Virtual visits to social services to bring them closer to citizenship

Publications Bank of innovations

Virtual visits to social services to bring them closer to citizenship

Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council

Example of a virtual visit. Retrieved from Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council website.

Service that allows virtual visits to the different social services offered by the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz. It is a combination of Google Street View and YouTube 360 technologies to be able to offer an immersive and real experience without moving from home. This technology enables the realization of interactive visits, while at the same time providing summary videos of the sites through the local social services website.

Visits are tours that serve to make the services and their facilities known, using them agilely and easily, either through the interaction with the computer’s mouse, touch-like to mobile devices, or even with virtual reality glasses. Spaces can be visited virtually at any time, and thanks to the 360 degrees’ video format the feel is similar to being present in the visited site.

This information instrument seeks, not only to connect social services with citizenship, but also to other institutions, third sector entities, etc. to promote networking and cooperation between services.

Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Be Girl, project against menstrual poverty, and the stigma and taboos it entails

Publications Bank of innovations

Be Girl, project against menstrual poverty, and the stigma and taboos it entails

Be Girl and Plan Internacional

Colombian girls with their Smart Cycle. Retrieved from the website of Be Girl.

Project to combat menstrual poverty, as well as the stigma and the taboos it entails. It consists of an offer of reusable and affordable menstrual products, training workshops and a pendant that helps to monitor the menstrual cycle itself.

Be Girl products consist of reusable menstrual products, such as panties or cloth pads, made of waterproof and absorbing materials that prevent loss and allow for affordable and safe menstruation, both for the environment and for users. They have a useful life of two years, avoiding waste from traditional pads and tampons, as well as being safer, hygienic and more economic in the long term. Its design is comfortable, beautiful, and efficient to respond to the needs of people who menstruate.

The project also offers menstrual cycle knowledge workshops, which include the use of Smart Cycle, a tool that allows one to know the menstrual cycle and its different parts (menstruation, ovulation, maximum fertility day, etc.). It is a pendant that helps track the menstrual cycle and better understand one’s body. These workshops are intended for both girls and boys, to show menstruation as a natural and free of stigmas. They are performed in schools and leisure sites, to make them safer and freer from menstrual taboos.

Be Girl products can also be purchased online, and with the benefits of the sales, the impulsive organizations fund the free distribution of products to girls with few resources.

Be Girl

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Raaji, chatbot to inform and empower girls and women

Publications Bank of innovations

Raaji, chatbot to inform and empower girls and women

Aurat Raaj

Girls using the chat-bot Raaji. Retrieved from Aurat Raaj’s website.

Chat-bot that informs girls and women about gender issues and helps them empower and defend their rights. It uses a virtual character, Raaji, which is able to answer questions and have a conversation through artificial intelligence algorithms. It provides information on issues considered taboo which are of great importance to female empowerment, such as issues of reproductive health, security or economic autonomy. In addition, a team of professionals detects if there are cases that require professional intervention and are derived from them to the most appropriate services.

The Pakistani organization that has developed it, Aurat Raaj, also collaborates with schools and social organizations to make workshops and activities to empower women and girls, and to try to break some stigma surrounding topics such as menstrual hygiene. To further expand this task, they have created an animated series where the main character, Raaji, passes through different situations considered taboo but which are part of the day-to-day life of many girls. In this way, girls see themselves in a character that they identify with, who normalizes and overcomes these situations, encouraging them to take the initiative through activities such as training courses, personal defence, etc.

Chat-bot is a versatile tool available in English and Urdu, and has also been adapted to Covid-19 to provide reliable information about the disease for girls and boys, in an easy way. Raaji is a sample of how technology can help expand and take the work of social organisations further, creating a tool that is easy to access and which allows the easy and private reporting of issues of great importance and on which there are taboos or misinformation.

Aurat Raaj

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Personal budgets, a new model that facilitates the autonomy and decision-making capacity of people with disabilities

Publications Bank of innovations

Personal budgets, a new model that facilitates the autonomy and decision-making capacity of people with disabilities

Flemish Agency for Persons with Disabilities (VAPH, Flemish acronym), Support-Girona Foundation

User creating his Personal Budget with the help of an adviser

A system targeted at disabled people who need long-term care and support, which enables the individual to decide which services he or she wants to receive and how he or she wants to receive them. This is thanks to a Personal Budget that is allocated to him and that the person himself can decide how to spend it.

First, the person, who needs to be over 17 years old, makes a personal budget request, making an application to indicate what activities he wants to do, what support he has currently, whether these are sufficient or not to meet his needs, what are his strengths and weaknesses, etc. Once the request is made, a multidisciplinary team issues a report in which they objectively assess the needs of the person and the Personal Budget that would fit him best.

