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Social Work Education
The International Journal
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cswe20
Young people, social workers and social work
education: the role of digital skills
Antonio López Peláez , Amaya Erro-Garcés & Emilio José Gómez-Ciriano
To cite this article: Antonio López Peláez , Amaya Erro-Garcés & Emilio José Gómez-Ciriano
(2020) Young people, social workers and social work education: the role of digital skills, Social
Work Education, 39:6, 825-842, DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2020.1795110
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1795110
Published online: 18 Aug 2020.
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Young people, social workers and social work education: the
role of digital skills
Antonio López Peláez
a
, Amaya Erro-Garcés
b
and Emilio José Gómez-Ciriano
c
a
Department of Social Work, Faculty of Law, UNED, Madrid, Spain;
b
Department of Business Administration,
Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain;
c
Department of Social Law and Social Work, Universidad
de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
ABSTRACT
This paper addresses a key issue in the development of youth-focused
social work: the role of digital skills in the relationship between young
people and social workers who work with these native digital users. To
this end, we analysed data from the International Digital Economy and
Society Index 2019 and Eurostat. Information from the sixth European
Working Conditions Survey and a survey conducted by the Social Care
Institute for Excellence and the British Association of Social Workers
supported the empirical analysis. The main ndings reveal a gap
between the level of digital skills required in the labour market and
the actual level of digital skills in both young people and social work-
ers, despite eorts by both groups to improve their skills. Initiatives to
foster digital skills are therefore recommended to bridge this digital
divide. Lastly, it was concluded that both groups could act as mutual
drivers of digital transformation.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 28 May 2020
Accepted 3 July 2020
KEYWORDS
E-social work; young people;
digitalisation; digital skills
1. Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitisation and digitalisation processes in all
spheres of society, including social services.
1
Organisational transformations that would
normally have taken decades are now being implemented in a matter of weeks. In the
field of education, many universities have closed their doors and online teaching has
become widespread in an effort to guarantee continued learning for students. The
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) has organised its 2020 conference
online,
2
and online congresses and webinars have been launched in various countries.
For example, during the lockdown in Spain in April 2020, social work professors from the
UNED and the Universities of Zaragoza and Malaga created a YouTube channel on
digital social work
3
and convened the First International Conference on Digital Social
Work using a video presentation and video poster format.
4
Strategies aimed at coping with these processes of change in the social work field must
take into account users’ digital skills, especially those of young users, as well as the digital
skills of social workers. Our welfare states, particularly those in southern Europe, are
targeted at the protection of the elderly and other at-risk groups and have not yet
CONTACT Amaya Erro-Garcés. amaya.erro@unavarra.es Faculty of Business, Universidad Pública de Navarra,
Pamplona, Navarra 31002, Spain
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION
2020, VOL. 39, NO. 6, 825–842
https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1795110
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
developed a welfare model targeted at young people (López Peláez & Gómez Ciriano,
2019). However, the new pandemic, and the social and economic crisis it is has brought
with it, will significantly affect young people’s careers in the near future.
Digital skills are a key tool for fostering young people’s career advancement, given that
they have a positive effect on psychosocial well-being and self-esteem (Martinovic et al.,
2019). However, they can also have a negative effect on key elements of superdiverse
societies: the tolerance of diversity and the ability to communicate across cultures. For
example, although digital skills have been shown to promote self-esteem, ‘establishing
relations and reaching social capital, which allows reaching more diverse information,
does not imply being more tolerant to diversity’ (Castillo De Mesa et al., 2020, p. 7). In
order to work with young people, it is essential that social workers be trained in new
technologies, and become both proactive and critical in order to strengthen their digital
skills in an increasingly diverse environment (Lopez Peláez & Gómez Ciriano, 2020).
2. E-social work: a meeting ground for young people and social workers
Digital transformation has had a significant impact on our daily routines. Technology has
changed social relationships, communication, education, consumer habits, and even
entertainment. In today’s society, digital skills are essential to succeed and should there-
fore be a requirement in all professions. Given that technology can complement face-to-
face professional practice, information and communication technology (ICT) is trans-
forming social work (Mishna et al., 2017) and is especially important in social work
targeted at young people at risk (Helsper & Van Deursen, 2015; Pienimäki, 2019). In fact,
technology is transforming the nature and practice of all professions; a phenomenon that
requires social workers to remain especially vigilant.
