Disability-relevance of quality assurance systems in social services

Persons with disabilities use a wide range of services that support their everyday life and foster their participation in society, including social services, education and training services and employment services, among others. Social services can support independent living for persons with disabilities through enabling the person's autonomy; protecting their fundamental rights; facilitating their social inclusion; and promoting a balance between work and family life for their relatives. In the absence of a common European definition of 'social services', this report builds on the definitions provided in the Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services and the recent European Commission Study on social services with particular focus on personal targeted social services for people in vulnerable situations. The category of 'personal social services' includes services that are provided directly to the person in the form of assistance or (re-)integration activities and which play a role in prevention and social cohesion. This category corresponds substantively with the essential services provided directly to the person as defined in the 2010 Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services, and it constitutes the scope of this report.