Reyada Standard represents a landmark initiative for social services in Abu Dhabi. It introduces a unified framework that defines the social sector, enhances policy coherence, strengthens coordination, and improves service connectivity. Fundamentally, it establishes an integrated system through which the quality-of-service provision and practice in and across the sector can be assessed and further improved.

Reyada Standard was developed through a comprehensive, collaborative effort led by the Department of Community Development (DCD). This process included benchmarking exercise of national and international quality frameworks in the areas of quality assessment, social care policy, and service provision. It also involved an assessment of the implementation readiness of the social care sector in Abu Dhabi, ensuring alignment with related initiatives underway at DCD. The goal in developing Reyada Standard was to ensure that the framework is based on best practice models yet tailored to the culture and context of the social care ecosystem in Abu Dhabi.

The piloting of Reyada took place in Q4 2022 across several key social service providers in Abu Dhabi. Learning from this consultation process led to the refinement and finalization of the Reyada Standard and its associated implementation plan. Subsequently, Reyada was officially launched on 23 November 2023 and implemented across all social care facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Reyada Assessment Framework covers all social care facilities operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, whether Government, Private, Third Sector.

In this initial phase of implementation, a developmental approach will be adopted. The primary focus is on fostering strong engagement with the Reyada Standard rather than prioritizing immediate achievement. For quality frameworks to be effectively utilized, it is crucial that a commitment and culture of learning and development are created among all stakeholders. Therefore, the DCD is fully committed to promoting quality as a dynamic process of continuous improvement, rather than a static endpoint.

The initial implementation of the Reyada Standard is expected to generate valuable learning and insights that will further refine the framework. Implementing Reyada in real world settings will provide further information and knowledge regarding appropriate thresholds and levels of attainment. This will also provide more relevant and diverse potential evidential sources that can be used in supporting the Reyada Standard. Moreover, the implementation of Reyada Standard will enable a clearer understanding of the social sector structure in the Emirate and the quality of its services.

In recognition of the critical connection between policy development and service delivery, the implementation of Reyada Standard will allow the DCD to identify challenges, successes, and trends being experienced by social care services provision in Abu Dhabi. This will strengthen the alignment between policymaking, service provision, and practice.

Social care facilities are scheduled for assessment based on their licensing status with DCD and registration in the Reyada Smart Tool. Depending on their licensing category (of social care provision) and duration of operation they will be scheduled for on-site assessments annually or as determined by DCD.

Reyada is built on two pillars of assessment: one is carried out internally by the service facility as a self-assessment, and the other is an external onsite assessment conducted by an external body on behalf of the DCD inside the facility being assessed.

Self-assessment means that the facility will assess its compliance with the requirements set out in Reyada Standard and evaluate its performance progress using the provided self-assessment tool.

First, the service provider should become familiar with the Reyada Standard document, Assessment Guidelines, and Scoring Methodology, which are covered in the awareness workshops. The individuals responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Reyada Standard within their facilities should actively engage with DCD and the external assessment body, and attend the briefing and training sessions organized for service providers on the implementation of Reyada Standard prior to starting the self-assessment.

Practical support and guidance for social care service providers will be provided by members of the Effortless Customer Experience Office at the DCD and by the external assessment body contracted on behalf of DCD. This support may include workshops and training sessions. Initial training on the Reyada Standard will be provided to service providers and individuals within social care facilities who have a direct role in promoting and developing quality in their respective organizations. These individuals will play a central role in implementing the Reyada Standard.

Service providers within Abu Dhabi’s social care sector exhibit varying levels of organizational maturity, with some recently established and others having a long-standing tradition of practice. Notwithstanding this, it is expected that all existing social care providers have at some level systems and processes in place that support and report on good practice and quality assurance.

Reyada Standard offers a structured, unified framework for capturing existing policies, procedures, and practices through assessment against its requirements. Therefore, implementing Reyada should not necessarily create new or additional areas of work; rather, it provides a mechanism to consolidate and coordinate activities related to compliance and quality performance. This approach is expected to reframe and refocus such efforts within a common framework, thereby driving efficiency across multiple areas.

Yes, it is mandatory for social care facilities in the public and private sectors as well as the third sector to engage with Reyada on an ongoing basis, as this framework is a key regulatory tool developed by the Department of Community Development, the regulatory body for the social sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Through a report including the assessment findings, the conformities and non-conformities, along with the assessment score and ranking for each domain, as well as the overall assessment score and ranking. Based on the overall four-point ranking scale in Reyada, social care service providers will be awarded an assessment ranking, which will serve as a benchmark for further continuous improvement. The ranking will enable the establishment of an incentive mechanism and a public accountability system.

All centers operating under one organization will be assessed individually and independently from other centers or facilities. Although all the facilities/centers share the same strategic direction, frameworks, and policies, their implementation and practices may vary. Accordingly, evidence will be gathered from each facility to ensure alignment and capture the unique practices of each.

To demonstrate the facility’s compliance with the standard's criteria, the required evidence must be available to assessors at the time of self-assessment submission and during the on-site assessment; otherwise, it will be considered missing or not in place.

