We control and improve the quality of our services based on the experiences of our clients and personnel as well as the availability, effectiveness and productivity of the services. We use Lean Continuous Improvement Methods in our quality control work.
Every operational unit monitors its own operations according to a self-monitoring plan. We control the quality of services through audits, control visits and joint development events.
How we supervise
Child Welfare Services
The City of Helsinki Child Welfare and Family Social Work Unit provides services for children and families who have a client relationship with child welfare and require special support from social welfare services. We control the quality of our services in a proactive and systematic manner and by responding to any faults immediately.
Our proactive quality control measures include such things as only cooperating with service providers whose permits are in order. Our systematic quality control measures, on the other hand, include guided discussions and inspections of locations, among other things.
The quality of services is also monitored individually for each child by the social worker in charge of the child’s case.
Home Services for Families with Children
We provide home services for families with children through our own operations as well as through purchased services and service vouchers.
We control the quality of home services through in-house control plans, guidance and control meetings, and spot checks, among other things. We respond to any faults reported to us immediately.
We monitor all nursing homes equally, regardless of whether we provide the service ourselves or purchase it. Our quality control methods include such things as:
In-house control plans
All nursing homes follow an in-house control plan. The areas covered by the plan include risk assessment; the client’s status, rights and legal protection; the service’s content and in-house control; and HR management and safe working conditions. We monitor every plan’s implementation regularly.
Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI)
RAI is used to assess and collect information on the state of health, mobility and medication of nursing home clients as well as the quality of their care. The results also provide important information on the senior centre’s overall situation, allowing care facilities to be compared to each other.
Audits
We regularly carry out audits at senior centres and intensive assisted living units. The purpose of these audits is to see whether the unit’s operations meet the requirements set for them. During these audits, we assess matters important to care and treatment, such as hygiene and how the clients’ information is recorded.
Audits are carried out in several ways. The units audit their own operations, but audits are also carried out by employees who are not members of the unit’s staff. However, the auditing of a unit is never solely based on an assessment by the unit’s own staff.
We also utilise reporting systems for adverse and dangerous events. Additionally, we examine nursing home clients’ experiences of service quality through client satisfaction surveys.
Our disability services are responsible for monitoring all the services they provide to our clients. We monitor our own services and the services we purchase from other providers in the same way.
The monitoring is primarily based on self-monitoring, but we also monitor operations through check-up meetings. In 2023–2024, monitoring has focused especially on housing services, daytime activities, services provided at home during the leave of an informal carer , and personal assistance.
The self-monitoring of services provided to people with disabilities is based on the self-monitoring plans drawn up by each service unit. Every service unit, including the City's own service units and the service units providing purchased services, must prepare their own self-monitoring plan. In the plans, we assess risks and describe how we ensure the quality, safety, and adequate staffing levels of our services. You can find the self-monitoring plans of the service units on the Finnish-language page.
If you encounter any grievances in the services for people with disabilities, you can submit an objection to the Disability Services of the City of Helsinki or to the relevant supervisory authority. We investigate all objections and complaints and aim to correct any identified deficiencies as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can contact your designated worker within the services or send your feedback by email to sotepe.vammaistensostopalvelut@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). Based on the feedback, we will ask the service provider to provide clarification or make an unannounced monitoring visit to clarify the matter.
Substance Abuse Services
Our Substance Abuse Services comprise services that we provide ourselves and services that we purchase to supplement our own. Our employees coordinate the service package offered to clients at substance abuse clinics, the Youth Station and in follow-up rehabilitation.
We control the quality of our substance abuse services through in-house control plans, follow-up meetings held one to four times per year, and spot checks, among other things. We gather feedback from both our employees and clients.
Housing Services for Homeless People and Mental Health Clients
The Housing Support unit provides housing services for homeless people and mental health clients undergoing rehabilitation.
We control the quality of our services by conducting guidance and control visits, during which we check the facilities, staffing situation and plans related to the client’s care, treatment, wellbeing and guidance, among other things. We also conduct spot checks.
We respond to any faults reported to us immediately.
Self-monitoring plans
In the self-monitoring plan we describe the measures by which we supervise our operations units, staff and the quality of the services we provide. The self-monitoring plans are found on the Finnish website.