of development and implementation of quality and quality management systems in social services. He has a long-standing experience in presenting the issue of quality and quality management in the social sector in plenary sessions at international conferences. As chairman of the CEN workshop 21 he contributed to the development of the Common Quality Framework for Social Services of General Interest and was consulted for the development of the European Quality Framework for Social Services by the working group on quality of the Social Protection Committee of the European Union.