IWI Project, a support program for families seeking to improve their well-being

Laura Hurtado on 4 September 2024

Projecte IWI
Publications Bank of innovations

IWI Project, a support program for families seeking to improve their well-being

Fundació Acció Social Infància (FASI)

Projecte IWI

A program that provides support to families with minors in their care who detect difficulties within their own homes and wish to address them in a community-based manner

The IWI Project (community in Maori) is a pioneering service in Catalonia that offers support to families with underage children to improve their well-being, using the Family Group Conference restorative justice methodology, originally from New Zealand. This methodology is based on dialogue and trust in the abilities of families to find solutions to their problems through the active involvement of their community and support network.

The project is aimed at families who detect difficulties in their family dynamics and wish to address them. IWI offers a safe space where family members can express their needs and, together with the reference people they select, find community solutions to their problems. This process includes individual meetings with family members, the creation of a support community, and a final meeting where actions to be taken are discussed and agreed upon.

After the family meeting, IWI conducts follow-ups to assess progress and strengthen community ties. This follow-up is an opportunity to acknowledge the community’s effort and recognize the positive changes that have taken place. Thus, IWI not only works to resolve immediate issues but also seeks to strengthen family and community relationships in the long term. Additionally, there are plans to establish physical offices in all four provinces to provide a point of reference for families.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Catalonia

Partners / Funders

Plataforma Educativa, Taula d’Entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya, and the Department of Childhood and Adolescence of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

Genesis

The IWI project development began in 2023, and its public inauguration took place on June 20, 2024, in Barcelona. The Fundació Acció Social Infància (FASI), founded in 2010, is an entity that promotes innovative projects in child welfare at risk in Catalonia through family intervention. Moreover, since 2021, the organization has been part of RN7U, a group of social initiative entities that work to improve the quality of life of people at risk of social exclusion and defend their rights.

Level of implementation

According to the latest annual data, FASI has served 160 children and young people in children’s homes, more than 20,000 young people have been part of the Service for Adolescents and Families (SAIF), and 117 families have received support within the Extended Family Intervention Service (SIFE).

More information

FASI

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Jooay, an app that helps children with disabilities find leisure activities

Laura Hurtado on 22 May 2024

JOOAY
Publications Bank of innovations

Jooay, an app that helps children with disabilities find leisure activities

Jooay

Jooay

Free app that connects leisure activity offerings with families of children with disabilities

Leisure and sports are vital for the development, health, and well-being of children with disabilities, but families often struggle to find activity programs that meet their needs. Additionally, many recreational offerings are not accessible to this group.

Jooay is a free app that helps children with disabilities and their families find nearby, accessible, and suitable leisure opportunities that meet their needs and preferences. The platform also helps parents, professionals, and educators connect, exchange experiences, and learn from one another.

To reach as many families as possible, the team of researchers, developers, and collaborators participate in various research projects. The team of Dr. Keiko Shikako, co-creator of Jooay, has studied what makes communities inclusive and has published the Child Community Health Inclusive Index. They have also examined how the development and design of inclusive technologies can help young people with various disabilities improve their health outcomes.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Canada

Partners / Funders

Childhood Disability Link, CHILD-BRIGHT network, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation/Operation Enfant Soleil, Telus Friendly Future Foundation, Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Mont´real Metropolitain

Genesis

In 2016, after noticing the lack of support and leisure activity offerings for families with children with disabilities, Dr. Shikako decided to create an app that would provide easy access to proposals specifically designed for these children. Jooay started in Quebec and expanded to five other provinces in Canada.

Two years later, the team launched a second version of the app with the support of the CHILD-BRIGHT network. From the early stages of Jooay, parents, youth, and families have been part of the core research team.

Level of implementation

Jooay provides information on nearly 4,000 activities in all provinces and territories of Canada. In 2019, Canadian political representatives cited Jooay at the United Nations Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as one of the country’s most relevant actions to advance towards inclusive societies.

More information

Jooay

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Pycipedia, collaborative platform for social workers specialized in parenting with intellectual disabilities

Laura Hurtado on 9 April 2024

Pycipedia
Publications Bank of innovations

Pycipedia, collaborative platform for social workers specialized in parenting with intellectual disabilities

Research and Development Center for Health, Care, and Social Work in Linköping (FoU)

Pycipedia

Web platform for social workers specialized in supporting parents with intellectual disabilities

Parenting processes can be especially challenging for people with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, the number of social workers specialized in this intervention area is very limited, and in the case of rural or non-urban areas, geographical distance makes it difficult for professionals to share their experiences and methods.

