ABSTRACT
Increasingly emphatic demands for quality management surfaced in Finland from outside the scope of social services, along with the public-sector goals of economy and productivity. Quality management methods were already being applied in the private sector and within various professions. In the context of social services, it was thought that trained personnel, facilities and a sound ethical base would guarantee good-quality services. The discussion on quality issues in the 1990s has revealed the need to scrutinize quality in the social services from various angles.
