Quality assurance and procedure controlling
The Quality Assurance department monitors the asylum procedure standards from the point at which an application is made, until a decision is issued on that application. Operational Controlling ensures that decisions are taken on a uniform basis within the Federal Office.
The Quality Assurance and Operational Controlling departments monitor the entire asylum process. They interlink with one another and are supported by numerous measures. Operational Controlling means that data are gathered and subsequently analysed. This allows conclusions to be drawn as to whether decisions in the Federal Office are made consistently where comparable circumstances exist. This allows the transition to Quality Assurance, where decisions are monitored, to be seamless.
Maintaining standards
Quality assurance is a question of examining the entire asylum process, starting from when the application is lodged to issuing the decision. To maintain standards, employees have a variety of resources at their disposal. These include official instructions, manuals, instruction sheets and the quality standards manual entitled "Hearing and Decision".
Regular contact allows conclusions to be drawn
Conclusions can be drawn concerning the quality of the process if regular contact is maintained, for example with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the administrative courts. These conclusions then indirectly help to ensure quality assurance. The "Asylum Experts Forum", which is housed within the Federal Office, should also be mentioned here. Further quality assurance measures, as in the case of Operational Controlling, include statistical surveys and subsequent analysis of these surveys. The QS MARIS team and the work of quality standards officers in the Branch Offices also contribute towards ensuring a high level of quality assurance.
