QOL-zone provides digital tools aimed at promoting quality of life.

These tools fit perfectly within a person-centered support methodology. At the moment, we offer, in collaboration with Ghent University College and the POS Foundation Netherlands, the SIS and POS digitally.

SIS

The SIS – Supports Intensity Scale helps to determine the type, amount, and intensity of support someone needs to participate in society. The SIS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the support needs of people with intellectual disabilities. In 2006, the SIS was published in Dutch, and in 2010, a new Dutch version was released. The paper version of the SIS is published for the Netherlands and Flanders by BSL (Houten). The SIS is intended for adult clients (ages 18-70). In the meantime, there has been considerable international experience with a children’s version of the SIS.

POS

The POS (Personal Outcomes Scale) is a questionnaire based on the eight domains of quality of life (Schalock & Verdugo, 2002). In a conversation with the person themselves and/or someone from their network, experiences about quality of life are discussed. What do people with intellectual disabilities think about the quality of their lives? The POS consists of a list of questions that address the eight domains of quality of life.

In Development

In addition to the POS and the SIS, several other instruments are being developed in collaboration with HOGent.

Knowledge Library

The Knowledge Library is an application filled with knowledge on support strategies and interventions that is searchable via different routes. As such this creates an interesting way to knowledge on demand.

In writing an Individual Support Plan or ISP the goals (as anticipated effects), Quality of Life domains ( in which area we want to work) and the components of supports ( which components of supports are for this individual preferable) can serve as entrance for an wealth of knowledge, which in our view keeps on expanding.

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OEES

The Organization Effectiveness and Efficiency Scale (OEES) is a scale designed to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization, with a focus on improving the Quality of Life of its clients. This scale was developed by the International Research Consortium on Evidence-Based Practices (2013) to help non-profit organizations meet the growing need to be more effective in achieving desired outcomes, more efficient in terms of resource use, and more sustainable as care providers in adapting to changes and offering a (healthy) range of opportunities and practices.

The OEES measures four (performance-based) perspectives that reflect a balanced approach to performance evaluation and management: the client perspective, the growth perspective, the financial perspective, and the internal processes perspective.

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QOLYSS

Despite the increased interest in the quality of life of young people, the quality of life of youth in vulnerable situations, such as those in youth care, remains underexposed. To gain insight into essential elements to understand and improve the lives of these young people, suitable assessment tools are needed. The new Quality of Life in Youth Services Scale (QOLYSS) for adolescents in youth care consists of a set of 88 questions based on the eight domains of quality of life (Schalock & Verdugo, 2002). Additionally, explanatory qualitative information is provided on the item selection process. An ongoing study offers detailed insights into the content-related validity of a new multidimensional quality of life scale. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of recognizing young people as critical partners in research and assessment of quality of life.