Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

Publications News

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation

The iSocial Foundation continues to expand its network of entities committed to social innovation with the incorporation of Grup Mifas, a leading organization in the Girona region in the care and defense of the rights of people with physical disabilities and at risk of social exclusion.

Founded in 1979 in Girona, Mifas works to promote economic independence and social justice for people with disabilities and those at risk of exclusion. The group is made up of three legal entities: the Mifas Association, which serves as a space for participation and offers support services and leisure activities; the Mifas Foundation, focused on care services; and Mifascet, a special employment center that provides services across various professional sectors.

With a team of 401 professionals, 60% of whom are people with disabilities, Grup Mifas carries out a wide range of initiatives: from job placement, residential care, and day centers, to services and programs such as INVICTES, the SIRIUS Center for Personal Autonomy, a support product bank and occupational therapy, psychological care services, and various activities promoting inclusive leisure and sports, among many others.

With this new addition, the iSocial Foundation strengthens its commitment to diversity and inclusion, welcoming an organization with a solid track record and a transformative vision of physical disability.

Actualitat

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation
Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

Campus InnoBreaks

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.

Webinar in English and Spanish, with live translation into both languages

Access to decent housing is one of the major social challenges of our time. Yet, existing housing options often fail to meet the complex needs of many groups: migrants, people at risk of residential exclusion, those experiencing unwanted loneliness, or living in precarious shared arrangements. Increasingly, there is a shared understanding that stable and direct access to housing is the first step toward social inclusion, enabling individuals to build their life projects.

This perspective invites us to explore more inclusive and community-based ways of living—such as intergenerational and multicultural housing models—that strengthen social bonds, reduce isolation, and foster cohesion. Housing becomes more than just a physical space; it becomes a tool for connection, mutual support, and shared enrichment.

At the same time, technology opens new possibilities to transform housing access and community management: from AI-powered diagnostics and early detection of needs, to digital platforms that connect people, resources, and communities in more agile and transparent ways.

In this Innobreak, we’ll discover two pioneering initiatives leading this transformation:

  • SällBo (Sweden): a groundbreaking initiative that turns housing into intergenerational and multicultural living spaces, where people of different ages and backgrounds share daily life. Through community activities and shared dynamics, it strengthens social ties, reduces loneliness, and builds mutual support.
  • Kloosiv (Catalonia): a web platform that combines technology and social intervention to support vulnerable groups in accessing dignified housing. Using AI and advanced tools, it offers a comprehensive pathway including diagnostics, work plans, follow-up, conflict management, and impact evaluation.

SPEAKERS:

Dragana Curovic, Social Housing Project Coordinator (Helsingborghem, Sweden)

Laura Ayala, Chief Operations Officer (Kloosiv Housing, Catalonia)

Innobreaks

Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.
Webinar d'innovació (Innobreak) 17 de setembre del 2025 sobre suports autodirigits i pressupostos personals

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Individualised Funding (New Zeland) and Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain). 17 setpember, 2025, at 9 am. Open for registrations.
Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Glasgow Intensive Family (Scotland) and Casa d’Infants (Catalonia). Held on 27/09/2025.
Innobreak 09.04.25 Inclusió digital - Imatge de persones grans utilitzant ordinadors. Les persones grans són un dels col·lectius susceptibles de patir a causa de la bretxa digital

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

DigiUP (Finland) and the Digital Inclusion Center of Bordeaux Métropole (France). Held on 09/04/2025.
Innobreak: Noves mirades en la prevenció i intervenció de la Violència sexual infantil

New Perspectives on the Prevention and Intervention of Child Sexual Violence

PrevenSI (Intress) and Barnahus (Save the Children). Held on 11/2/25.

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Campus InnoBreaks

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Webinar d'innovació (Innobreak) 17 de setembre del 2025 sobre suports autodirigits i pressupostos personals

Individualised Funding (New Zeland) and Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain). Held on 17/09/2025.