In recent years, many articles have been published on technology and social work and
although a relatively new phenomenon, the topic has attracted much research attention.
To reflect this changing reality, the term e-social work was coined to refer to an upcoming
area of specialisation in the field, digital social work (López Peláez et al., 2018; López-
Peláez & Marcuello-Servós, 2018a). Indeed, the vast body of literature published over the
last few years confirms scholars’ interest in the impact of technology on social work.
A Google Scholar search using the terms ‘ICTs’, and ‘social work’ yields around 21,300
results for papers published in the last three years.
Young people’s digital skills have also been examined extensively in the literature
(Middaugh et al., 2017). As a consequence, several initiatives aimed at improving young
people’s digital skills across Europe have been implemented (e.g., Youth on the Move, An
Agenda for New Skills and Jobs and the Opening up Education initiative to foster digital
skills in schools and universities).
5
In addition, ‘the Council of the European Union has
included digital skills as an integral part of newly adopted conclusions regarding the
importance of media skills acquired through education and training. The conclusions
highlighted the digital skills gap and discussed the importance of digital skills in the
employment market’
6
(Council of the European Union, 2016).
Technology, youth and social work are closely linked. Because several social work
practices focus entirely on young people, the enhanced digital skills of both collectives
could facilitate online services (Aguilar-Tablada et al., 2020). However, social workers
need to increase their efforts in this regard with young people (Gómez-Ciriano et al.,
826 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
2020). Furthermore, young people are society’s future adults, and their skills will deter-
mine future social needs. This relationship warrants our interest in analysing both groups
in this study.
This paper studies the role of ICT in young people’s lives and its impact on social
workers. By studying both collectives in parallel, the paper contributes to the previous
literature on e-social work, young people, and technology (Castillo De Mesa et al., 2020;
López Peláez et al., 2018; López-Peláez & Marcuello-Servós, 2018b). To this end, data
from the International Digital Economy and Society Index 2019 and Eurostat were used
for the analysis. Information from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey and
a survey conducted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and the British
Association of Social Workers (BASW) supported the empirical analysis. Based on the
findings, several recommendations are provided.
The paper is structured as follows. The next section describes the theoretical frame-
work on the use of ICT by social workers and young people. The empirical analysis and
results are then presented. Lastly, the manuscript ends with a discussion and
conclusion.
3. Youth and technology
Although the use of digital media presents new challenges for young people, as e-learning
and social networks are transforming social relationships, the use of ICT also provides
several advantages, such as the elimination of physical barriers, access to less costly
training, or increased cooperation and communication.
However, technology also has a darker side. The negative effects of ICT on young
people range from inequality and social exclusion (Pagani et al., 2016) to cyber-
aggression (Mishna et al., 2018), technology addiction (Lachmann et al., 2018; Wang
et al., 2018), and poorer learning and academic outcomes (Hawi & Samaha, 2016).
As digital natives, advanced ICT skills can give young people (aged 16–29)
a competitive edge over the rest of society in terms of employment opportunities (De
Castro, 2016). In this context, young people are expected to have better digital skills than
the rest of the population. Nevertheless, there is evidence that socioeconomic factors
affect the level of young people’s digital skills (Scheerder et al., 2017), thus creating
a digital divide among them.
From an intrapersonal perspective, ICT is changing social interactions. Social media
involves creating a digital life and personality which can affect young people’s well-being
(James et al., 2017). To respond to these challenges, digital skills now form part of the
curriculum of schools and higher education institutions.
In summary, technology is particularly important for young people, as they need
digital skills for their future employment, but ICT can also have a very negative effect on
their personality development.
4. ICT and social workers: e-social work
As mentioned above, technology has had an impact across professions; a digital trans-
formation that must also be addressed in social work. Although digitalisation presents
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 827
important ethical challenges for social workers (Reamer, 2017), the use of technology in
social work has become a valuable tool in the field and its advancement is inevitable.
López Peláez et al. (2018) used the term e-social work to refer to the adoption of digital
procedures in social work practices. As a new area of specialisation, e-social work
involves introducing digital skills as part of future social workers’ training. However,
according to Cwikel and Friedmann (2019) and Aguilar-Tablada et al. (2020), the
digitalisation of social work practices remains in its early stages. In this regard, the
COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the digital transformation process, which, in turn,
has accelerated the development of e-social work.
