El autor, el narrador y el protagonista en la red de la autoficción

provided during the session and the methods used to conduct it have been helpful. On the basis of the client’s response, the objectives are set for the next session. On completion of the counselling process, this type of review and evaluation is extended to the entire process. In order to assess client satisfaction systematically, the Labour Market Service (AMS) has been conducting a postal survey at irregular intervals since 1994. The questions asked in the standardised questionnaire are set by the AMS and give clients little opportunity to provide individual feedback on their experiences in the advice bureau. The findings of the survey are therefore of very limited value to the advisers as a basis for possible improvements. The main purpose of the questions seems to be to furnish the AMS with the basis for a comparison with other providers.

Quality of working conditions

The four staff members are private employees of the City of Vienna Youth Centres Association. The head of the association delegates wide decision-making powers to the four staff of the advice bureau, who jointly manage the facility. The interviewed staff member appreciates the close ties with the municipal association, which enable the bureau to draw on a very wide range of resources. In contrast to other small and independent providers, the bureau’s financial future is relatively secure, although all contracts concluded with Amandas Matz are for one year only. The association also provides technical support, such as the provision of technical resources or premises, and represents its interests in dealings with the AMS, which is one of the main sources of funding.

Other elements which were considered very conducive to good working conditions were the agreed budget for in-service training (45 000 schillings/3 200 euros per annum plus paid training leave) and a sufficiently ample budget for supervision.

These aspects of working conditions, beneficial though they undoubtedly are, have been overshadowed by a discussion that has been going on for about a year and a half about whether the advice bureau should continue to operate within the structure of the association. There are moves to assign it to the Viennese Workers’ Support Fund (Wiener Arbeitnehmer-

förderungfonds), since that fund also coordinates other employment projects. No final

decision has yet been taken, which has had quite an unsettling effect on the staff. Quality assurance

In cooperation with the consultancy firm ÖSB, which specialises in socioeconomic businesses, quality standards have been developed over the past few years. They define “the conditions governing the professional activity of advisers, counselling and teamwork, and the organisational and structural framework applicable to staff and their work in general”.

A total of six principles have been formulated. The basic principle governing the work of the advice bureau is that the focus should be on the context of women’s lives. This means that various aspects (legal, social, cultural, psychological, etc.) of women’s lives receive special attention. The aim is that girls and women should learn to be more aware of their situation in life and to develop ways of solving their specific set of problems. Another principle is that the strengths and resources of girls and women should be taken as a starting point so that they can become aware of their own situation in life, express that situation in words and hence act independently. Finally, the advisers’ role in the public domain is defined, committing them to convey knowledge to the general public about women’s situation within the labour market.

For each of the six principles, measures were also prescribed to help achieve the desired quality standard. Besides some of the quality-assurance criteria referred to above, such as final interviews and regular training, the bureau is considering the possibility of developing its own questionnaire for clients.

Transferability to other projects

The number of staff at the Amandas Matz Advice Bureau has not increased since it was founded. The small number of employees by comparison with other projects and the low staff turnover are regarded as advantages, as they foster close and sustained cooperation within the team and with other project teams. This situation can only benefit the clients.

The connection with a public association avoids problems, such as uncertainty about funding and infrastructural weakness, with which independent providers are confronted.

Despite the small number of employees, the bureau tries to offer a complete range of services. The systematic selection of staff helps to achieve that goal, care being taken to ensure that the advisers are drawn from a variety of professions and have amassed a wide diversity of working experience.

3.3 Social services for people with mental disorders and learning disabilities

3.3.1 The Alpha Nova project 23

The Alpha Nova project was launched in 1992 with a view to providing care in the community for mentally handicapped children and young people who had previously been cared for in a psychiatric hospital. In 1995, the young clients moved out of the hospital into three new dwelling houses which had been built for that purpose along with a workshop and a counselling centre.

The project has been organised as a non-profit limited company owned entirely by the Counselling Association – Alpha Nova Project (Verein Lebenshilfe Projekt: Alpha Nova). The reasons given for this choice of legal status are greater transparency of expenditure and a clearer organisational structure.

In 1998 the project budget amounted to about 35 million schillings (roughly 2.5 million euros), most of which was financed by revenue from the purchase of services by various public bodies such as the federal state of Styria, the district governors’ departments (Bezirkshauptmannschaften), the Labour Market Service and the Federal Social Office. However, the association also uses new sources of funding which became available when Austria joined the European Union. For example, three projects are currently being part- financed by EU resources from the European Social Fund and the Leonardo programme. In addition, there are regular efforts to canvass for sponsors from the region, although the income from sponsorship fluctuates sharply from year to year.

Since it was launched, the project has expanded considerably, which is reflected especially clearly in the number of staff. Whereas there were only 30 staff members (salaried employees) in 1992, this figure had already grown to 95 by 1999. As further projects are launched, staff numbers are likely to go on rising steadily.