Webinar held in English and Spanish, with simultaneous translation into English and Catalan

Social services and supports for people with disabilities —and other groups in situations of dependency— have traditionally been organized from an institutional logic, offering standardized responses that often fail to consider people’s real preferences and needs. This approach has limited access to an autonomous, fulfilling life connected to the community.

In contrast to this model, two key ideas are emerging with great transformative potential: self-directed supports and personal budgets.

Self-directed supports place the person at the center, recognizing their right to decide how they want to be supported, by whom, and in what they want to invest their supports. It is a model that champions freedom, autonomy, and decision-making capacity, and understands that supports must adapt to the person’s life — not the other way around.

The main tool to achieve this goal is personal budgets, which consist of allocating a financial resource that the person can use flexibly to configure the supports best suited to their life project. This model goes beyond the rigidity of pre-assigned supports, such as fixed placements in centers, and opens the door to more meaningful, community-based, and personalized options.

This shift in perspective not only improves people’s quality of life, but also promotes a structural transformation of the social services system: toward a logic of trust, personalization, and co-production. It is a true paradigm shift that involves professionals, administrations, and communities, and places people’s dignity and will at the heart of social action.

In this Innobreak, we will reflect on the potential of self-directed supports and personal budgets through two pioneering initiatives that are already paving the way in their territories.

  • Individualised Funding (New Zeland): A support system that, through a personal budget, allows people with disabilities to decide how, when, and with whom they receive their supports. With the guidance of agents —mostly volunteers— users can design their own life plan and gain autonomy, independence, and freedom of choice.
  • Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain): a pilot project that explores, with a small group of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, how a support system based on personal budgets could work. The goal is to assess its viability as an alternative to current services and to investigate what would be needed to make the model sustainable.

SPEAKERS

Simon Anderson, Marketing and Relationship Team Lead in Manawanui (New Zelanda)

Amalia San Román, technical coordinator at Plena Inclusión España, and Núria Ambrós, social consultant (Spain)

Innobreaks

Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.
Webinar d'innovació (Innobreak) 17 de setembre del 2025 sobre suports autodirigits i pressupostos personals

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Individualised Funding (New Zeland) and Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain). 17 setpember, 2025, at 9 am. Open for registrations.
Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Glasgow Intensive Family (Scotland) and Casa d’Infants (Catalonia). Held on 27/09/2025.
Innobreak 09.04.25 Inclusió digital - Imatge de persones grans utilitzant ordinadors. Les persones grans són un dels col·lectius susceptibles de patir a causa de la bretxa digital

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

DigiUP (Finland) and the Digital Inclusion Center of Bordeaux Métropole (France). Held on 09/04/2025.
Innobreak: Noves mirades en la prevenció i intervenció de la Violència sexual infantil

New Perspectives on the Prevention and Intervention of Child Sexual Violence

PrevenSI (Intress) and Barnahus (Save the Children). Held on 11/2/25.

iSocial and Fiare Banca Etica Strengthen Their Alliance

Publications News

iSocial and Fiare Banca Etica Strengthen Their Alliance

,
Notícia Fiare. Banca ética

The iSocial Foundation has joined the cooperative Fiare Banca Etica as a member, within the framework of an agreement that also includes a line of credit to finance iSocial’s projects and the sponsorship of several of our foundation’s publications.

After several years of growing collaboration with Fiare Banca Ètica, the iSocial Foundation has signed an agreement to establish a stronger alliance with this cooperative ethical finance entity, which operates in both Spain and Italy. The agreement includes, among other aspects, iSocial’s membership in the cooperative bank, the creation of a €400,000 line of credit to support iSocial’s projects, and the sponsorship of several of the foundation’s publications.

The line of credit will enable iSocial to carry out its projects while awaiting the disbursement of already-approved public grants. This measure brings stability to the Foundation’s day-to-day operations and strengthens a model of sustained growth aligned with social responsibility principles.