In similar lines, Raya Diez (2018) defines e-inclusion as the programmes and projects
that promote social inclusion through the use of ICT, while Cwikel and Friedmann
(2019) make reference to the integration of e-therapy in social work practices. Both
studies highlight the advantages of technologies for reaching a large number of partici-
pants, and the benefits they bring to underserved populations.
According to the authors, there are various ways to integrate ICT in social work
practice: (1) e-practices (e.g., emails, videoconferences) jointly with face-to-face inter-
ventions; (2) web-based programmes, that might or might not be developed by an IT
technician, and (3) programmes supported by robots, gaming, or 3D virtual environ-
ments, usually without the intervention of an IT technician. In addition, technology can
support social services (e.g., by using mobile phones to find a lost child) and is also
important in interactions involving people with disabilities.
Scholars also agree on the importance of digital skills for both service users and social
workers to ensure successful interventions (Atkinson et al., 2009; Barak & Grohol, 2011;
Grady et al., 2011), as well as the importance of attitudes towards the use of IT data
(Zhang & Gutierrez, 2007).
5. The use of ICT in the workplace
In order to analyse the role of technology in young people’s lives, we first examined the
use of ICT in the workplace as most jobs will need digital skills in the future (ECORYS,
2016); a circumstance that may foster the acquisition of digital skills. Figure 1 shows the
percentage of young workers that use ICT almost all of the time in the workplace across
Europe in 2015. As can be observed, less than 50% of young workers use technologies
with this frequency.
As a result, the use of ICT is expected to increase in the workplace and, consequently,
the need for basic digital skills.
6. The use of ICT by young people
Statistical data from Eurostat, the European Commission and Eurofound complement
our analysis. Specifically, the International Digital Economy and Society Index from 2019
and Eurostat data for ICT use in households and by individuals were used.
As mentioned, young people are digital natives and live in both real and digital worlds.
The use of ICT by young citizens can be analysed using the European Working Conditions
Survey (Eurofound, 2016) and data provided by Eurostat, among others. The previous
section includes Eurofound data that show differences in the use of technology by young
828 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
workers across Europe (Figure 1), whereas the following analysis complements these data
with the use of ICT by all young citizens (not just workers) based on Eurostat data. The
situation of digital skills and the use of ICT in Europe is first analysed for both the
population as a whole and young people in particular, and then specifically for Spain.
6.1. The European framework
In recent decades, EU countries have all improved their digital performance to some
extent. According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) ranking (Foley et al.,
2019), several countries such as Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark are
global leaders in digitalisation (Figure 2). In this context, most Spanish indexes are above
the European average, although the human capital dimension presents below average
results.
Specifically, digital skills are measured through the human capital dimension, which
takes into account ‘basic Internet user skills’ and ‘advanced skills and development’. In
this regard, Spain is below the European average in terms of digital skills. Conversely,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden present the highest values in terms of
Internet user skills, whereas Finland, Sweden and Estonia are the top performers in
Figure 1. Percentage of workers (under 35) who work with laptops, computers, and other ICT devices
almost all of the time. Source: Eurofound. European Working Conditions Survey (2016)
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 829
advanced skills and development. In contrast, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, and Greece
present the lowest scores in this dimension (Figure 3).
According to the DESI Report (2019), almost half of European citizens need to
improve their digital skills (43% of the EU population in 2017). This situation and the
need for skills in the future justify the promotion of EU citizens’ digital skills, particularly
among young people.
Figure 2. The Digital Economy and Society Index ranking. Source: International Digital Economy and
Society Index 2019
Figure 3. Human capital dimension (digital skills). Source: International Digital Economy and Society
Index 2019
830 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
Following the above overview of each country’s global situation in the Digital Economy,
we now turn to digitalisation in young people. Young people’s digital skills differ across
Europe. Although there are no significant variations, the frequency of computer and
Internet use and computer use in the workplace and in education differs from country
to country. Finland, Czechia, Poland, and Luxembourg lead in some of the items whereas
countries in the periphery (as Turkey or Romania) fall behind (Table 1). Nevertheless, the
number of citizens with digital skills is increasing in all the countries analysed (Table 2).
