The Digital Social Care Programmes and Social Work Scotland partner, Calum Campbell, provides a vital link into Social Work Scotland's digital programme.
Their current focus is on:
Social Work and Near Me
Key objectives:
- Utilise learning from Near Me in Social Work Learning Report and scope the appetite for use of Near Me within social work.
- Support further implementation of Near Me in social work, with a particular focus on practice areas where it has not been tested yet. This includes justice, hospital discharge, and children and young people practice settings.
- Explore some of the pressure points currently experienced within social work practice and explore what Near Me could do to support this.
- Support the continued rollout and use of Near Me within Health and Social Care Partnerships/Local Authorities that are already using it, while also supporting other new areas to get involved.
- Further explore the barriers and challenges to implementing Near Me.
- Build on existing networks within social work leadership.
- Continue to raise the profile and benefits of use of digital innovations within social work practice.
Latest Update:
In November 2023, Social Work Scotland in conjunction with COSLA and Scottish Government developed a project proposal to explore the potential benefits of using Near Me in justice, across the prison estate, including prison-based social work. This proposal has been shared with Scottish Prison Service (SPS) for their consideration. Initial informal feedback has been positive, but we are still awaiting formal approval from SPS.
The main aim of this project is to use Near Me to:
- Improve pre-release planning and throughcare by using digital technology to facilitate collaboration between partners and support greater connections to local communities, services, and support networks.
- Expedite routes for the completion of parole reports and other relevant reports, thereby supporting the timeous release of people from prison.
- Build the self-confidence and resilience of individuals in prison regarding the use of technology, to support the achievement of personal goals and to contribute to the release planning process.
- Reduce the harmful effects of social exclusion among the prison population.
- Strengthen community contacts and key relationships while imprisoned through the effective use of technology.
The project is in early development phase and more in-depth updates will be required as we progress through the project lifecycle.
Other focus areas include:
In partnership with Scottish Government’s National Near Me Programme Team, there is also ongoing work in Fife Health and Social Care Partnership as they try to embed Near Me across all adult social work services. Discussions took place in December 2023 on how we reinvigorate this work. Unfortunately, not all the senior leaders could attend this meeting, therefore a further meeting will be arranged early 2024 to continue this discussion.
In conjunction with COSLA and the National Near Me Programme Team there have also been recent discussions with colleagues from Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership around the potential for them to explore further use of Near Me within social work practice. Colleagues from Dumfries and Galloway are keen to explore use of Near Me in hospital discharge planning. At present NHS Dumfries and Galloway use Near Me well for health functions, but they have not explored the benefits for social work. Initial discussions with social work colleagues, and problem identification and process mapping work took place in December 2023. Further discussions will take place throughout early 2024.
There has also been growing interest from other Health and Social Care Partnerships who are keen to explore the benefits of what Near Me can offer to their social work practice, and will be explored in early 2024.
Latest News
Publication of the new Self-Directed Support (SDS) Guidance: