Across Europe, public social services have increasingly shown a willingness to invest in existing and new digital solutions such as ICT infrastructure, the use of artificial intelligence, fast and effective case management systems, technology driven services and assistive technology.
On 8 December, the European Social Network (ESN) organised an online meeting to take stock of the digital transformations taking place in social services. It was also an opportunity to facilitate an exchange of good practices on the role of technology in the delivery of care across Europe.
Fostering digital inclusion
Keynote speaker Antonio López Peláez, Professor of Social Work and Social Services at the National University of Distance Education in Spain, shared his research on the key digital trends within social services. Chief among these was the positive increase in “the development of digital methodologies of social intervention based on co-design and participation of all actors involved.”
As more and more services move to the digital space, everyone can only benefit so long as access and can use information and communication technologies is assured. As such, these developments are an important step made by social services towards this form of “digital inclusion,” without which “there can be no inclusive welfare state,” he concluded.
At the meeting two ESN members shared examples of digital tools that had successfully integrated the principles highlighted by Mr Lopez.
Person-centred design
Mairead Harkin, Workforce Development Officer at the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, spoke about ‘Learning Zone’, a free online resource where social workers can take training and development modules at their own pace.
As part of the “co-design approach,” said Ms Harkin, the platform was “developed in collaboration with social care employers, independent voluntary sectors, service users and carers, educational providers and subject matter experts.” Including all relevant stakeholders allows for the fast generation of bespoke services that are practical and useful for end-users, she added.
Giving an example of co-design from Sweden, Sandra Goll-Rasmussen, Digital Strategist at VästKom presented ‘AllAgeHub’, a user-centric testbed that connects relevant stakeholders of welfare technology, such as the public sector, academics, industry and civil society.
AllAgeHub “breaks the chain” of typical product development of assistive technologies by providing trained test leaders that follow “a model for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of tests,” which includes the end-user and their families in the process.
Inclusive social innovation
In line with the previous presenters, Hector Upegui, Worldwide Market Development Executive & Chief Health Officer at IBM Watson Health, stressed the need for the public sector to put the end user in the centre when designing services.
Providing a perspective from the private sector, Mr Upegui offered some pieces of advice achieving successful digital innovation to public social services that sometimes struggle to keep up in a fast-moving world.
Due to the speed at which technology advances, Mr Upegui advised service providers to “breakdown a big problem into short milestones or basic solutions” and don’t be afraid to make “quick-wins.” This will avoid the recurring problem with public sector having outdated technology by the time it is released, he said.
Future ESN work on digitalisation
This meeting highlighted the importance of including people who use social services in the design process, in particular for the development and testing of digital tools. In this way, potential inequalities can be avoided and ensures that digitalisation empowers those that work for and use social services through the production of tools that fit their needs.
ESN will continue the conversation around the opportunities and challenges digitalisation offers in its upcoming Working Group on Social Services Transformation and Resilience, as well as at the European Social Services Conference, which is taking place between 8-10 June.