Antonio López Peláez – författare

This handbook provides an authoritative and cutting-edge overview of current research and trends related to the emerging field of digital technology and social work.This book is divided into six sections:Reframing Social Work in a Digital SocietyShaping a Science of Social Work in the Digital SocietyDigital Social Work in PracticeThe Ethics of Digital Social WorkDigital Social Work and the Digitalization of Welfare Institutions: Opportunities, Challenges and Country CasesDigital Social Work: Future Challenges, Directions and TransformationsThis book, comprised of 40 specially commissioned chapters, explores the main intersections between social work theory and practice in an increasingly digitized world. Bringing a critical focus to how social work as a profession is adapting exponentially to embrace the benefits of technology, it gives specific consideration to the digitalization of the social work profession, including the ways in which social workers are using different forms of technology to provide effective services and innovative practice responses.With chapters on big data, digital archiving, e-citizenship and inclusion, gerontechnology, children and technology, and data ethics, this book will be of interest to all social work scholars, students and professionals as well as those working in science and technology studies more broadly.

This handbook provides an authoritative and cutting-edge overview of current research and trends related to the emerging field of digital technology and social work.This book is divided into six sections:Reframing Social Work in a Digital SocietyShaping a Science of Social Work in the Digital SocietyDigital Social Work in PracticeThe Ethics of Digital Social WorkDigital Social Work and the Digitalization of Welfare Institutions: Opportunities, Challenges and Country CasesDigital Social Work: Future Challenges, Directions and TransformationsThis book, comprised of 40 specially commissioned chapters, explores the main intersections between social work theory and practice in an increasingly digitized world. Bringing a critical focus to how social work as a profession is adapting exponentially to embrace the benefits of technology, it gives specific consideration to the digitalization of the social work profession, including the ways in which social workers are using different forms of technology to provide effective services and innovative practice responses.With chapters on big data, digital archiving, e-citizenship and inclusion, gerontechnology, children and technology, and data ethics, this book will be of interest to all social work scholars, students and professionals as well as those working in science and technology studies more broadly.

This is the first book to show how digitalisation and the better provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve access to a wide-range of social services, as well as make them more inclusive. Overcoming disparities across social groups using contemporary digitalisation models will have lasting consequences on social well-being and human welfare.Reflecting on current trends the authors vividly illustrate the collective, global nature of the challenge that digitalisation represents for providers, administrators and users of welfare services. It is important, therefore, to bear in mind the following for research design and practice:Citizens' rights must be protectedConsideration should be given to how the services provided can be improved by more effective use of ICTsDigital interventions require better service coordination in the setting of priorities and specific training in digital skills for service providers and service usersThe chapters in this book address these problems and challenges in great depth, analysing the role of ICTs in promoting social inclusion and social welfare, drawing on examples of successful ICT applications around the world. The book contains country case-studies from the United States, Brazil, India, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong (China), Zimbabwe, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Singapore and will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, to social work educators, and social care providers.

This is the first book to show how digitalisation and the better provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve access to a wide-range of social services, as well as make them more inclusive. Overcoming disparities across social groups using contemporary digitalisation models will have lasting consequences on social well-being and human welfare.Reflecting on current trends the authors vividly illustrate the collective, global nature of the challenge that digitalisation represents for providers, administrators and users of welfare services. It is important, therefore, to bear in mind the following for research design and practice:Citizens' rights must be protectedConsideration should be given to how the services provided can be improved by more effective use of ICTsDigital interventions require better service coordination in the setting of priorities and specific training in digital skills for service providers and service usersThe chapters in this book address these problems and challenges in great depth, analysing the role of ICTs in promoting social inclusion and social welfare, drawing on examples of successful ICT applications around the world. The book contains country case-studies from the United States, Brazil, India, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong (China), Zimbabwe, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Singapore and will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, to social work educators, and social care providers.

