'2024 Social Service Quality Certification Pilot Project' Awards First 'Quality Certification' to 7 Outstanding Providers
Certification Mark Granted as 'Social Service Quality Certification System' Introduced This Year... Planned Expansion to 30 Providers Next Year
Busan Metropolitan City, together with the Busan Metropolitan City Social Service Institute (Director Yoo Gyu-won), has awarded the first-ever "Quality Certification" to seven outstanding providers of the "Community Social Service Investment Project for Child Emotional Development Support Service" as part of the "2024 Social Service Quality Certification Pilot Project."
'Social Service Quality Certification' Institution Plaque and Certificate Award Ceremony. Photo by Busan City
The plaque and certificate awarding ceremony was held on the 28th at 10 a.m. in the City Council's 2nd floor conference room, attended by Bae Byeong-cheol, Director of the Social Welfare Bureau of the city, the Director of the Busan Social Service Institute, and others.
The "Social Service Quality Certification System," introduced for the first time this year as a pilot project by the city, is a system jointly hosted by the city and the Busan Social Service Institute that grants certification marks to service providers who meet the appropriate quality standards through an evaluation of social service quality.
To receive quality certification, providers must be judged "compliant" on all 19 quality certification indicators that make up 9 criteria. After the initial project briefing session in June, seven social service providers who applied for quality certification were selected.
The certification evaluation was conducted through a three-stage process: first, a document review; second, an on-site visit; and third, a final evaluation, based on 19 indicators across 9 items in 4 areas, including overall service quality and human and material provision conditions affecting it.
Selected providers were awarded the social service quality certification plaque, and the status of certified institutions was disclosed on related websites and media. Accordingly, certified institutions are expected to provide better services to citizens, who in turn can receive necessary services from trustworthy organizations.
This pilot project targeted child emotional development support service institutions within the "Community Social Service Investment Project," which implements a "price elasticity system," to avoid overlap with the quality certification system conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Central Social Service Institute.
Next year, the project plans to expand to all voucher institutions, selecting a total of 30 providers.
The certification period is three years, and the city and the Busan Social Service Institute will continuously monitor whether certified institutions comply with certification standards, conducting inspections and providing post-management support such as customized consulting by experts during the certification period.
Bae Byeong-cheol, Director of the Social Welfare Bureau of Busan, stated, "This quality certification pilot project, carried out together with the Busan Social Service Institute, aims to guarantee the public's right to know about institutions providing high-quality social services and to encourage providers to voluntarily improve quality." He added, "We expect that this pilot certification will enhance transparency in the operation of service providers, objectively evaluate service quality, and establish a quality verification system that builds citizens' trust in social services."
The providers who received this social service quality certification can be found on the websites of the Busan Metropolitan City Social Service Institute and the Busan Community Social Service Support Group.
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