Foreword by the Authors
„Human behavior is not, in every case, dictated by the conditions a person encounters, but by the decision that person makes. Whether or not they know it, they decide whether they will resist the conditions or yield to them.“ „A person is not free from the conditions, but free only to take a position toward them.“
Viktor Frankl

Dear colleagues, dear friends of quality,

We write this foreword to the book on our way back from Denmark. Both of us returned there after more than twenty years. What has changed in social services since 1991 and 1993? We could say very much, but at the same time very little. Very little in terms of orientation and ways of thinking, lifestyle, family life, and working style.

And a lot in terms of modernization and methods of work. Danish social services are person-centered. A holistic approach can be seen everywhere. In building and garden architecture, in healthcare, educational, therapeutic, as well as nursing and rehabilitative aids and equipment in both residential and outpatient services, in purposeful design of interiors and exteriors, in the professional approach of staff, and in cooperation with family, as well as community.

Quality control of social services here is measured by three indicators. They are mainly concerned with how much the client's health or social condition improved for the better thanks to the provided service, how it helped them, how they progressed toward self-reliance and independence. They also constantly ask about the level of self-determination and at the same time whether the client is being guided toward responsibility in achieving previously agreed goals. Last but not least, they must prove that the provided service was effective and the most cost-efficient of all possible solutions.

Denmark, as a country, despite having the highest taxes, ranks in the highest tiers of happiness indexes. When building social service quality in Slovakia, can we ask whether there is a recipe? The weather there is much harsher than ours. Little sunlight, lots of wind, high taxes. Could it be thanks to the Danish life concept? The concept is called hygge. It is an everyday way of life for them. They pair it with pleasant routine and daily rituals. In every social service facility, we found dozens of lit candles, lanterns, aesthetic natural decorations in a restrained, non-intrusive style. Every room is full of light and has access to a garden, or a large view of nature. The hygge way of life touches upbringing, arrangement of the environment, meal preparation, and the enjoyment of time—and all of this without a key worker or extensive individual plans.

Food is prepared mostly together. Great attention is paid to creating an atmosphere of happiness in the community of family, school, municipality, city, or service organization from very early childhood. Shared time is taken as sacred, and everyone tries to create an atmosphere of comfort, adding log by log. We also felt coziness and a homely atmosphere in a specialized facility for seniors caring for clients with dementia, alcohol or drug dependencies, and other mental illnesses. Among their core values are professionalism, politeness, teamwork, no pretense, kindness, respect, propriety (gossip is considered genuinely very rude), and humor.

Is that all? Yes, the recipe can be written on a very small piece of paper. It is not an extensive national strategy, a multi-page concept of expert groups, or a detailed elaboration of European guidelines. Nor is it any professional publication at all—nothing that would stand out as truly important on a shelf or in a résumé. Not that we did not know this when we came there. Not that it completely surprised us. We already mentioned this in our first volume.

Those few values written deeply into a person and consistently applied in both personal and professional life should suffice for many, many years, from birth to death. And for whom would it not, can one dare to start reading this book.

## THE BOOK CAN BE ORDERED FROM THE PUBLISHER Closing Words by the Authors

Dear quality practitioners,

if you have read, or even just browsed through this book, you have advanced a little further on the road to quality once again. If it seems to you that the path to quality is blocked by poor legislation, unsystematic concepts, lack of funding, colleagues’ unwillingness to change and develop, ingratitude of family members, lack of interest from politicians, community residents, negative media reports, and the arrogance of control authorities, do not give up and read the foreword again.

„Even the smallest flame gives light and warmth.“

If we were not convinced of this, we would long ago have packed up and moved somewhere where quality and happiness thrive. We cannot promise that the road to quality can be travelled easily, we only know that it is a road of human goodness and the beauty of creation. We wish all of you goodness and beauty in your heart and in your work.

A few Danish proverbs: „Happiness stops at the door and asks whether there is prudence beyond it.“ „Happiness and a rainbow—one never sees it above oneself, only above the heads of others.“ „A doctor and a farmer know more than a doctor alone.“ „A donkey carrying many books is not yet learned.“ „The old may walk poorly, but they give good advice.“ „The road to a friend's house is never long.“ „What is the use of a cow giving much milk if the bucket is tipped over.“ „Who goes into thorns must take boots.“

Title: Quality of Social Services in the Cube, Part 2
Authors: Ondrej Buzala, Mária Kovaľová
Publisher: Tabita s. r. o.
Year of publication: 2018
First edition
Number of pages: 349
ISBN: 978-80-972184-1-6