Electronic Information Systems and Social Work: Who are We Designing For?

Abstract

Historically, the reluctance of social workers to use digital technology has been noted, though this is changing as its use has become increasingly ubiquitous in both personal and professional life. The introduction of software to create case records and record service activity, generically known as electronic information systems (IS), has been particularly problematic, attracting criticism that it has undermined frontline social work practice. Initiatives to develop IS in order that they promote and support good practice are underway, and key dimensions of the design process are the aptitudes of the social workers and service users who will be engaging with IS. In this article, observations from an ethnographic programme of research that aims to redesign IS for the future and literature about technology usage are more generally drawn upon. Taking a lead from user-centred approaches to the design of technology, the characteristics, expectations and attitudes of both social workers and service users of the current and near future are explored in relation to their use of digital technology. Particular attention is paid to the consequences of this analysis for participatory approaches to IS design, which aim to include the perspectives of social workers and service users.