Quality and Safeguarding Frameworks

This paper for Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People and Disability Support Services (DSS) in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), by Rebecca Rippon and David Moore with sections authored by Gabrielle Baker (Baker Consulting), contributes to developing recommendations for an improved quality framework by drawing on multiple sources of information.

It includes insights from a desktop review, targeted interviews, and a stocktake of existing work and reports. It also incorporates findings from literature on holistic, indigenous, and Aotearoa New Zealand-specific approaches to quality, along with a scan of international and cross-sector quality frameworks, regulations, and mechanisms.

The paper is structured in three parts:

Part One – foundations for a quality framework:
This section outlines the pou (pillars) that underpin the work of DSS. We discuss the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and their implications for a quality framework. We set out the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles and consider the ways in which a quality framework can support EGL system-change.

Part Two – regulatory frameworks:
This part describes the current legislative and regulatory environment supporting quality and safeguarding in the disability sector. We look at international regulatory models—particularly in Australia—and consider regulatory practices in other sectors to identify opportunities for improvement.

Part Three – quality measurement:
The final section offers commentary from the literature on how quality and outcomes can be measured within a broader quality framework.

Overall, the paper lays a foundation for designing a future-focused, inclusive, and culturally grounded quality framework, informed by both local and international best practice.

For more information please go to the Disability Support Services website.