In parallel, Fiare Banca Etica will sponsor two Professional Guides on Innovation in Social Action this year, which will be published in the coming months. These Professional Guides are a series of publications promoted by iSocial and aimed at social services professionals, offering information and practical resources to help incorporate innovative approaches into their daily work. Fiare’s support will give a boost to the second and third guides in the series: “Opening Doors to Inclusion”, focused on social inclusion methodologies, and “Measuring Social Impact”, which will offer a practical methodology to evaluate the outcomes of social interventions.

Fiare Banca Etica is a cooperative financial institution born from the merger of Fiare (Spain, 2005) and Banca Popolare Etica (Italy, 1999), with the aim of putting finance at the service of social transformation. The bank has more than 46,000 individual and organizational members and is governed by a democratic model based on the principle of “one person, one vote.”

Its financing activities prioritize projects related to social inclusion, the social and solidarity economy, agroecology, education, and culture, among other areas. The agreement represents a step forward in building synergies between organizations working toward more just social and economic models, through initiatives that promote innovation, sustainability, and the transformation of care services.

Actualitat

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation
Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.

3rd Innotrip to Finland

Knowledge InnoTrips

3rd Innotrip to Finland

Imatge de Helsinki, destinació del tercer Innotrip,. el 2025

A delegation of 27 representatives from iSocial member organisations travelled to Helsinki for the third edition of the Innotrip, discovering innovative initiatives in areas such as social housing, child welfare, mental health, disability, digital inclusion, and homelessness.

The third edition of Innotrip, the international learning programme led by the iSocial Foundation, took place in 2025 in the city of Helsinki. It brought together 27 professionals from iSocial’s member organisations, joined by 4 members of the Foundation’s technical team. Supported by the Department for Foreign Action and the European Union of the Government of Catalonia, InnoTrip has established itself as a collective learning experience focused on discovering innovative strategies in the field of social action.

Over four intensive days of visits and meetings, the Catalan delegation had the opportunity to explore firsthand a wide range of projects and service models being implemented in Finland, promoted by both public authorities and third sector organisations. The initiatives visited cover a variety of fields including support for children and young people, prevention of institutionalisation, person-centred care, supported housing, community-based mental health, peer support, and digital inclusion for migrants.

These visits enabled participants to dive deeper into approaches that address common social challenges, and to engage in knowledge exchange with local professionals around methodologies, outcomes, and evaluation systems. Moreover, the Innotrip experience strengthened collaboration among iSocial member organisations, offering shared spaces for reflection and the identification of ideas with potential for adaptation in the Catalan context.

With this latest edition, InnoTrip continues to evolve as a key tool for identifying international best practices and inspiring new ways of working, fostering innovation and continuous improvement in the field of social services.

Programme for the visit

  • Roihuvuori Senior Centre: A public facility offering community-based activities and emotional support for older adults. Known for its innovative programmes on digital inclusion and addiction care for seniors.
  • Family Services for Young People and Mental Health: Preventive services for families and adolescents, with a focus on support for migrant youth.
  • Icehearts: A long-term (12-year) mentoring programme for children and youth at risk, based on sports and stable relationships with adult mentors.
  • City of Hèlsinki – Social Reporting i FIT (Feedback-Informed Treatment): Tools designed to actively involve service users in shaping public policies and to identify social inequalities through public services.
  • Kukunori – Plataforma Pokka: A national network of mental health organisations that developed a widely used impact assessment tool adopted by over 100 organisations.
  • Y-Säätiö: A pioneer organisation in implementing the Housing First model in Finland and in Europe for people experiencing homelessness.
  • Tukena: Focused on self-directed support for people with disabilities, with active participation from users (self-advocates).
  • Rinnekodit: Residential and rehabilitation services in a natural setting for people with profound intellectual disabilities or complex mental health needs.