Tables 1 and 2 show Eurostat data on ICT use in households and by individuals, which
were collected by the corresponding country’s national statistical institutes based on the
Eurostat’s model questionnaires on ICT. Data were collected on households and indivi-
duals. The population of households consists of all private households with at least one
member aged 16–74, whereas the population of individuals consists of all individuals
aged 16–74. Our study focuses exclusively on young citizens.
Regarding the data collected, respondents were asked questions regarding their
frequency of Internet access and computer use such as ‘When did you last use the
Internet?’ and ‘How often on average did you use the Internet in the last 3 months?’.
The survey also contained similar questions on frequency of computer and ICT use,
such as ‘For which of the following activities did you use the Internet in the last
3 months?’ (with the possible response options ‘storage space to save pictures, music
and other files’).
Lastly, the data on individuals who have above basic digital skills are based on
a derived variable and estimated according to the definition provided by Eurostat. For
example, if the response to the question ‘Which of the following computer related
activities have you already carried out?’ is affirmative in one of the options, then digital
skills are considered to be above basic.
These data are relevant because they allow us to determine the evolution of digital
skills in young people across Europe, and, in particular, the use of ICT by young people in
Spain. It can be observed that although young citizens are continually improving their
digital skills, greater effort is required in this direction.
6.2. The context of Spain
Focusing on the situation in Spain, the country displays a similar trend to the rest of
Europe regarding young people’s digital skills. As can be seen in Figure 4,
7
the number of
young people (individuals aged 16–34) in Spain with above average digital skills increased
over the period 2012–2016, peaked between 2012 and 2014, and subsequently dropped off.
In addition, the frequency of Internet use is also increasing as more young people use
Internet on a daily basis (Figure 5). In this case, there has been a steady rise in the years
analysed. As digitalisation involves a growing number of new services on the Internet, new
Internet use can be explained by the increasing number of young people who use Internet
daily.
In fact, the use of ICT by youth is on the rise in Spain and other European countries
and young people are steadily improving their digital skills as a result. Nevertheless,
several differences can be found between countries. For example, Luxembourg and
Finland lead the digital changes, whereas other countries are improving their skills at
a slower rate.
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 831
Table 1. Digital skills. ICTs usage (Internet and computer use) by individuals in Europe.
Frequency of compu-
ter use: daily
Frequency of compu-
ter use: daily
Frequency of internet
access: daily
Frequency of internet
access: daily
Used internet storage space to save docu-
ments, pictures, music, video or other files
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals Percentage of individuals
20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 16 to 24 years old
Year 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017
European Union—28 countries 81 78 77 76 90 92 87 90 40 49
European Union—27 countries (2007–2013) 81 78 77 76 90 92 87 90 41 49
European Union—25 countries (2004–2006) 41 51
European Union—15 countries (1995–2004) 79 75 76 75 91 93 89 91 38 46
Euro area 81 76 78 73 91 92 88 90 46 52
Belgium 86 80 88 82 94 93 91 92 36 33
Bulgaria 79 78 77 74 80 85 76 79 39 47
Czechia 90 94 83 86 91 96 87 89 58 69
Denmark 77 85 87 86 94 98 98 99 33 41
Germany 88 83 88 86 95 95 94 94 51 56
Estonia 90 84 93 85 97 98 97 97 53 67
Ireland 82 80 79 73 92 90 88 89 36 37
Greece 86 82 81 85 90 91 85 90 49 60
Spain 76 70 61 56 91 90 86 89 34 40
France 75 72 73 64 88 90 86 85 29 48
Croatia 88 74 77 90 95 98 87 93 33 39
Italy 78 68 71 63 88 89 81 85 38 48
Cyprus 89 85 84 76 94 96 87 95 49 50
Latvia 87 89 86 85 94 96 93 94 35 51
Lithuania 85 88 83 87 85 93 83 92 51 66
Luxembourg 74 86 89 90 98 96 99 98 46 43
Hungary 85 87 79 85 89 94 81 90 56 71
Malta 85 87 83 83 96 98 90 96 50 68
Netherlands 82 86 86 82 95 99 96 96 37 50
Austria 84 82 82 75 93 96 91 93 34 31
Poland 92 90 83 85 92 93 84 88 47 52
Portugal 83 75 77 71 92 94 84 94 43 39
Romania 71 75 60 65 72 80 59 70 47 49
Slovenia 90 88 87 79 95 96 88 92 34 48
Slovakia 89 89 86 91 91 94 89 92 51 58
(Continued)
832 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
Table 1. (Continued).
