Digital Practice Tools

The practice tools that will shortly be housed on this page are an output of the National Workload Action Group, established to develop solutions to reducing unnecessary social worker workload. Digital practice emerged in England during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow. Working digitally has the potential to reduce unnecessary social worker workload by reducing unnecessary travel time. It could also increase the effectiveness of social work practice, as many young people (and adults) prefer to work in digital spaces.

You will be able to use the practice tools on this page to develop your digital practice skills.

Digital tool 1: understanding a young person’s digital reality

This tool can be used to map a young person’s digital world. You will be able to work with them to place app icons in different settings and explore what their digital landscape looks like. You will be able to discuss what the final picture reveals about how they engage online. This tool is most suitable for ages 9 to 12. It can be adapted for use with older children.

There will be six examples showing how every child or young person’s digital reality is different. We can ask questions to help us understand their world better. What are you curious about their digital lives? You could ask questions such as:

• What apps or games do you use most, and what do you like about them?
• Who do you usually talk to online, and how do you like to stay connected?
• Is there anything online that makes you feel happy, stressed, or left out?

Questions like these can open up conversations about wellbeing, digital pressure, and the impact of the online world on their emotional wellbeing.

Digital tool 2: understanding your own digital reality

This tool is for social workers and will help you understand your own digital reality. Before you start (once the tool is ready), think about your first experience with technology. What was it? How did it make you feel? This experience has shaped how you use digital tools today.

There will be an example of Sarah’s digital reality. You will be able to reflect on how you use digital technology at home and at work. Then, use the digital realities tools to map out your personal and professional digital world. How does your digital reality compare with the young people you work with? What could you learn from their experience?

Digital tool 3: using relational practice in digital spaces

There’s no single definition of relational practice in social work, but it’s more than just face-to-face communication. This tool will present some key ideas linked to relational practice. To work relationally, you will need to think about how each of these domains might be affected by using digital methods, and how you can mitigate or manage this.

An example is ‘agency’. Think about how digital methods can help increase the agency a young person feels when they’re working with you. Working digitally gives young people more control over starting and stopping a conversation with you. Young people might know more about technology than you and could help you learn more about it.

You will be able to use the example to think about how each domain is different or the same in digital spaces and in physical spaces. Do digital spaces change, enhance or limit these aspects of relational practice? What can you do to mitigate and manage this?