Pycipedia is a platform that connects social workers, regardless of where they work, through a digital network, to provide assistance and enable them to improve their support tasks. This ensures more equitable attention throughout the territory, ensuring that all professionals have access to useful resources and training.

The tool allows social workers to create, navigate, edit, and share training materials to support families with intellectual disabilities in everyday situations. Resources include texts, videos, and images. Materials are categorized, such as child health or hygiene tasks. Pycipedia also offers a forum where professionals can share best practices and provide empirical results on the different methods they use.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Sweden

Collaborators / Funders

IT University of Copenhagen

Genesis

Many Swedish municipalities have a limited number of social workers trained in supporting families with intellectual disabilities. Pycipedia aimed to be a response to this situation, exploring how these professionals can co-design new and innovative ways of working and providing support to families.

Level of implementation

Pycipedia has been operational for four years and has over 100 social workers registered as users, from more than 30 municipalities, who share ideas and materials with their peers.

More information

Pycipedia

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BRUS, accompaniment to young people who live in families with situations of drug addiction

Laura Hurtado on 13 March 2024

BRUS
Publications Bank of innovations

BRUS, accompaniment to young people who live in families with situations of drug addiction

Center for Digital Paedagogik (CfDP)

BRUS

Program that seeks to break the taboo of addictions in families

BRUS is an initiative aimed at young people up to 24 years old who live in families affected by alcohol and drug addiction. The primary objective is to break the taboo surrounding these issues through in-person meetings and an anonymous chat service. Additionally, the program encourages young individuals to focus on their own needs rather than taking responsibility for situations they cannot control.

The online chat provides access to individuals who may initially be hesitant about seeking face-to-face treatment or are unable to physically attend a center. This virtual format allows vulnerable individuals to express their experiences, regardless of their location. Furthermore, the online platform enables safer and more confident self-expression, allowing them to articulate their feelings more effectively.

Users can choose whether they want to maintain continuity with the same therapist across multiple sessions or start anew each time and switch therapists. BRUS also facilitates communication for young people who have completed the therapeutic process but wish to stay connected with the center.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Denmark

Partners / Funders

Genesis

BRUS was born in 2016 under the auspices of the Center for Digital Pedagogy in Denmark. From the outset, it embraced a digital approach, incorporating an email mailbox and an anonymous online chat. However, there is also the option to receive in-person counseling. The goal of employing hybrid solutions to address issues is to more efficiently reach vulnerable young people.

Level of implementation

The pandemic and the resulting inability to find refuge in activities outside the home led many young people in vulnerable families to seek solutions through the Internet. In 2020, BRUS recorded 431 conversations on the platform, more than double the number from 2019.

Currently, the program is present in several localities in Denmark through an intermunicipal collaboration agreement

More information

BRUS Center for Digital Paedagogik CfDP

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

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Barnahus, care service for child victims of sexual abuse

Toni Codina on 21 February 2024

Imatges Posts Web 6 min 1
Publications Bank of innovations

Barnahus, care service for child victims of sexual abuse

Catalan Government, Save The Children

Imatges Posts Web 6 min 1

A pioneering integrated unit in Catalonia and Spain, made up of a specialised multidisciplinary team, whose objective is to avoid the re-victimisation of children and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse and to provide all the necessary care in a single space.

Barnahus (children’s house in icelandic) is a project to help children and young people –from 0 to 18 years of age– who have suffered sexual abuse and to prevent aggression against minors. It puts the victim of sexual abuse at the centre, working in a single space with all the care services they need and minimising the traumatic experience of reliving the aggression. This avoids victims having to go through courts, police stations, hospitals and children’s services. It is promoted by Save the Children and is supported by five Catalan government departments, mainly the Social Rights department, but in coordination with the Health, Education, Justice and Interior departments.

Barnahus has a welcoming and friendly appearance to provide security, comfort and confidence to children and their families. There are separate rooms to preserve privacy, a kitchen-dining room, offices and a medical examination room. The psychosocial team –consisting of psychologists and social workers with a coordinator– works full time, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and also offers translation services.