Frequency of compu-
ter use: daily
Frequency of compu-
ter use: daily
Frequency of internet
access: daily
Frequency of internet
access: daily
Used internet storage space to save docu-
ments, pictures, music, video or other files
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals
Percentage of
individuals Percentage of individuals
20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 16 to 24 years old
Year 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017
Finland 82 77 90 82 98 98 96 100 53 73
Sweden 78 88 71 88 93 100 91 100 53 68
United Kingdom 77 74 72 84 91 94 91 94 73
Iceland 86 96 98 98 58 59
Norway 76 86 76 79 97 97 94 98 46
Montenegro 77 65 95 91 45 40
North Macedonia 84 81 79 89 94 91 17 34
Serbia 91 88 87 82 90 95 87 95 17
Turkey 47 45 47 45 63 81 61 80
Kosovo 30 40 96 89 50
Source: Eurostat.
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 833
Table 2. Digital skills. ICTs users´ profile in Europe.
Individuals who have above basic
overall digital skills
Individuals who have above basic
overall digital skills
Individuals who have copy or
pasted a file or folder
Individuals who have copy or
pasted a file or folder
Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals
20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 16 to 24 years old 16 to 29 years old
Year 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017
European Union—28 countries 51 57 45 48 82 83 81 82
European Union—27 countries (2007–2013) 51 57 44 48 82 83 81 82
European Union—25 countries (2004–2006) 53 61 48 52
European Union—15 countries (1995–2004) 54 58 49 50 81 82 80 81
Euro area 51 46 49 45 84 82 83 81
Belgium 37 33 25 22 80 76 80 77
Bulgaria 56 57 41 47 73 66 72 65
Czechia 72 76 72 76 85 90 82 88
Denmark 63 66 60 63 91 86 91 86
Germany 70 72 64 54 87 84 88 86
Estonia 40 57 38 43 90 84 90 83
Ireland 34 46 35 47 58 66 59 61
Greece 65 64 50 47 93 91 92 90
Spain 51 60 43 41 89 86 83 83
France 75 62 67 41 81 83 81 81
Croatia 38 34 97 90 98 89
Italy 30 40 27 26 77 74
Cyprus 49 55 46 52 86 82 81 76
Latvia 63 61 51 51 96 89 96 88
Lithuania 66 80 72 76 91 91 89 90
Luxembourg 45 45 35 41 81 91 83 91
Hungary 69 73 53 64 84 83 80 80
Malta 72 79 60 64 89 95 83 91
Netherlands 62 73 59 52 84 87 84 87
Austria 43 51 33 37 91 93 92 90
Poland 61 65 52 56 87 89 84 85
Portugal 22 23 15 19 91 87 88 86
Romania 64 62 49 55 82 84 79 82
Slovenia 49 63 47 56 94 86 88 87
Slovakia 67 71 68 69 88 86 87 86
Finland 50 70 44 72 89 85 91 89
(Continued)
834 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
Table 2. (Continued).
Individuals who have above basic
overall digital skills
Individuals who have above basic
overall digital skills
Individuals who have copy or
pasted a file or folder
Individuals who have copy or
pasted a file or folder
Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals Percentage of individuals
20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 16 to 24 years old 16 to 29 years old
Year 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017 2015 2017
Sweden 49 66 41 55 65 76 69 80
United Kingdom 73 73 70 84 68 81
Iceland 68 71 68 68 79 83
Norway 65 59 85 81 86 82
Montenegro 30 20 93 93
North Macedonia 35 24 25 79 68 79 65
Serbia 32 55 27 41 58 86 60 89
Turkey 21 35 23 38 56 75 53 72
Kosovo 12 9 37 42
Source: Eurostat.
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 835
Digital transformation implies global competition, and the use of digital tools, in
particular, could foster a global labour market. Nevertheless, young people in Spain do
not currently lead in the use of digital tools. As a result, programmes to incentivise the
use of ICT by young people need to be implemented and digital skills need to be
incorporated in education.
