The Department of Community Development (DCD) has announced the launch of its innovative Quality Assessment Framework - Reyada, which establishes a comprehensive quality assessment system for the emirate’s social care sector and reinforces the department's commitment to improving social sector services in the region.
Designed as a definitive regulatory tool, the DCD's Quality Assessment Framework- Reyada will provide a clear definition of service quality, enhancing policy coherence and structured improvements among various social care entities, and enabling the assessment of social care facilities across different service types and complexities.
The framework’s overarching goal is to nurture a culture that prioritizes high-quality services and accountability while establishing a sustainable and robust platform for continuous improvements within the social care sector and ensuring beneficiaries’ needs are met.
The Implementation of Quality Assessment Framework will commence in December 2023 for all social care service providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including the government, private and third sector, totaling more than 90 centers. This initiative aims to develop a database for social care facilities in the Emirate and understand the current status of these facilities’ performance in providing social care services. The first phase of the assessment visits will focus on capacity building within the social sector through engaging social care service providers, raising awareness of the framework, and developing improvement plans based on the assessment results to enhance service quality.
The social care services encompass all the services that are provided to a large segment of the community, including People pf Determination, Families, Women, and vulnerable groups. These services includes, but are not limited to, daily care services, family consultations, and psychological therapies, shelter services and teleservices related to social care.
H.E. Eng. Hamad Ali Al Dhaheri, Undersecretary of the DCD, said: “We have carefully crafted the Quality Assessment Framework- Reyada to evaluate social care services delivered within the emirate, emphasising their adherence to specific quality standards within five domains including leadership and governance, safety, effectiveness, beneficiary centricity, and sustainability.”
“This aligns with DCD's pivotal role as a regulator of Abu Dhabi’s social sector, underlining our commitment to ensuring that all individuals, including families, children and people of determination, can access our services with assurance and at a high standard, ultimately enhancing their quality of life and that of the wider community.”
Data-based approach
The Quality Assessment Framework- Reyada compiles a set of quality standards developed based on international best practices that will allow the DCD to determine the quality of social services from site assessments and represents a pioneering step towards achieving excellence in social care provision.
By categorising social care facilities into distinct levels, the framework enables a comprehensive evaluation of services quality, facilitating targeted and continuous improvements where necessary.
The development of the Quality Assessment Framework- Reyada was rooted in a set of fundamental principles, underscoring the DCD's commitment to excellence in service provision. These were customer-centricity, thus placing the needs and welfare of beneficiaries at its core; well-led and effective governance, where effective organisational structures and systems are ensured; trust and transparency among service providers and beneficiaries; continuous improvements, cultivating a culture of constant enhancing of service standards; and innovation and sustainability, harnessing technologies and innovations to foster long-term sustainable social care services.
The launch of DCD's Quality Assessment Framework- Reyada signals a new era of excellence within Abu Dhabi’s social care sector, demonstrating the department's steadfast dedication to fostering a robust, accountable, and beneficiary-focused social care ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, and ensuring members of society have access to a high quality of life.