Catalonia already has centers in Tarragona, Manresa, and Lleida. In 2024, Intress, a partner entity of the iSocial Foundation, has promoted the opening of a Barnahus facility in Terrassa and in La Seu d’Urgell. On February 27th, the Idea Foundation, also a member of iSocial, will inaugurate a center in Granollers.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Catalonia

Partners / Funders

Catalan Government

Genesis

Barnahus began as a pilot project –a pioneer in Spain– in 2020 in the Tarragona Educational Complex, following the European model -the Barnahus emerged in 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland- and with the aim of extending throughout the country. In addition, a comprehensive strategy has been developed to address sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence in Catalonia, including preventive policies and specific training.

Level of implementation

The Barnahus service, in operation since mid-2020 in Tarragona as a pilot test, has enabled the detection of 803 cases of sexual abuse of minors and adolescents in this period in Catalonia. Thus, it has been postulated as a successful model and for this reason the Department of Social Rights of the Government of Catalonia wants to implement and promote the service in other Catalan towns such as Barcelona, Girona, Tortosa and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

More information

images

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Llar Casa Bloc, Social Housing and Support for Empowering Individuals in Vulnerable Situations

Ferran Benito on 13 October 2023

Imatge d'una habitant del projecte Llar Casa Bloc a l'entrada de l'edifici.
Publications Bank of innovations

Llar Casa Bloc, Social Housing and Support for Empowering Individuals in Vulnerable Situations

Hàbitat3 

Imatge d'una resident dels habitatges socials de Llar Casa Bloc a l'entrada de l'edifici.

Project for the Promotion and subsequent management of 17 inclusive social housing units (social rent with support for individuals), jointly managed with Third Sector social organizations.

Access to housing is a fundamental element in ensuring the dignity of individuals and enabling their development. Nevertheless, many members of the community are living in insecure or inadequate housing conditions, or find themselves homeless or facing eviction, making them highly vulnerable. These circumstances not only directly impact their quality of life but also hinder their ability to secure employment, education, and social integration.

Llar Casa Bloc aims to address these challenges and provide a robust response for individuals in vulnerable situations. In the first phase, which began in 2020, the project, led by Hàbitat 3, initiated the rehabilitation of the renowned social housing complex Casa Bloc, designed by the pioneering architects of GATPAC in the 30s. In the second phase, ongoing since 2021, the 17 social housing units have been allocated to individuals in situations of high vulnerability, who are supported by specialized social support teams from various organizations, ensuring a proper process of social inclusion.

Currently, around forty individuals with diverse circumstances and needs reside in Llar Casa Bloc, including people evicted and referred by the Emergency Services Table of the Barcelona City Council, women who have experienced situations of gender-based violence, individuals with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities, and those with physical disabilities. All of them pay rent according to their income level and are supported by the respective organizations.

Furthermore, the building features technological measures to ensure a reduction in the digital divide and energy empowerment, such as WiFi installation and digitalized energy monitoring systems to supervise the comfort level of the 17 social housing units.

Characteristics of innovation

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Location

Catalonia

Partners / Funders

Fundació Astres, Prohabitatge, Provivienda, Esclat, Sant Joan de Déu, Programa Primer la Llar (Barcelona City Council), Mesa de Reallotjament d’Emergència (Barcelona City Council)

Genesis

Llar Casa Bloc arises as the result of a public-private collaboration. The Housing Agency of Catalonia (AHC) transferred the former Residence for Widows and Orphans of Military Personnel to the Hàbitat3 Foundation, which, in 2020, carried out the renovations to rehabilitate the building and redesign the first and second floors to create 17 social housing units. Once the space was remodeled, Hàbitat3 granted the use of the housing to social organizations and municipal housing programs to accommodate and provide support to individuals in vulnerable situations.

Level of implementation

The project has been fully operational since February 2021

Més informació

Logo Fundació Hàbitat 3

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Confidant, an application for remote care of children and the elderly

Toni Codina on 14 February 2023

Publications Bank of innovations

Confidant, an application for remote care of children and the elderly

Confidant

A technological tool that facilitates the care of people who need regular care or supervision, especially dependent elderly people and minors. It reduces the worry and anguish of not being able to locate loved ones and allows vulnerability to be addressed through innovative technology.

