Distant but connected? Smart Welfare in Socio-educational Services in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

In the face of the Coronavirus emergency and subsequent restrictive measures, social and educational services too had to reorganise and deal with the challenges related to social distancing and telework. Therefore, services have elaborated alternative strategies that, thanks to the use of new technologies, allowed the most fragile citizens and families to benefit from support and helping relationships. The article analyses some experiences collected by social workers in the framework of two national programmes (P.I.P.P.I. and Guaranteed Minimum Income) addressed to vulnerable families, and tends to define the paradigm of smart welfare in the fields of social care and to highlight strengths and weaknesses of different local practices. Despite some home-care interventions have been promptly converted into online services, aspects related to the use and accessibility of telecommunications and to the possibility to guarantee adequate care plans seem still to be an open question.