Quality Indicators - disabled children's and parents' prioritizations and experiences of quality criteria when using different types of support services

Current health and social care policy seeks to develop and refine standards of service quality. However, policies have so far largely focused upon statistically based service output indicators. Recognizing the importance and yet limitations of this, especially in services for disabled children and their families, this paper draws upon qualitative and quantitative data to explore indicators that are meaningful and relevant to disabled children and their families. Results demonstrate the need to look beyond a generic family-based perception of service quality, as children and parents value different aspects of service quality and prioritize different indicators when using different types of services. Although some indicators are regarded as ‘core’ quality indicators, irrespective of service type, others are only prioritized for specific types of services.