On Monday, December 8, 2025, the Greek Network of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (THE NET) and the European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR), organized a National Awareness Event under the title “Quality and Excellence in services for persons with disabilities: Aiming at a European, but locally meaningful, Quality Assurance system in Greece.”
Using as a vehicle the presentation of the European social services quality assurance system, EQUASS, created by EPR, the event highlighted all the necessary changes for a modern and reliable quality assurance system in services for persons with disabilities.
The event, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, was attended by the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Ms. Domna Michailidou, as representative of the Prime Minister.
Referring to important government interventions, Ms. Michailidou emphasized that all actions & service provisions have a common denominator: the need for a coherent quality framework that evaluates, improves, and ensures that services remain person-oriented and focused on their daily lives.
As she pointed out, THE NET’s initiative to examine the adaptation of European practices to the Greek context is a crucial step towards an institutional maturity of disability services in Greece. “Today’s discussion is not theoretical. It is the foundation for the services of the next decade” she said.
The event was also supported by Archbishop Ieronymos, that was represented by the Reverend Protopresbyter Priest Dimitrios Nikou, who spoke about the Greek Orthodox Church’s long-standing involvement in social welfare services for people with disabilities and conveyed His Beautitude’s warm wishes for the successful works of THE NET and the event.
The Secretary General & members of the EPR Board, EQUASS experts, university professors, the President , the Secretary General & the Executive Secretary of THE NET’s Board, as well as scientific & administrative representatives of member organizations of EPR & THE NET from the EU and Greece , with experience in the quality assurance system EQUASS, demonstrated in their presentations the high correlation between the quality of social services provided to persons with disabilities and the quality of life they ultimately achieve. They explored the exceptional potential of the EQUASS model to strengthen and facilitate the organization and documentation of all good practices in the provision of services for persons with disabilities by non-profit providers, and ultimately focused on the measurable, positive life outcomes for beneficiaries achieved through the voluntary implementation of EQUASS in organizations in Greece and the EU, with concrete examples, programs, interventions, and case studies.
The audience of the event—board & management members and professionals from non-profit service providers for persons with disabilities—members of THE NET, academics, quality experts, and invited service providers from the EU—attended the event in the beautiful conference hall of Stelios Foundation in Plaka, as well as online throughout Greece.
In the conclusions of the event, THE NET highlighted the maturity of the Greek institutional framework and of the members of THE NET, for the transition to a modern and reliable quality assurance system for social services for persons with disabilities in Greece.
The EPR highlighted an analogous maturity at European level, as well as the exceptional potential of EQUASS quality assurance system to operate either independently or in combination with any other certification system.
The final, joint conclusion of THE NET & EPR, was that quality assurance of social services for people with disabilities cannot be considered a ‘luxury’ or a ‘voluntary commitment to excellence’ because the quality of services is a fundamental right of people with disabilities and an essential condition—but also an indicator of implementation—of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), with the sole purpose and goal of quality of life (QoL).
*The event was made possible with the kind support of the Stelios Foundation.