LTStraipsnio tikslas – atskleisti individualios priežiūros darbuotojų patirtis, susijusias su tuo, kaip vertinama socialinių paslaugų, teikiamų asmens namuose, kokybė taikant EQUASS kokybės standartą. Probleminiai klausimai: Kaip pasikeitė individualios priežiūros darbuotojų teikiamų socialinių paslaugų kokybės vertinimas įdiegus EQUASS kokybės standartą? Kokius pokyčius teikdami socialines paslaugas patiria individualios priežiūros darbuotojai, įdiegus EQUASS kokybės standartą? Siekiant atskleisti individualios priežiūros darbuotojų patirtis, taikyta kokybinio tyrimo prieiga. Pasirinkta tikslinė atranka laikantis prisotinimo principo (apklausti 8 individualios priežiūros darbuotojai). Empiriniai duomenys buvo renkami naudojant pusiau struktūruotą interviu. Tyrimo duomenys buvo apdoroti pasitelkus kokybinę turinio (content) analizę. Tyrimas atskleidė, kad socialinių paslaugų kokybės užtikrinimas iki EQUASS standarto diegimo buvo orientuojamas į pastangas atliepti paslaugų gavėjų poreikius, todėl individualios priežiūros darbuotojai teikiamų socialinių paslaugų kokybę vertino daugiau intuityviai (stebėdami paslaugų gavėjo reakciją) ir objektyviai (metinės vertinimo anketos duomenys). Kokybinio tyrimo radiniai atskleidė, kad, pradėjus taikyti EQUASS standartą, teikiamų paslaugų kokybę imta vertinti pagal numatytus paslaugų kokybės vertinimo kriterijus, akcentuojant konkretaus rezultato pasiekimą ir jo išmatavimą. Standartizuotų socialinių paslaugų kokybė tapo neatsiejama nuo asmens, kuriam jos teikiamos, išsikeltų asmeninių tikslų, įgalinančių mažais žingsniais gerinti savo gyvenimo kokybę. EQUASS standarto taikymas pakeitė individualios priežiūros darbuotojų teikiamų paslaugų prasmės suvokimą iš „teikti nustatytą poreikį atitinkančias paslaugas“ į „teikti paslaugų gavėjo konkretų poreikį atliepiančias paslaugas jį įgalinti".Kokybės kriterijų numatymas leidžia individualios priežiūros darbuotojams siekti konkretaus ir pamatuojamo rezultato ir sykiu didina darbo motyvaciją. Veiklos įsivertinimas siejamas su paslaugų teikimo tobulinimu ir paskata tobulėti profesinėje veikloje. Tyrimo radiniai atskleidė, kad standartizuotų paslaugų teikimas didina įstaigos darbuotojų sutelktumą, įprasmina komandinio darbo svarbą paslaugų gavėjo įgalinimo ir paslaugų tobulinimo kontekste. Individualios priežiūros darbuotojų patiriami pokyčiai sietini su padidėjusia paslaugų pasiūla, socialinių partnerių įsitraukimu siūlant paslaugas ir besiformuojančia paslaugų kokybės stebėsenos kultūra įstaigoje. Reikšminiai žodžiai: socialinės paslaugos namuose; EQUASS standartas; socialinių paslaugų kokybė; individualios priežiūros darbuotojai; socialinių paslaugų vertinimas. [Iš leidinio]
ENDemographic ageing is becoming one of the most pressing social problems in Lithuania. It is being addressed by increasing the scope and accessibility of social services, resulting in a pressing need for quality assurance (Micevičienė, 2023). The changing needs and expectations of society for social services increase the quality requirements, which subsequently become an integral part of the development and improvement of organisations. In Lithuania, the main quality standard for social services was considered to be the Inventory of Social Care Norms (2007), but accession to the European Union has provided the opportunity to adopt the experience of foreign countries and apply a wider range of quality standards for social services. In order to improve the provision of social services in Lithuania, the EQUASS standard has been introduced. One of the objectives of EQUASS is to involve staff in the process of continuous quality improvement, ensuring that service recipients are involved in the process of implementing the quality system and receive high quality services. This article aims to shed light on how the quality assessment of social services provided by personal care workers has changed since the introduction of the EQUASS standard. What changes have individual care workers experienced in the provision of social services? A further aim is to highlight the experiences of personal care workers in assessing the quality of social services in individuals’ homes within the context of the EQUASS standard. The following research methods were used: analysis of scientific literature and legislation, and semi-structured interviews. The research was conducted between November and December 2023, and is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. The research instrument is student research conducted during semesters. The content analysis method was used to analyse the research data.The method of non-probability sampling used for the research involved a criterion sample as follows: working in a social care institution with at least 3 years of implementation of the EQUASS standard; providing social services in the homes of service recipients; and having at least 5 years of social work experience. Eight personal care workers who fulfilled all of the above criteria participated in the research. In terms of research ethics, participants were given the opportunity to take part in the research voluntarily; they were informed in advance of the purpose of the research, and those who agreed to participate were invited for an interview. The questionnaire did not contain any offensive or derogatory statements. The interviews took place in a setting in which the participants did not feel fear or stress. The confidentiality and privacy of the participants was ensured by providing a unique code to each respondent. This empirical study enabled deeper insights into the application of the EQUASS standard in a care facility. The experiences of personal care workers in relation to the assessment of the quality of social services prior to and during the implementation of the EQU ASS standard were revealed. The research revealed that prior to the introduction of the EQUASS standard, personal care workers assessed the quality of social services provided in their institutions intuitively and objectively. The participants of the research assessed the quality of social services based on the feedback of the service recipients and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the services provided. The perception of the quality of social services was highly individual and depended on the expectations, experiences or attitudes of the workers. Improved quality of life or positive attitudes of service recipients was also a factor for personal care workers in determining the quality of services.The quality of social services prior to the EQUASS standard was also assessed by personal care workers through annual surveys. On the other hand, receiving feedback from service recipients and not receiving any complaints was a reason for staff to believe that they were delivering quality services. The statements given by the personal care workers who took part in the study revealed that the quality of social services provided in the institution following the implementation of the EQUASS standard is assessed subjectively, intersubjectively and objectively. The implementation of the EQUASS standard has made it necessary for the participants to submit a self-assessment, which is seen as both a time-consuming exercise and a quality assurance factor. The intersubjective evaluation is linked to the self-assessment of the personal care workers combined with the assessment of the social workers, analysing and discussing the quality of the services provided. The subjective evaluation of the services provided by the personal care workers is provided by the service recipients, who write their observations, preferences and suggestions on evaluation sheets. This research reveals that with the EQUASS standard, the quality of social services provided by personal care workers is linked to compliance with the intended criteria for assessing the quality of services and a measurable outcome. After the implementation of the EQUASS standard, personal care workers experience changes at the individual and institutional levels. Changes at the individual level are reflec ted in efforts to empower the service recipient, working towards achieving a specific result, and in the evaluation of the services provided. [...] Keywords: social services at home; EQUASS standard; quality of social services; evaluation of social services.