Once the Personal Budget is granted to the person, they will be able to decide freely, firstly, whether to receive it in the form of coupons or bank transfer. Secondly, what type of services they want to invest in: direct home care, participation in therapies, obtaining an individual supervisor for one day trips, hiring a transport company to manage their mobility, etc.

In this way, the Flemish system of Personal Budgets allows for long-term care which provides greater autonomy for disabled people in deciding how to meet their own needs on the basis of the range of services available.

VAPH

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Nextdoor, global platform against neighbourhood isolation and unwanted loneliness

Publications Bank of innovations

Nextdoor, global platform against neighbourhood isolation and unwanted loneliness

Nextdoor

Neighbours accompanying each other through Nextdoor

Virtual platform connecting neighbours and fighting against unwanted loneliness. Today it is used by neighbours of 265, 000 neighbourhoods in 11 countries, and during the Covid-19 pandemic it has been of great service to millions of people. It also has versions in Catalan and Spanish.

Nextdoor starts from the observation that today most citizens of large urban areas do not know their neighbours beyond casual encounters on the staircase or the street. Nextdoor is an online platform that wants to change this by creating more united and communitarian neighbourhoods using technology to eliminate possible barriers. It consists of a virtual forum where neighbours can post consultations, recommendations for local services, requests for help or interest information about the neighbourhood. All users must verify their belonging to a particular neighbourhood, so that communications are within the framework of this neighbourhood and are secure.

Nextdoor has been of great service during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to initiatives such as #CuentaConmigo, which fights unwanted loneliness through video calls between neighbours, so that they can meet each other and share a time of their day-to-day lives. In addition, during the pandemic, they also launched a solidarity map so that neighbours could share their needs and help each other. It is a way to connect with other people and create a more united community; a unity that can then move to life outside the screen.

Nextdoor

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Vincles BCN, service to strengthen social ties of the lonesome elderly

Publications Bank of innovations

Vincles BCN, service to strengthen social ties of the lonesome elderly

Ajuntament de Barcelona

Foto: Ajuntament de Barcelona

In Barcelona, more than 300.000 people aged 65 or older live alone, of which 100.000 are over 80. Vincles BCN is a social innovation project that wants to strengthen the social relationships of older people who feel lonely and improve their well-being through new technologies.

The project has the following main objectives:

  1. Reduce the feeling of loneliness of the elderly,
  2. Maintain and strengthen existing social relationships,
  3. Expand the social relationships of people and create new spaces for the relationship,
  4. Use of IT (Information Technologies) as a communication tool to relate to their environment their environment.

The service uses an app installed on a tablet as a communication tool, which will serve to put people in contact and strengthen their relationships, while creating new ones. Online communication is promoted through the app, while face-to-face meetings are organized. The app allows the user to communicate with his/her family and friends, and with the people who form app-specific user groups.

Vincles BCN

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Idecide, decision-making support tools for people with psychosocial difficulties

Publications Bank of innovations

Idecide, decision-making support tools for people with psychosocial difficulties

SUPPORT-Fundació Tutelar Girona

Project to enhance the autonomy of people with disabilities when making decisions

Despite the existence of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which promotes autonomy and equality of rights, guardianship procedures still prevail in the judicial sphere.

IDecide is an initiative aimed at empowering people with intellectual disabilities in making daily decisions. For example, in areas such as finances, consumption, or health.

On the other hand, the project aims to provide tools to overcome the legal and social barriers that limit the autonomy of these individuals. It also aims to become a reference space for international best practices in this field, with the creation of guides and materials for professionals.

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Housing and accompaniment services for people with intellectual disabilities

Publications Bank of innovations

Housing and accompaniment services for people with intellectual disabilities

Fundació Esment

Habitatge i acompanyament

Individual housing and support for people with intellectual disabilities

The Esment Foundation promotes individual housing for people with intellectual disabilities, for which a common support program is established. This program is adapted to their needs, preferences, and life stage, while also being coordinated with the person’s personal network and various professional services. Each case is supervised by a designated technician.

Furthermore, to promote autonomy, support is provided to the individual in daily life activities such as personal hygiene, housing, nutrition, shopping, and financial management. The spaces are calm and pleasant, and the specialized team ensures the person’s well-being.

Banc d’innovacions

COTI és una xarxa social que connecta persones amb dificultats cognitives amb els seus familiars i amb professionals de l'àmbit sociosanitari

COTI, a social network that facilitates digital communication for people with cognitive impairment

COTI is a social network that connects people with cognitive impairment to their families and to professionals in the social and healthcare sector.
wSocial platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention

wSocial, is a platform that integrates artificial intelligence to improve social services intervention
Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments

Cognitive telerehabilitation platform offering personalized online treatments