EQUASS National Representatives

EQUASS operates its certification system at national level in four countries outside Belgium through designated EQUASS National Representatives.

EQUASS National Representatives in operation:

• Norway
• Lithuania
• Portugal
• Slovenia

These representatives are European organisations that act as local agents for EQUASS, offering Assurance audits in the local language. This enables social service providers in these countries to work directly with their national representative to make an application for an Assurance audit. You can contact them directly via details provided below and they can guide you through the process.

Norway

Ny Vekst og Kompetanse AS

Norway Ny Vekst og Kompetanse AS is the EQUASS National Representative in Norway. It is a non-profit competence company with branches centrally located at Kongsvinger, Sagstua in Nord-Odal and at Kirkenær in Grue municipality. The company was founded in January 2020 and has its head office at Kongsvinger.

The company conducts both service business and production. The primary task of the company is to help meet the need for vocational access and permanently adapted jobs in its district. The services and productions are organized so that the individual can get a good personal development based on their personal conditions.

Service recipients who need to increase their basic competence in the subjects of mathematics, reading, writing, information technology and oral skills, receive adapted classroom teaching in these subjects.

The Articles of Association purposes: 

Provide a safe, meaningful and evolving arena for people who fall outside the ordinary working life, as well as offer qualifying services with the aim of helping all people to gain and retain paid employment.

The company and the owner municipalities will contribute to collaboration between NAV, voluntary organizations and local business to promote inclusion.

The company aims to improve the effect of social and welfare services, both from the perspective of the service recipient and society. Through teaching, development and research work, the company will be a supporter and competence provider for the health, education, and welfare sectors, as well as ordinary business. The company will provide local initiatives in the respective municipalities and in the region.

Contact details:

Address: Vekst og Kompetanse
Kristian Walbys veg 13
2202 Kongsvinger
Norway

Information in Norwegian

Lithuania

The Valakupiai Rehabilitation Centre (VRC)

The Valakupiai Rehabilitation Centre (VRC) in Vilnius signed an Agreement in November 2010. VRC, a public organisation funded under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, has a leading role in providing social, health and inclusion services to people in need and also promoting quality in social services in Lithuania.

In recent years, VRC has been at the forefront of implementing the European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS) framework in Lithuania. Through national projects, training seminars, national conferences and dissemination activities, VRC has supported dozens of social service providers to adopt EQUASS quality principles and obtain EQUASS Assurance certification. A milestone project coordinated by VRC resulted in more than 120 social service organisations across Lithuania achieving EQUASS certification, 80 in recertification, what significantly advancing the quality culture in the sector.  The core documents for EQUASS Assurance have been translated into the national Lithuanian language and can be obtained by contacting VRC. VRC is authorised to operate the EQUASS Assurance certification programme in Lithuania.

Contact details:
The Valakupiai Rehabilitation Centre (VRC)
Vaidilutės str. 69, Vilnius LT-10100
Lithuania
Tel: +370 5 2477542
Fax:+370 5 2477453
Web: www.reabilitacija.lt

Information in Lithuanian

Portugal

Associação Portuguesa para a Qualidade (APQ) 

APQ is a membership based non-profit organisation, founded in 1969. Its purpose is to promote and spread knowledge and experiences in the field of Quality Organisational Excellence, as well as practices that lead to increase the productivity between organisations in Portugal. APQ is recognised as the leading non-governmental institution on the Portuguese quality movement. It has about 1200 members, covering organisations from various sectors and dimensions, public and private, and a wide number of auditors, consultants and quality managers.

APQ is also a Sectoral Standardisation Body in the field of quality management and quality assurance, accreditation, risk management, safety and resilience, organizational governance, and sustainable cities and communities, being responsible for the coordination of six Technical Committees.

It is the National Representative of EOQ – European Organisation for Quality, the National Partner Organisation of EFQM – European Foundation for Quality Management, the National Member Organisation of the FUNDIBEQ – Iberoamerican Foundation for Quality Management and World Partner of ASQ – American Society for Quality.

APQ is authorised to operate EQUASS Assurance certification programme in Portugal.

Contact details:
APQ – Associação Portuguesa para a Qualidade
Pólo Tecnológico de Lisboa, Rua Carlos Alves, n.º 3 1º direito.
1600-515 Lisboa – Portugal
Tel: + 351 214 996 210

Email the Portuguese office for more information on how to apply: carla.cunha@apq.pt

Information in Portuguese

Slovenia

University Rehabilitation Institute, Development unit of Employment Rehabilitation

Development unit of Employment Rehabilitation in Ljubljana has a leading role in promoting quality in the Vocational Rehabilitation Sector in Slovenia. Its role is recognised through public mandate from the act and financially supported by the Slovenian Ministry of labour, family and Social Affairs. The University Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana has signed an EQUASS Licence Holder Agreement in November 2010. The core documents for EQUASS Assurance have been translated in the Slovenian language and made available via the EQUASS in Practice project website. The first Vocational Rehabilitation Service providers already expressed their intention to start the implementation of EQUASS Assurance. The Research and Development department of URI is authorised to operate the EQUASS Assurance certification programme in Slovenia.

Contact details:
Development Unit of Employment Rehabilitation, University Rehabilitation Institute.
Linhartova 51, 1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Tel: + 386 1 475 8 275
Fax: + 386 1 43 72 070
Web:www.ir-rs.si/en/
Email the Slovenian office for more information on how to apply: valentina.brecelj@ir-rs.si 

Information in Slovenian