The 4Quality! project is a European project funded by the PROGRESS Programme (VS/2014/0414). It ran from October 2014 to April 2016. Within the aim of contributings to the improvement of working conditions and of quality of personal care and household services, the 4Quality! project intends to:

• suppports a European dialogue on the quality of jobs and services in personal care and household services through a partnership representatives of the variety of workers and services employers; 

• develops knowledge and looks at how working conditions, quality of services for person-centred care, professional qualifications, quality of life for services users and workers, economic and financial crisis influence the quality of jobs and services in the personal care and household service; 

• raises awareness among important stakeholders at the European and national levels, through a transnational network, on the issue of quality of jobs and services in these sectors; 

• contributes to the advancement of policies and legislation in the area of household and personal care services;

• provides practical tools for household and personal care services local providers in order to improve quality of work and quality of services.

The specific objectives of the project were:

•  to establish an analytical grid to assess the current situation on qualifications, quality of jobs and services in household and personal care services in 11 EU Member States and establish criterion on trends for success and transferability of good practices; 

• to establish a mapping in the 11 countries based on the analytical grid (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United-Kingdom); 

• to identify good practices and define ways to transfer successful tools for improved services and working conditions; 

• to organise transnational meetings to discuss the issues and needs linked to the quality of jobs and services, across sub-groups of professions, across types of employers (private for profit, private not for profit, public) and across countries, strategically chosen for their public policies; 

• to establish recommendations for improvement for policy makers at local, national and European levels thanks to the policy oriented research works; 

• to exchange information, good practices and the results of the project.

• Coordinator: Pour la Solidarité (PLS)
• DIESIS COOP
• European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors and allied branches (EFFAT)
• European Federation for Services to Individuals (EFSI)
• European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
• European Social Network (ESN)
• UNI Europa
• ORSEU
• Social Services Europe

"Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector", General report, December 2015 (FR)

This general report presents the main findings of the research conducted during the project and which seeks to explore the quality of work and the quality of services in personal care and household services in 11 EU Member States. The general report - as well as national reports below - follows the same methodological grid: following a presentation of PHS policies, work and employment quality and finally services quality are explored.

•  "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Austria", December 2015 (DE, EN) 

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Belgium", December 2015 (FR, EN) 

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Czech Republic", December 2015 (CS, EN) 

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Finland", December 2015 (FR, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in France", December 2015 (FR, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Germany", December 2015 (DE, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Italy", December 2015 (IT, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in the Netherlands", December 2015 (NL, FR, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Spain", December 2015 (ES, EN)

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in Sweden", December 2015 (EN) 

• "Quality of jobs and services in the personal and household services sector in the United-Kingdom", December 2015 (EN) 

"European recommendations on the quality of jobs and services in the personal care and household services sectors", February 2016 (CS, DE, EN, ES, FI, FR, IT, NL, SV)

This document issues 10 recommendations targeting both the EU and Member States on funding regulations and investment; work regulations and employment quality; as well as services quality.

"The Personal care and Household Services sector in Europe: for better quality of jobs and services, European Toolkit", March 2016 (EN, FR)

This document presents a selection of practices identified and analysed by project partners, and their transferability for policy makers and PHS organisations. 

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This project was co-funded by the European Union. Its publications reflect on the authors' views. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.