An Arabic version of the Reyada Standard will be available for facilities to support understanding; however, the assessment, its process, formal communication, and reporting will be conducted exclusively in English.

The external assessment body will notify the service provider of the assessment plan, including all timings, resources, requirements, and preparations needed for the on-site assessment days. The facility must respond to the external assessment body with the required information to finalize the assessment plan.

Although the self-assessment is a prerequisite for the on-site assessment, failure to submit the self-assessment will not prevent the on-site assessment from taking place. However, it will make the process more inefficient and stressful for both the facility and the external assessor due to poor time management.

The external assessment body expects the service provider to respond to the assessment plan by identifying the individuals who will participate in the assessment. This demonstrates the service provider's cooperation and commitment to the quality improvement initiative. However, the external assessment body will proceed with the on-site assessment even if no response is received from the provider. No response will be considered as non-cooperation and shall be reported to DCD.

Undergoing the on-site assessment is mandatory. If the on-site assessment was not conducted as planned due to acceptable reasons approved by DCD, such as an emergency, the assessment will be rescheduled. Otherwise, the assessment will be considered complete, and the facility's rating will be “Basic”.

If the assessment took longer than anticipated, then the external assessment body may extend the assessment period, and the facility will be notified accordingly.

The assessment results and final report will be communicated to the facility within 41 working days. For now, the results will not be made public, but DCD shall decide on this and announce the decision accordingly.

The typical duration of an assessment day is 8 hours (excluding breaks) and should not exceed 10 hours unless adequately justified. The assessment duration is determined based on the facility’s location, size, scope, type of social care service, and the facility/center's readiness.

The Department of Community Development determines the assessment type (announced or unannounced), mode (on-site, remote, or hybrid), frequency (annual or earlier), and the extent of assessments (comprehensive or selected processes). These details are communicated to the facility as explained in the Assessment Guidelines.

The assessment day activities include conducting the opening meeting, reviewing documents and evidence, collecting and verifying information, communicating gaps and findings, generating assessment findings, preparing a high-level summary of conclusions, sharing the customer feedback survey, and conducting the closing meeting.

Complaints unrelated to the assessment findings can be submitted to dcd.reyada@tasneef.ae. For issues related to assessment findings, the facility should follow the appeals process.

Facilities may raise any disagreements with the findings during the assessment process, provided they are supported by valid justification and evidence. If a facility is not satisfied with the findings in the final assessment report, it can file an appeal within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the report, providing valid justifications for disagreement and supporting evidence that was already presented during the assessment.

The appeal can only be made on the evidence that was already submitted and uploaded during the self-assessment and the onsite assessment. The appeal process is carried out through the Reyada Smart Tool – Appeal page and requires clear citations of the relevant criteria requirements and objective evidence submitted. Appeals shall be reviewed by an independent committee at the DCD.

Non-conformities identified during the assessment must be addressed through a Corrective and Preventive Action Plan (CAPA). The CAPA should include details of the non-conformance or finding, the identified root cause, proposed corrective and preventive actions, the person responsible for implementation, and the target completion date. The external assessment body will review the CAPA for completeness and accuracy and reserves the right to reject the plan if it does not meet the requirements.

Follow-up Assessments are conducted for facilities with a final score of 30 percent or less to evaluate the status of their corrective and preventive actions after 90 days. Re-assessments are conducted annually (or as determined by DCD) for all other facilities, regardless of their score, and are mandatory to ensure ongoing compliance with the Reyada Standard.

In the initial phase of Reyada implementation, all facilities (even those ranked as “Advanced”) must be assessed on an annual basis or as decided by DCD, until it is confident that their ranking is a byproduct of their exemplary good practice and governance and not just reflecting a temporary state.

In cycle 2 of Reyada assessments, DCD introduced several updates, including the following:

• Launch of the Reyada Smart Tool, which will be used to facilitate the submission of self-assessments and onsite assessments.
• All requirements under Reyada Standard are mandatory, and the determination of a “Core Requirement” is based now on evidence-level rather than criteria-level.
• The acceptable frequency of updating maintained policies, procedures, manuals, and emergency plans is no more than 3 years.
• Introduction of Services Specific Standards (SSS) covering Counselling, Integrated case Management, and Sheltering services.

Assessment scores for each domain are generated based on the Reyada Scoring Methodology. Each evidence is assigned a score (Full, Half, or Zero) based on its conformance level. The final score determines the facility's overall rating, which falls into four levels: Basic (0%-<31%), Intermediate (31%-<61%), Achieved (61%-<81%), and Advanced (81% and higher).

The Services Specific Standards (whether for Counselling, Integrated Case Management, or Sheltering) apply only to service providers that officially deliver these services: for government facilities, as part their mandate; and for private facilities, in accordance with valid licenses issued by the Department of Community Development.

If so, please email us at dcd.reyada@tasneef.ae , and we will respond at the earliest, or alternatively, you can call us on 02-6922374. We are happy to respond to all your queries.