Amb el suport de

Generalitat de Catalunya. Secretaria d'Acció Exterior del Govern

InnoTrips

Imatge de Helsinki, destinació del tercer Innotrip,. el 2025

3rd Innotrip to Finland

A delegation of 27 representatives from iSocial member organisations travelled to Helsinki for the third edition of the Innotrip, discovering innovative initiatives in areas such as social housing, child welfare, mental health, disability, digital inclusion, and homelessness.
2nd InnoTrip to Scotland

2nd InnoTrip to Scotland

The InnoTrip is a service aimed at the member entities of iSocial, consisting of an international study visit to promote innovation. In the 2024 edition, the InnoTrip will take place in Scotland.
1st InnoTrip to the Netherlands

1st InnoTrip to the Netherlands

From 22 to 25 May 2023, the 1st InnoTrip of the iSocial Foundation took place in the Netherlands.
Knowledge InnoTrips

3rd Innotrip to Finland

Imatge de Helsinki, destinació del tercer Innotrip,. el 2025

Del 20 al 23 de maig de 2024 va tenir lloc el 2n InnoTrip de la Fundació iSocial a Escòcia, amb el suport del Departament d’Acció Exterior i Govern Obert de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Durant tres dies una trentena de representants de les entitats membres d’iSocial van visitar 10 iniciatives escoceses innovadores en el camp de l’acció social

L’InnoTrip és un servei de la Fundació iSocial adreçat a les seves entitats membres que consisteix en realitzar una visita d’estudi internacional per tal de fomentar la innovació a través de la descoberta in situ d’experiències punteres en el camp de l’acció social. L’InnoTrip 2024 va tenir lloc entre el 20 i el 23 de maig a Escòcia.

El programa d’activitats d’aquesta edició inclogué la descoberta d’organitzacions i projectes de caràcter innovador a través de visites de diferent format a entitats no lucratives, empreses socials i organismes de l’administració pública escocesa. Entre altres beneficis, els participants van poder descobrir noves maneres de fer front a problemàtiques socials comunes, crear potencials sinergies de caràcter internacional i van poder enfortir de les relacions amb la resta d’entitats membres d’iSocial.

El sistema escocès de serveis socials i de les cures és internacionalment reconegut per promoure la implementació de diferents models i iniciatives de caràcter innovador. La integració de l’atenció sanitària i social, el model de suport auto-dirigit, la construcció comunitària o els enfocaments preventius en són alguns exemples.

A més, les organitzacions membres d’iSocial van identificar i mostrat interès en organitzacions i iniciatives concretes de l’ecosistema social escocès, amb un enfocament especial en àrees com l’habitatge social, el desenvolupament comunitari, el suport a la vida independent o la inclusió sociolaboral.

Programa de la visita

  • Quarriers: Model de suport auto-dirigit i ús d’eines digitals pel suport a la vida independent.
  • Simon Community: Access Hub (centre d’assessorament i suport multi institucional per a persones sense llar i/o en risc d’exclusió social), eines digitals i model Housing First.
  • Aberlour: Serveis integrats d’atenció sanitària i social i model de suport familiar intensiu.
  • Social Bite: Model d’empresa social i recursos de conscienciació social.
  • Kibble: Enfocament d’atenció integral (habitatge, formació i ocupació) i model d’empresa social.
  • Homes For Good: Habitatges de qualitat a través de lloguers assequibles. Adquisició d’immobles i suport als llogaters.

Amb el suport de

Generalitat de Catalunya. Secretaria d'Acció Exterior del Govern

InnoTrips

Imatge de Helsinki, destinació del tercer Innotrip,. el 2025

3rd Innotrip to Finland

A delegation of 27 representatives from iSocial member organisations travelled to Helsinki for the third edition of the Innotrip, discovering innovative initiatives in areas such as social housing, child welfare, mental health, disability, digital inclusion, and homelessness.
2nd InnoTrip to Scotland

2nd InnoTrip to Scotland

The InnoTrip is a service aimed at the member entities of iSocial, consisting of an international study visit to promote innovation. In the 2024 edition, the InnoTrip will take place in Scotland.
1st InnoTrip to the Netherlands

1st InnoTrip to the Netherlands

From 22 to 25 May 2023, the 1st InnoTrip of the iSocial Foundation took place in the Netherlands.

