Quip

Quip was founded in 2003 to enhance quality of life of people with learning disabilities in the Czech Republic. Since then Quip has used and promoted what we can call social innovation – new approaches in the field of support services, based on the principles of citizenship and inclusion of people with disabilities. Our mission is based on conviction that every person is a citizen and has the right to choose where, with whom and how they live. We advocate people's right to independence and mutual support. We build on methods and approaches that allow for respecting rights of those who are excluded from society, and we disseminate this inspiration.

Although our office is based in Prague, we operate nationally. We also co-operate with organisations in other European countries. The Quip team is composed of eight members: lawyers, social workers, lecturers and administrative workers.

Quip is an accredited training agency for professionals in the field of social work and social services. Delivering training is an important way of disseminating new ideas and sharing good practice with various stakeholders. It is also an important source of funding for other Quip activities. Our training programme is designed for social workers, in both non-governmental support services and local authority services, for self-advocates and families, public guardians, and other professionals.  The portfolio of our training courses covers four main areas: person-centred planning, communication, and legal issues including support in decision-making and legal capacity.

We also provide an accredited personal social service, support brokerage, for people with disabilities. Support methods and activities are based combining social work competencies and legal support. This service is still being developed and enriched by experience gained from project activities.

Quip also takes part in social innovation projects at national and international levels. The knowledge we gain from innovative projects is published on our web site which serves as a recourse mainly for professionals in social services and students of social work. In 2016, we won the "Floccus" prize which recognized our contribution to the field of innovative approaches in social work and social services.

For more informatin see: www.kvalitavpraxi.cz