Trabajo social y calidad: ventajas y dificultades para la implantación en España

Abstract

Quality management is a methodology used in all types of organisations. It focuses on aspects such as continuous improvement, process-based work and evaluation. It has been observed that in certain fields and professions, quality management has been less developed. For this reason, research has been carried out with the general objective of exploring the advantages and disadvantages of implementing quality management systems from the perspective of Social Work professionals in Spain. An exploratory and descriptive methodology with a qualitative approach was used. The opinions of 90 professionals from all over Spain employed in different welfare systems were taken into account. The results show the prevailing ambivalence between the profession's recognition of the added value and legitimacy that quality practices give to social intervention, as well as the resistance to change and the feeling of initial complexity that these processes provoke in the discipline. Issues such as bureaucracy, lack of time and burnout are pointed out as possible limitations to the development of quality by social workers. It would be appropriate to strengthen the training and culture of quality in order to enhance its operational application in practice.