The iSocial Foundation attends the European Social Services Conference (ESSC 2025) with two initiatives that highlight social innovation

Publications News

The iSocial Foundation attends the European Social Services Conference (ESSC 2025) with two initiatives that highlight social innovation

,
L'equip d'iSocial al l'European Social Services Conference ESSC 2025, davant l'estand de Nidus

Our app Nidus and the Vincles Alt Pirineu-Aran project against unwanted loneliness were two of the main features at ESSC 2025.

From June 22 to 25, the iSocial Foundation took part in the European Social Services Conference (ESSC 2025), the leading European forum dedicated to welfare policies and social services, held this year in Aarhus, Denmark.

Under the theme “Where Care meets Tech”, this year’s edition focused on the role of technology in the transformation of social services—an area in which iSocial contributed its experience through two of its own initiatives.

Nidus, featured in the Innovation Zone

On one hand, we presented Nidus, our digital support app for people in vulnerable situations, which was one of the main features in the conference’s “Innovation Zone”. We also had a dedicated stand to demonstrate how the app works to attendees.

Nidus is a tool designed to facilitate communication and support between social services users and their professional contacts. Among other features, it offers a secure digital vault for storing personal documents easily and safely, a direct chat between the user and their professional support team, an AI-powered personal assistant, a shared calendar, customizable questionnaires, and other tools aimed at empowering the user and improving service efficiency.

Vincles Alt Pirineu-Aran: detection and community

As part of the ESSC, we also presented the Vincles Alt Pirineu-Aran project—an initiative aimed at detecting and preventing situations of unwanted loneliness through big data technology and community activation in the region. This project was presented alongside the Auzosare program from the Basque Country, led by Agintzari, a member organization of the iSocial Foundation. Both initiatives share the goal of creating community networks that prevent and address social isolation in rural and sparsely populated areas.

A reference space for social innovation

Participating in ESSC 2025 was a great opportunity to exchange knowledge, discover inspiring initiatives from across Europe, and build new partnerships with organizations working to rethink social services through a lens that blends technology with essential human values such as inclusion and dignity.

The iSocial Foundation thanks the European Social Network for organizing this event and for the invitation to take part. We return from Aarhus with fresh ideas and the satisfaction of having shared our work in a leading international forum.

Actualitat

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation
Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.

The iSocial Foundation and its member organisations travel to Finland for the 3rd Innotrip

Publications News

The iSocial Foundation and its member organisations travel to Finland for the 3rd Innotrip

,
Professionals de les entitats membres d'iSocial participen al 3r Innotrip a Finlàndia

The visits to organisations and facilities in Helsinki and Espoo allowed us to gain closer insight into some pioneering initiatives in one of the countries with the most advanced social infrastructure.

From June 2nd to 6th, the iSocial Foundation organised a new edition of Innotrip, the annual learning journey it promotes with its member organisations to explore international best practices in the social sector. This year’s destination was Helsinki, with the aim of discovering innovative experiences currently being developed in Finland — a leading country in the implementation of the welfare state.

The trip offered a valuable opportunity to observe and reflect on advanced care models through visits to municipal services, social organisations and community initiatives that tackle key challenges such as poverty, disability, homelessness, mental health, and digital inclusion.

A focus on integrated, person-centred care

he first day of visits took us to resources such as the Roihuvuori Senior Centre and Kallio Perhekeskus, which focus on supporting older adults and families through an integrated and preventative approach. We also explored municipal services aimed at mental health and youth at risk, as well as initiatives for caregiver training and peer support.

One of the key takeaways from this first encounter with the Finnish social model was becoming familiar with its strong commitment to collaboration among stakeholders and to the active involvement of citizens in community-based care.

Mentorship, participation, and social impact evaluation

LOn the second day, we discovered projects like Icehearts, which offers long-term mentoring through sports and education, and Vamos! by the Diaconia Foundation, which supports vulnerable youth. During this visit, we also learned about the use of social impact bonds — a tool to activate social projects more efficiently and quickly, involving private companies in the promotion of social wellbeing.