The Confidant app works in such a way that it allows access to mobile devices –phones, smart watches, tablets, etc.– of the people to be cared for. It makes it possible to geolocate them in real time and contact them easily to ensure their well-being at all times. In addition, the app has several functions that can be configured: obtaining a record of activity –of the applications consulted, calls made and sites visited by the controlled device–, partial blocking –of certain applications– or total blocking of the device, preventing the linked device from being switched off and receiving notifications in the event that it has a low battery level, among others. It also has an anti-theft function, allowing the user to know the location in real time and to avoid a forced shutdown of the device.

It is, therefore, a highly personalised tool, adaptable to the diverse needs –mainly depending on age– of the confidants or people receiving care. Confidant can be especially useful for educating children to make good use of technology and avoid situations of cyberbullying. In the case of older people, the option of a smart watch may be relevant for people who are not used to the use of new technologies.

Confidant is easy to download and allows a one-week free trial. It guarantees security, privacy and transparency. To avoid potential misuse, the app cannot be installed in stealth: whenever it is activated, a notification is sent to the monitored device. In this sense, it allows the option to activate these functions only in case of emergency, only when the person does not respond to several calls.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

València

Partners / Funders

Lanzadera

Genesis

Confidant was born out of the personal family experience of its creators, who found the time it took to locate a person who had suffered a stroke to be an agonising experience. This inspired them to develop the application, which they were soon able to put to the test. Moreover, based on their first-hand experience and the needs that arose, Confidant acquired the various functions that it has today.

Level of implementation

The Confidant app is on the market and those who use it rate it very positively and claim that it has reduced their level of concern. Thus, the initial objectives of the technological tool have been met, offering users peace of mind and security.

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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.

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Concilia, a public service to support the reconciliation of work, family and personal life for people with limited resources

Toni Codina on 10 January 2023

Publications Bank of innovations

Concilia, a public service to support the reconciliation of work, family and personal life for people with limited resources

Barcelona City Council

Free municipal babysitting service for single-parent families with few resources, women victims of gender violence and families with no community network, so that they can combine the care and education of children with work, family and personal obligations.



This service is currently extended to 12 neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, and operates 7 days a week outside school hours. It has teams of educators, who can work with a maximum of 8 children, and are in charge of attending families, as well as programming and dynamizing the activities that are carried out. This public service can be requested from 2 weeks in advance up to 12 hours in advance, with the exception of emergency cases in which it can be requested up to 30 minutes in advance.


The service works with 2 main objectives: on the one hand, it is a support to the work and personal balance of families with difficulties, which facilitates the training of mothers and fathers, their incorporation into the working world, their involvement in the neighborhood, and even being able to enjoy occasional moments of rest. On the other hand, it is also aimed at offering children quality leisure time, with activities and pedagogical dynamics adapted to different ages and needs.

Children between 1 and 12 years old can enjoy the service on an occasional or more regular basis, and basic, ludicosocial and educational attention is guaranteed through values such as participation, environmental and emotional education, interculturality and art.


Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Barcelona

Partners / Funders

Incoop Cooperativa

Genesis

The Concilia project was launched in 2020 within the framework of the Neighborhood Plan of the city of Barcelona. This plan includes a set of actions to address the feminization of poverty and gender inequalities, aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis.

Among the initiatives proposed, the socialization of care is promoted, with meeting spaces, mutual support and accompaniment for women, offering educational work and training to young people and adolescents to ensure greater gender equity, creating programs to professionalize care and offering accompaniment to women workers in the sector to guarantee them decent labor rights.

Level of implementation

During the first year of the program, in 2020, 611 children were served and 7,819 services were provided. 58% of the families are attended for reasons of work conciliation, 11% for training, 10% to have “a moment of rest” and 8% due to an unexpected situation.

As for the families enrolled, the referent person is the mother in the vast majority of cases (93%). Of these families, 52% were already linked to other public services; 58% are single-parent families; 57% are families without a social network; 38% are unemployed; and 33% have a precarious occupation.


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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.

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Youth and Family Office, community-based model for raising vulnerable children.

Toni Codina on 24 May 2022

Publications Bank of innovations

Youth and Family Office, community-based model for raising vulnerable children.

Youth and Familiy Office

Community model of care for vulnerable children and teenagers in the Austrian municipality of Graz, which seeks to strengthen resources for families, and to identify and resolve their specific needs. It is designed so that the child or teenager and the family are at the center, with an approach that takes into account the domestic and social context in which they live.