7. The use of ICT by social workers
With the introduction of ICT, social work has experienced a shift which ‘operates less on
the terrain of the “social” and more on the terrain of the “informational”’, and has moved
‘from a narrative to a database way of thinking and operating’ (Parton, 2008, p. 253). This
change affects the relationship between service users and social workers (Steyaert &
Gould, 2009), which becomes over bureaucratised to such an extent that personal
relations and narratives are progressively framed by the logic of a database mentality
(Parton, 2008). Decisions that affect the fate of individuals are thus not the result of
analysis based on contextualised knowledge, but rather on decontextualised algorithms.
Although this new context is very functional for a managerial understanding of
welfare, particularly in social services (Di Rosa et al., 2019), it can result in actions that
Figure 4. Young people with above average digital skills in Spain. Source: Eurostat (2019)
836 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
exacerbate the situation of at-risk individuals in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19
pandemic. These actions include the careless implementation of the digital-by-default
welfare state by some countries, such as the UK; the generalisation of database mentalities
among social workers and the rise of ‘front line’ professional profiles (street level bureau-
crats as they are referred to by Di Rosa et al., 2019); the absence or serious limitations of
digital skills (according to the Lloyds Bank UK Consumers Digital Index (2020), around
12% of the population in the UK had no or very limited digital skills, while only 55% of
those aged 16–76 in Spain had basic digital skills (Eurostat, 2019); structural gaps (in the
EU as a whole, 35% of the population aged 64–75 and 27% of individuals with no or little
education have never used the Internet (Eurostat, 2019); and the lack of accessibility to
devices, broadband and sim cards.
With regard to the use of technology by social workers, our analysis yielded similar
results to previous studies. In a survey conducted by the SCIE and the BASW in 2019,
89% of 647 respondents stated they had not received adequate social work training in
digital skills (SCIE & BASW, 2019). Regarding on-the-job training, 27% of respondents
stated they had not received any training in digital technology and several barriers were
Figure 5. Frequency of Internet use (from 1 = daily to 4 = less than once a week). Source: Eurostat
(2019)
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 837
identified in the acquisition of digital skills (e.g., legacy systems, the impact of austerity
measures).
Despite these barriers, and according to the survey, 47% and 31% of respondents rated
their digital skills as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, respectively, which would seem to suggest that
they are prepared to face the challenges of digitalisation.
In short, as regards the importance of digital skills for the social services workforce,
greater commitment is needed to support the acquisition of these skills. To achieve this
aim, programmes that foster digital skills and can be adapted to the current needs of
social workers should be jointly developed by users and educators
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of facing these chal-
lenges and inspired a human-rights based approach for the provision of and access to
benefits. Service users are now being remotely attended to by professionals working from
their homes using digital platforms. However, this new scenario has further broadened
the previously identified gaps, thus making the digital divide even more evident. To
overcome these challenges, four actions or measures should be taken. First, introduce
human rights principles and a gender perspective in digital-by-default welfare states. This
would enhance accessibility by combining database data with real knowledge and real
participation based on personal interaction. Second, support professionals in their
acquisition of IT skills. Third, provide users with broadband and devices, if necessary,
facilitate access to information on their social rights. And fourth, incorporate knowledge
about the digital platforms used in welfare in social welfare curricula.
8. Discussion and conclusion
Following the analysis on the role of digital skills in the interactions between young
people and social workers, the main findings reveal a gap between current needs and the
actual level of digital skills in both groups. Although ICT use has increased, the labour
market and future careers demand higher levels of digital skills.
To counteract this trend, both groups could act as mutual drivers of digital transfor-
mation. E-social work practices may help citizens to acquire digital skills, while the use of
technology by young people promotes the use of digital social services. Furthermore,
youth are society’s future adults and their digital knowledge will determine the demand
for digital services.
The current situation also calls for new programmes to foster the acquisition of digital
skills in both collectives. Indeed, the importance of digital skills for professionals is now
irrefutable, and young people and social workers are examples of this affirmation.
Schools, universities, other institutions, and businesses are incorporating these skills in
their practices and training (Picatoste et al., 2018). Higher education institutions are also
including digital skills in their social work curricula. For example, the Council of the
European Union has addressed digital skills in their conclusions relating to education
and training, and the Europe 2020 strategy considers ICT a key element in education
reform. Nevertheless, more initiatives are required in the field.
