An approach to quality improvement in social services

Following a brief review of the existing literature on service quality and customer satisfaction, this paper examines a European project to develop a system for continuous improvement in social services. At the moment the project involves four social service organizations which are testing a methodology for obtaining a quality certification called European Quality Assurance for Social Services (EQUASS). One of these service agencies, Centro Don Calabria, is situated in Verona, Italy. The aim of this paper is to draw some critical considerations on its audit experience executed within the EQUASS project. The objectives of this study are twofold: 1. to focus on the role of customers in such specific services with the intent of identifying quality drivers in social services 2. to draw some methodological reflections on the adopted model for the certification of quality