This book explores a key phenomenon that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, namely, the crossroads at which social welfare professionals find themselves. This is a crossroads where, on the one hand, there is an accelerated digitalization process and a reorganization of social programs, while on the other hand, we are confronted by the basic challenge of designing social policies and their methods of evaluation, that is, the generation of robust data that will allow better evaluation of social projects and programs.Rigorously analyzing the crossroads at which social welfare programs find themselves and the new demands for the education of professionals involved in social welfare programs, several key issues can be discerned;• the theoretical debate surrounding the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of redefining globalization in which we are immersed.• the challenges to be met by welfare programs, and the good practices that are being implemented.• the key issue of how to generate more robust data in the field of social services and social protection.• how to increase the competencies of professionals through education in schools of social work.Providing 15 newly written chapters drawn from both the global north and the global south, it offers a set of recommendations to address the challenges of inequality and social inclusion in the coming years.It will be of interest to all academics, students and practitioners working in the fields of social work, social welfare and social development.

This book explores a key phenomenon that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, namely, the crossroads at which social welfare professionals find themselves. This is a crossroads where, on the one hand, there is an accelerated digitalization process and a reorganization of social programs, while on the other hand, we are confronted by the basic challenge of designing social policies and their methods of evaluation, that is, the generation of robust data that will allow better evaluation of social projects and programs.Rigorously analyzing the crossroads at which social welfare programs find themselves and the new demands for the education of professionals involved in social welfare programs, several key issues can be discerned;• the theoretical debate surrounding the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of redefining globalization in which we are immersed.• the challenges to be met by welfare programs, and the good practices that are being implemented.• the key issue of how to generate more robust data in the field of social services and social protection.• how to increase the competencies of professionals through education in schools of social work.Providing 15 newly written chapters drawn from both the global north and the global south, it offers a set of recommendations to address the challenges of inequality and social inclusion in the coming years.It will be of interest to all academics, students and practitioners working in the fields of social work, social welfare and social development.

Participatory Governance, Social Work and Social Policy explores the intersection of participatory governance, inclusive social welfare, social work, and artificial intelligence in the transformation of social services systems worldwide.Rooted in the experiences and insights of professionals such experts, policy practitioners, and civic innovators, the book provides a timely examination of how digital tools, especially AI, are reshaping civic engagement, helping professions such as social work, democratic accountability, and welfare systems worldwide. Based on outcomes from the Ronda meetings of experts in 2024 and 2025, as well as a UN side event seminar aligned with the annual session of the Commission for Social Development in 2025, this volume offers theoretical grounding, comparative case studies, and practical recommendations. Addressing global trends such as post-COVID recovery, climate transitions, population aging, and digital transformation, with a special focus on ensuring inclusivity, equity, and ethical use of AI, it also analyses the problems related to social protection and social services in different contexts, with special attention to the problems of local administrations, which in many countries are responsible for the provision of social services.This book is essential reading for all scholars, students, and professionals working in social work, social policy and governance looking to build welfare systems that are not only technologically advanced, but also equitable, transparent, and genuinely responsive to community needs.

Societies survive in their environment and compete with each other depending on the technology they develop. Economic, military and political power are directly related to the available technology, while access to technology is key to the well-being of our societies at the individual, community and national level. The Robotics Divide analyzes how robotics will shape our societies in the twenty-first century; a time when industrial and service robotics, particularly for military and aerospace purposes, will become an essential technology. The book, written by experts in the field, focuses on the main technological trends in the field of robotics, and the impact that robotics will have on different facets of social life. By doing so, the authors aim to open the “black box” of a technology which, like any other, is designed, implemented and evaluated according to the economic and cultural patterns of a cosmopolitan society, as well as its relations of power. The Robotics Divide explores future developments in robotics technology and discusses the model of technological development and the implementation of robotics in this competitive market economy. Then the authors examine to what extent it is possible to determine the characteristic features of the robotic divide, namely in what ways the robotic divide differs from the digital divide, and how a model to integrate this technology can be developed without reproducing patterns of inequality and power that have characterized the advent of previous technologies. These issues - inequality, robotics and power - are of concern to robotics and advanced automation engineers, social scientists, economists and science policy experts alike.

The Robotics Divide explores future developments in robotics technology and discusses the model of technological development and the implementation of robotics in this competitive market economy.