Digital transformation is inevitable nowadays, and social services worldwide are increasingly availing themselves of new technologies to deliver more time-efficient and cost-effective services. Furthermore, the European Union (EU) has committed to digitalising key public services, and 93% of its population now has access to electronic identification (eID), according to the latest State of the Digital Decade report. The report, however, also shows that the EU is lagging in providing its inhabitants with the digital skills necessary to make proper use of these technological advancements: only 55.6% of the population has at least basic digital skills.
At the 32nd edition of the European Social Services Conference, we learnt how artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated decision-making processes, such as predictive algorithms, are being used more and more by public authorities to reduce red tape, recognise and promptly respond to social trends, provide more integrated care and support, and forecast outcomes.
Digital solutions for better social services
In Malta, for example, the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS), which has been providing a large range of social services since 1998, has adopted an innovative, joint digital case management system. This new system allows the Foundation professionals to gather the data they need and produce real-time reporting linked to Power BI, map their data for prevention or outreach programmes, and identify changes in the country’s population and emerging social needs.
According to the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade, digital transformation cannot leave anybody behind, and special attention needs to be given to, among others, older people, people with disabilities, and people living in rural areas. In Ghent, Belgium, for instance, the Public Centre for Social Welfare (PCSW) offers digital support, including the provision of digital tools to residents in need, to close the identified digital gap. The premise is that the professionals themselves are adequately digitally skilled, one of the main targets set out by the EU in its Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030.
Digitalisation cannot replace social services
However, digital innovation is not intended to replace human connection. This was one of the key takeaways from this year’s conference.
Cherrie Short, Senior Fellow for Global and Community Strategy at the New York University, USA, warned us of the risks of depersonalisation and dehumanisation linked to AI-driven intervention and the need to safeguard the rights and dignity of clients: “While AI can facilitate efficiency and scalability of social work practice, it must not diminish the importance of human connection. Social workers possess unique strengths, including empathy, compassion, and the ability to understand the lived experiences of clients and meet their unique needs”.
Carme Torras, Research Professor at the Robotics Institute within the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Spain, presented her work on assistive robotics for people with cognitive or physical disabilities. Co-designed with the users involved in the pilot study, Torras said, “Robots are meant to take on routine tasks with no added human value and increase their independence, not replace the social part of care”.
Key lessons for digital development
We cannot halt digital transformation, but we must acknowledge and monitor its risks and challenges, including AI bias, privacy breaches, lack of accessibility, and impact on social wellbeing. Ethical co-creation and deployment of technological innovations can ultimately hold great potential for optimising service provision and enhancing the quality of life of those using social services.
Meaningful engagement of the latter at all stages is vital to ensuring that digital solutions are user-centred, empowering, and responsive to the unique needs and priorities of underserved communities. Only in this way can digital innovation contribute to a fair and inclusive society.
