Description
Has digital become part of adult social care’s ‘new normal’? The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has meant that ‘traditional’ face-to-face social care practices have had to fundamentally change, leading to the rapid acceleration of digitised social care.The current pandemic has unraveled the fabric of the social world. Daily routines, familiar rituals and sociality have been upended due to the measures put in place to contain and manage the spread of the coronavirus. Terms such as ‘lockdown’, ‘shielding’, ‘face covering’, ‘social distance’, ‘death toll’ and ‘new normal’ have become woven into narratives and everyday life.
Effective and meaningful social care practice has historically relied on close physical proximity to people, with practice often necessary within the context of the home environment. Therefore the ongoing imposed physical distancing measures have presented a significant challenge for practices that would ordinarily take the form of face-to-face or in-person contact. It is this challenge that has accelerated the move in adult social care towards mediated methods, to deliver services and to maintain practice continuity through the use of new technologies and digital platforms as communities continue in ‘lockdown’, or individuals shielding due to their own care and support needs.
Digital technology can function as an important ‘enabler’ in order to achieve the core objectives of adult social care, such as in relation to inclusion, co-production, self-determination, and safeguarding. But, it can also present ethical and practice challenges and lead to uncertainty in practice.
The digital technology in adult social care online seminars will reflect on pre-pandemic and pandemic digital social care, as well as post-pandemic digital social care developments – what might these bring as adult social care continues to respond to a dynamic and evolving situation? What digital developments will we ‘keep’ as a social care profession, and what will we leave behind, as we move towards a ‘post-pandemic’ future?
| Period | 04 Mar 2021 → 11 Mar 2021 |
|---|---|
| Held at | Research in Practice , United Kingdom |
| Degree of Recognition | National |
Keywords
- digital capabilites
- digital ethics
- social work practice
- social work education
- digital social work
- digital professionalism