The initiative has been developed in four districts of the city, and focuses mainly on avoiding the institutionalization of the most vulnerable children. The program’s approach is preventive, offering families who are expecting a child to receive information free of charge and to participate in a wide range of activities to prepare them for future parenting. Some of the activities offered are home visits by professionals, as well as free lectures and courses. Attendance at these courses provides a booklet with stamps that provide an economic incentive exchangeable for other services in the city, such as visits to parental counseling centers.

Once the children are born, parents receive counseling, and if special needs are identified, they can be transitioned to specialized services. The program is also aimed at older ages, including adolescence, with services such as nursery schools or youth centers, as well as leisure activities and digital support.

Graz’s model promotes flexible assistance tailored to the needs of each family, which is always involved in the research and identification of solutions.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Graz, Austria

Partners / Funders

Graz City Council

Genesis

Despite its drawbacks, institutionalization of children from vulnerable families is widely used in many European countries. Graz is promoting this pioneering program to reduce institutionalization during childhood and promote a more community-based, child- and family-centered parenting model.

Level of implementation

The initiative has had very positive and effective results during the pandemic, during which many of the activities were digitized or transformed into a hybrid format, maintaining contact with families and protecting their well-being in the midst of the health alert. During the pandemic, the number of families served even increased, thanks to the adaptability and flexibility of the program coordinators and staff.

More information

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Vila Veïna, a new public community care system

Toni Codina on 3 May 2022

Publications Bank of innovations

Vila Veïna, a new public community care system

Barcelona City Council

A new public care system in the city of Barcelona that aims to achieve a model of social and health care that is smaller and closer to the users.

To achieve this, it structures the service in a set of “Super Islands” of care, which encompass a group of houses and neighborhoods of between 10,000 and 30,000 inhabitants, with a reference point located in an open community space (for example, a library) to manage the needs of service users in an integrated manner. Thanks to this new innovative service model, professionals enjoy greater autonomy in the organization and management of their work, since they know the users more closely and are able to deal more directly and satisfactorily with all of them.

Each Vila Veïna has the essential services and benefits related to care in a centralized manner, in order to be able to deal with them closely. It also has emotional support groups and a resource bank for the care of children and the elderly, which provides material such as crutches, cradles, wheelchairs and other items necessary for the care of children and the elderly. It also offers legal and employment advice for caregivers and families in need, as well as talks and outdoor activities. The aim is to provide caregivers with access to information about existing services, as well as to create communities of care and proximity.

Each Vila Veïna has a professional who dedicates his or her working day to promoting networking, programming activities and attending to citizens in relation to care. The new profile of this professional is essential in innovation and requires a set of skills for community activation, as well as knowledge of municipal administrative systems and other administrations.

The project is aimed at the entire population living in the territory, because it is based on the idea that ‘we all take care of each other’, and the goal is to achieve a more caring community with all the people who are part of it.

In short, it is an innovative model that humanizes services and contemplates the participation of people, both caregivers and those receiving care, who are part of a community network and co-responsible for the collective welfare.

By 2022 there will be 12 Vila Veïna spaces in the city of Barcelona, and the goal is to have 115 throughout the city in the future.

Characteristics of innovation

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Localization

Barcelona

Partners / Funders

Barcelona City Council

Genesis

The project began in May 2021, promoted by the Social Rights area of the Barcelona City Council, with the aim of addressing care in small territorial units. During the Covid-19 pandemic, citizens became more aware of the importance of care and of the invisible work done by thousands of people, mostly women, mainly for children and the elderly, since these are the two age groups in which care is particularly relevant. The project was intended to reinforce the strategy initiated by the City Council in 2020 to move the Home Care Service (SAD) to the neighborhoods, with the aim of offering more proximity and more personalized help.

This new model aims to establish small professional teams in residential areas, thus avoiding the costs derived from travel, reference teams or communications, and favoring the creation of a community of proximity care.

Level of implementation

There are currently four VilaVeïna spaces in the city of Barcelona: El Congrés i els Indians, La Marina, Provençals del Poblenou and Vilapicina and Torre Llobeta. The forecast is that they will be established in all districts of the city (16 territorial units) progressively until 2023. The second phase of this project will begin in 2022 and 12 more Vila Veïna spaces are planned to be created to provide this service to 320,000 citizens.

The project is supported by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona for the evaluation, which will include an impact assessment.

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