17 January

I hope all of our readers have had a good start to the year. In the EQUASS team we are in full organising mode for 2020.

One of the first activities undertaken is a review of the EQUASS core documents. Following a consultation of stakeholders, Sarah Vansimpsen, Michael Crowley and Isabel Silva will work to take the feedback on board; ensuring our documentation is as clear and user-friendly as possible. The new documents will be made available at the start of February.

We plan auditor and consultancy training courses in different parts of Europe in 2020, see below for more information. EQUASS will also feature at various promotional events organised by EPR.

We will continue to work with our Local License Holders to support their work in promoting and growing EQUASS in their respective countries. We are also moving to a new approach, where they will be called EQUASS National Representatives, or ENR; where the activities and tasks of these essential actors are clearly defined and the relationship between them and EPR is deepened. We will also be exploring opportunities to connect to new markets.

In the meantime, check out what's been happening in the past few months below.
 
Laura Jones, EPR Secretary General, for the EQUASS Team
Michael Crowley, Laura Jones, Ronald Schollaart, Sarah Vansimpsen

EPR organised a mini-conference in Brussels aimed at promoting mutual learning and discussing success factors on providing quality services with a focus on the European Pillar of Social Rights. EPR members, EQUASS customers, European organisations and stakeholders including the European Commission gathered together to exchange practices about quality and also learn more about EQUASS. Laura Jones from EPR presented trends and developments in quality service provision and Michael Crowley, EQUASS Market Development, presented the EQUASS perspective on quality and how it links to the Pillar. He stressed the need for co-production, engaging both staff and users. A panel discussion of EU level experts closed the morning session inviting participants to reflect upon how to find the best ways to personalise services and obtain funding to realise them.

The afternoon saw two workshops take place. The first, led by Dr Amets Suess from the Andalusian School of Public Health, presented the training in human rights for professionals in mental health developed through the Erasmus+ funded project Be RIGHT. The second workshop was led by Michael Crowley, EQUASS, and Valentina Breceli, from EPR Slovenian member URI. It focused on how to measure impact of services on rights, participation, social inclusion and quality of life.
>> More information and presentations delivered on the day can be found on the EPR website here.

This event received financial support from the European Union, from the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi

 

On December 10th, EPR held a National Awareness Raising Event in Prato, Italy. The event was organised by EPR together with Fondazione Crida, a local organisation that brings together many structures, projects, initiatives and professionals who have been dealing with health, socio-health and psycho-social rehabilitation for over thirty years. It was attended by approximately 70 people. The event aimed to gather professionals around a moment for sharing ideas and good practices, from a local (Prato) to a European dimension. Thanks to the participation of experts at regional, national and international level, a wide range of experiences and reflections were showcased:

-INTERCULTURALITY – Similarities and differences in the perception and representation of people with disabilities in different cultural contexts.
-QUALITY OF SERVICES – which tools help to evaluate, maintain, certify and communicate quality of services, guaranteeing and promoting the rights of people with disabilities.
-LEISURE TIME – Consolidated, sustainable and innovative projects that contribute to trigger inclusive processes in the artistic, recreational and sports fields within local communities.

The mayor of Prato and a representative of the region of Tuscany joined the event together with the President of Crida, the Director of the Mental Health Area of ​​the AUSL Toscana Centro and a Programme Manager at Oxfam Italy between others. Valentin Brecelj (representing EQUASS and EPR member URI) introduced the theme of Quality of services, explaining the functioning, objectives and applications of EQUASS and how it supports inclusion and quality of life.

>> Follow up information on this event will be soon available on the EPR website here.

The photo shows the audience listening to V Brecelj speaking about EQUASS

These events receive financial support from the European Union, from the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi

 

On the 10-13th December 2019, nine participants undertook a 4-day training programme to become registered EQUASS consultants at Marie Homes. The first day of training took place at The Inge & Sofie Marie Home in Ringsted, which is a residential care home for young adults with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. Here, the participants took part in a site visit, including talking with the service users. The three last days of the training took place at the Marie Homes HQ in Virum, where training facilitator Michael Crowley ensured that all nine participants 'graduated.' It is planned that a number of Marie Homes in 2020 should be ready to get certified so that Denmark can become an active part of the EQUASS map of Europe.