Moreover, it is important to measure digital skills in order to analyse their develop-
ment, especially the digital skills of the social services workforce. Several professions have
established the need for digital skills per role or function. To quote an example, the
BMHI for Health Professionals has structured the required digital skills into a three-
838 A. LÓPEZ PELÁEZ ET AL.
dimensional model (Mantas et al., 2010): professionals in healthcare; type of specialisa-
tion in ICT (users or specialists); and the stage of career progression (bachelor, master,
doctorate). This initiative can be extended to other collectives, such as social workers. In
fact, from a practical perspective, the definition of a system to measure social workers’
level of digital skills based on their roles and functions could be a useful practice to
increase the digital skills required of the profession. Furthermore, the Health and Care
Digital Capacities Framework and the Professional Capacities Framework could both be
useful in this context. Both frameworks have been developed in the UK to highlight not
only the importance of digital literacy, but also other key aspects of social work.
Technology has its dark side, too (Lachmann et al., 2018) and, therefore, there is also
a need for further research into the negative effects of digital skills in social workers and
Youth and strategies to control these negative effects of ICT.
In summary, if digital skills are to meet future needs, new training initiatives are
required. Specifically, young people and social workers need to improve their digital skills
and can act as mutual drivers in the process. Lastly, the evolution of digital skills should
be measured accurately. Although several challenges lie ahead, there are also many future
opportunities in the field.
Notes
1. See http://www.socialserviceworkforce.org/resources/blog/social-service-workers-
mitigating-impact-covid-19.
2. See https://www.ifsw.org/ifsw-2020-online-conference-launched/.
3. See https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAObaBXhjB4CM-Q3XyPddw/videos.
4. See https://congresos.uned.es/w22392/.
5. https://europa.eu/youthonthemove/docs/communication/youth-on-the-move_EN.pdf.
6. https://www.ics.ie/news/importance-of-digital-skills-highlighted-by-council-of-the-
european-union.
7. Figure 4 is estimated from Eurostat microdata.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Antonio López Peláez is Professor of Social Work and Social Services at the National University of
Distance Education (UNED), the largest university in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. He
has been visiting scholar at the school of Social Welfare (UC Berkeley), Universidad Americana de
Managua (Nicaragua) and the School of Social Work (Western Michigan University). He is the
director of Comunitania (International Journal of Social Work and Social Sciences). He has
authored numerous books, articles and chapters. He is the Director of the Research Group
Koinonia, and Director of the Teaching Innovation Group DIPASO (Teaching challenges of
digitization and public and social participation in the framework of the Sustainable
Development Goals). Outside Academia he is trustee of the Abracadadra Foundation (https://
fundacionabracadabra.org/es/).
Amaya Erro-Garcésis Associate Professor at the Public University of Navarre (Faculty of Business
Administration, Spain) and Tutor at the National University of Distance Education (UNED).
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION 839
Holds a PhD in Applied Economics, a MBA and several postgraduate courses. She worked as
General Manager in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Navarre from 2011 to 2014.
Technical manager from 2003 to 2010, and technical staff from 1999 to 2003. She leads Kratos, a
citizan association (think-tank). She had authored several books, chapters and articles. Her
research was published in refereed journals, such as the Journal of Cleaner Production,
Benchmarking, an International journal, the Journal Electronic Commerce in Organizations
(JECO), Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, International Journal of
Entrepreneurship and Small Business (IJESB), among others. Her main research interests are
teleworking, innovation and digital skills.
Emilio José Gómez-Ciriano is Associate Professor at Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Faculty
of Social Work, Cuenca, Spain). Holds a PhD in Social Anthropology, degree in Law and Bachelor
in Social Work. He leads the Research Group Alter-Accion. His main research interests are Social
work with migrants & refugees, Welfare policies and Economic Social and Cultural Rights. Fellow
researcher at the KU Leuven University, Manchester Metropolitan University, College of Europe.
He has led several EU Funded Projects and actually is the responsible for Communication and
External relations at ESWRA (European Social Work research association). He is member of the
editorial board of several prestigious peer reviewed journals. He has authored several books, book
chapters and articles. Formerly he was Secretary General of Justice and peace, a Human Rights
association.
ORCID
Amaya Erro-Garcés http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1858-1363
Emilio José Gómez-Ciriano http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2493-1830
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