Which digital tools to use for Social Work?

Prof. (FH) Dr. Johanna M. Hefel and Lukas Arnold MA of the Research Group Empirical Social Sciences of the FHV presented key results of the research project "Digital Social Route Map" at the international conference of the European Social Work Research Association in Amsterdam (ESWRA)

The annual event is the largest European conference on Social Work research in Europe. Active participation in the form of a presentation to a European audience of experts requires the successful completion of a double-blind peer review process. Among several hundred submissions, the two researchers managed to successfully pass the procedure.

Developing Digital Tools
The Social Route Plan project revolves around the opportunities for Social Work that are emerging with digitalization. In a participatory research approach, the project works together with potential user:ins to develop digital tools that pursue accessibility, anti-discrimination, dimensions of diversity, and usability as key underlying principles. Digital offerings can create advantages, such as a better overview of social offerings and their comparability, but also disadvantages such as a lack of accessibility.

The presentation at the international conference met with great interest and a broad response, as Social Work is going through similar processes in many European countries and digitalization is making inroads everywhere. In particular, the interdisciplinary three-state consortium of five scientific institutions, three IT companies and 14 social institutions was considered innovative and relevant.

The trip was a great success and an award for the research team. The social work research at the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences is internationally connectable and is perceived with recognition and interest.

June 2022