On the other hand, the City of Helsinki presented the Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) system to us, which integrates service users’ feedback to improve care quality. We also got to know Pokka, a platform developed by the organisation Kukunori, which is used by over 100 entities to evaluate the impact of social projects.

Housing, self-determination, and child protection

On the third day, we visited organisations such as Y-Säätiö, a key promoter of the Housing First model in Finland, and Tukena, which advocates for self-directed support for people with disabilities. We also explored Rinnekodit, a residential facility located in a natural setting for individuals with high support needs, and the Barnahus model for integrated child protection services — currently being rolled out in Catalonia — giving us a valuable international reference for this system.

These experiences provided tools to rethink how we can ensure dignity and autonomy for people in vulnerable situations, while promoting community-based approaches and respect for individual rights.

Deinstitutionalisation and digital inclusion

The final day introduced us to two initiatives addressing access to community life and basic rights from different angles. On one hand, Kehitysvammaliitto (the Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) presented its work in the deinstitutionalisation process and the implementation of peer support networks. Through Peer Support Groups, people with disabilities share knowledge and experiences, strengthening both their autonomy and collective advocacy capacity.

On the other hand, the DigiUp programme, — led by the Moniheli network — works to reduce the digital divide among migrant populations. It trains digital facilitators — both volunteers and professionals — who offer guidance in basic digital skills, such as safe device usage and access to digital services. Both initiatives contribute to enabling more inclusive and equitable participation in social life.

A shared experience with collective impact

This journey was a unique opportunity to discover inspiring initiatives, identify shared challenges, and explore alternative approaches that can help strengthen social services in our own context. The time spent together over these five days of Innotrip and the chance to learn from some of Finland’s most innovative social projects also fostered meaningful dialogue and collective learning among participating organisations — exchanges that will continue well beyond the trip.

We at the iSocial Foundation would like to thank all the participating organisations for their active engagement and interest: ABD, AMPANS, Fundació Família i Benestar Social, Fundació Joia, Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down, Fundació Resilis, Pere Claver Grup, Fundació Idea, Fundació El Maresme, FAFAC, Agintzari, REIR, Som Alba, Intress, Fundació Hàbitat3, Grup ATRA, Grupo SSI, Som Fundació, Fundació Aspace Catalunya, Grup MIFAS.
We are also deeply grateful to all the Finnish organisations that welcomed us and generously shared their knowledge and experience.

Actualitat

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation
Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Campus InnoBreaks

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Glasgow Intensive Family (Scotland) and Casa d’Infants (Catalonia). Held on 27/05/2025.

Webinar in English and Catalan, with simultaneous translation into Catalan and Spanish

The institutionalisation of children and adolescents remains a reality in many countries, despite clear evidence of its negative emotional, social, and cognitive effects. In this context, there is growing social consensus on the urgent need to transform the protection system towards a model focused on prevention, community, and children’s rights.

This paradigm shift, known as deinstitutionalisation, represents a profound transformation in the way we understand care and support for vulnerable children. The approach aims to ensure that all children can grow up in stable, loving family environments that are rooted in the community. It replaces the institutional care model with a system of personalised community-based support that prioritises freedom of choice, participation, and the autonomy of children and their families.

This transition is also being promoted through public policies. In 2024, the Ministry of Social Rights launched the National Deinstitutionalisation Strategy, while in Catalonia, the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion presented a specific plan to increase the number of foster families and ensure that no child under the age of six enters an institution.

All of this involves a deep review of social services and professional roles, in order to build a system capable of preventing, protecting, and providing support. Or, as a report by the Ombudsman of Catalonia (Síndic de Greuges) puts it: we must move from “separating to protect” to “preventing to protect” and “protecting for return,” working with at-risk families before separation becomes inevitable, and ensuring that any protection measure is oriented towards the well-being and future autonomy of the child.

In this Innobreak, we will explore two innovative initiatives that are leading the way in preventing the institutionalisation of children and adolescents:

  • Glasgow Intensive Family (Glasgow, Scotland) is an initiative developed by the Social Care Partnership in collaboration with three other third-sector organisations. The service aims to support families with children aged 12 or over who are at risk of entering the child protection system. It employs a strengths-based approach that prioritises active listening, emotional validation, and supportive accompaniment..
  • Cases d’Infants (Barcelona, Catalonia) is a temporary residential resource for children and adolescents who need a short-term separation from their families. The goal is to help families overcome the difficulties that led to the separation, enabling a safe return home or, if necessary, supporting the young person in their path toward emancipation. The intervention takes place in an everyday setting, identifying family dynamics and working closely with families to foster positive and sustainable change.

SPEAKERS:

Maxine Hawthorn, Glasgow Intensive Family Service Support – Aberlour (Scotland)

Mònica Garcia, Cases d’Infants – FASI (Catalonia)

Innobreaks

Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.
Webinar d'innovació (Innobreak) 17 de setembre del 2025 sobre suports autodirigits i pressupostos personals

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Individualised Funding (New Zeland) and Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain). 17 setpember, 2025, at 9 am. Open for registrations.
Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Glasgow Intensive Family (Scotland) and Casa d’Infants (Catalonia). Held on 27/09/2025.
Innobreak 09.04.25 Inclusió digital - Imatge de persones grans utilitzant ordinadors. Les persones grans són un dels col·lectius susceptibles de patir a causa de la bretxa digital

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

DigiUP (Finland) and the Digital Inclusion Center of Bordeaux Métropole (France). Held on 09/04/2025.
Innobreak: Noves mirades en la prevenció i intervenció de la Violència sexual infantil

New Perspectives on the Prevention and Intervention of Child Sexual Violence

PrevenSI (Intress) and Barnahus (Save the Children). Held on 11/2/25.

TalX, messaging app for people with motor disabilities

Publications Bank of innovations

TalX, messaging app for people with motor disabilities

3Dthinks

Messaging app that facilitates communication between people with motor disabilities and the professionals who care for them

Imatge que mostra una dona portant el menjar a una senyora en cadira de rodes, fruit d'una demanda feta a través d'una aplicació de missatgeria insluiva.

TalX is a highly intuitive messaging app designed to facilitate communication between people with motor disabilities and the professionals responsible for their care.

It operates through pictograms that allow users to express their physical and emotional states and request the services they need remotely. This visual language replaces conventional written text, enabling people with limited mobility or speech to communicate clearly and effectively.

TalX is available in nine languages and incorporates generative artificial intelligence models that not only interpret user requests but also suggest possible responses to questions asked by caregivers. Additionally, it can automatically generate pictograms based on context and the user’s typical needs, helping to better specify what is being requested.

Once selected, pictograms are automatically converted into text messages, which can be played using text-to-speech synthesis. The simultaneous translation of visual input into spoken and written language enables direct communication between users and caregivers. The caregiver receives the message directly on their mobile phone and can respond immediately through the app, indicating when and how they will address the request.

TalX aims to reduce the digital divide affecting people with disabilities by enabling accessible communication with their surroundings and speeding up access to the services they need.

Banc d’innovacions

Persona usuària de Mifas a Girona

Grupo Mifas joins as a new member entity of the iSocial Foundation

The Girona-based entity Grupo Mifas will contribute its expertise in the field of physical disability as a new member of the iSocial Foundation
SoliVet

SoliVet, a service offering support to vulnerable people and their pets

Helping people and their pets stay together while accessing social support
Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.
SocialTV converteix qualsevol televisor en una eina fàcil d’utilitzar per a trucades, recordatoris i contingut interactiu

SocialTV, a Simplified Digital Platform to Connect and Support the Elderly

SocialTV turns any TV into an easy-to-use tool for calls, reminders, and interactive content
Plataforma que impulsa la digitalització de les entitats socials i optimitza els processos

SimbiòTIC, a platform that promotes the digitalization of social organizations

Platform that promotes the digitalization of social organizations and optimizes processes
Clubs de lectura fàcil per fomentar l’accessibilitat de la cultura

Easy reading clubs that promote inclusion and access to culture

Easy reading clubs to promote accessibility to culture

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

Campus InnoBreaks

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

Innobreak 09.04.25 Inclusió digital - Imatge de persones grans utilitzant ordinadors. Les persones grans són un dels col·lectius susceptibles de patir a causa de la bretxa digital

DigiUP (Finland) and the Digital Inclusion Center of Bordeaux Métropole (France).
Held on 09/04/2025.

We live in an increasingly digital society where technology is essential for accessing basic services, information, and social connections. However, a significant part of the population remains excluded from this digital environment, either due to a lack of access to technology or the necessary skills to use it independently and safely. The digital divide not only limits opportunities for these individuals but also exacerbates social and economic vulnerability. According to a 2022 study by the Catalan government, among vulnerable groups, half of the people do not have a computer at home, 3 out of 10 lack mobile data access, and 38% do not know how to carry out online procedures.

Digital inclusion aims to turn technology into an empowering tool for people’s lives, with public and private social service organizations playing a crucial role in this process. Simple and personalized actions—such as helping individuals become familiar with basic tasks (sending a message, downloading an app, using a search engine) or providing support in device configuration (adjusting language settings, font size, linking email accounts)—can make a huge difference in their digital autonomy.

At the same time, making cities more inclusive requires improving infrastructure (secure and accessible Wi-Fi connectivity, device lending programs, digital learning spaces) and training social professionals in digital skills.

In this Innobreak, we will explore two pioneering European initiatives that promote socio-digital inclusion for the most vulnerable groups in society:

  • DigiUp (Helsinki, Finland) is a service designed to enhance the digital skills of migrants, fostering their inclusion and active participation in the community. To achieve this, DigiUp provides training and capacity-building for social service professionals, enabling them to offer digital support tailored to the cultural diversity and specific needs of newly arrived individuals.
  • The Digital Inclusion Center (Bordeaux Métropole, France) operates in two key areas: a public digital space offering direct digital support to the population and a specialized training program for social action professionals. The Bordeaux Métropole also provides direct training for vulnerable individuals and coordinates the “France Service Digital Advisors,” professionals who assist and educate citizens on the responsible use of digital tools.

SPEAKERS:

Yuri Kitaba, DigiUp, Helsinki (Finland).

Anna Lebey, Digital Inclusion Center, Bordeaux Métropole (France).

Innobreaks

Innobreak 14.10  - Inclusió social des de l'habitatge comunitari i les noves tecnologies

Social Inclusion through Community Housing and New Technologies

SällBo (Sweden) & Kloosiv Housing (Catalonia). Held on 14/10/2025.
Webinar d'innovació (Innobreak) 17 de setembre del 2025 sobre suports autodirigits i pressupostos personals

Self-directed support: autonomy and decision-making through personal budgets

Individualised Funding (New Zeland) and Pilotaje de Apoyos Autodirigidos (Spain). 17 setpember, 2025, at 9 am. Open for registrations.
Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Preventing Institutionalisation in Childhood and Adolescence: Rights, Families and Community

Glasgow Intensive Family (Scotland) and Casa d’Infants (Catalonia). Held on 27/09/2025.
Innobreak 09.04.25 Inclusió digital - Imatge de persones grans utilitzant ordinadors. Les persones grans són un dels col·lectius susceptibles de patir a causa de la bretxa digital

Pioneering Initiatives for the Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

DigiUP (Finland) and the Digital Inclusion Center of Bordeaux Métropole (France). Held on 09/04/2025.
Innobreak: Noves mirades en la prevenció i intervenció de la Violència sexual infantil

New Perspectives on the Prevention and Intervention of Child Sexual Violence

PrevenSI (Intress) and Barnahus (Save the Children). Held on 11/2/25.