What will the future look like?
We all know how important it is to prepare for the future! All the more so in the current volatile and uncertain environment, where the field of social assistance finds itself at a crossroad where huge opportunities meet astounding challenges.
The process of horizon scanning performed using foresight methods allowed us to identify four main drivers of change influencing the social field in the next decade that you can explore below.
Step into the future!
In the following we propose a short journey, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, to the future of the social field.
Your contribution will help us not only to reach our destination succesfully, but also to find out how we can better prepare for it!
TRAVEL INDICATIONS
We invite you to read and follow the directions for each stage of the journey.
NECESSARY STOPOVERS
In order to project the future, visit the "stopovers" below that describe trends in the corresponding sector, whose anchors are already unveiled to us today.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
Share with us at contact@projectfocus.eu your perspective on the professional's meta-skills in 2030, precisely those skills that can help him/her remain relevant and competent in the face of the changes that will occur.
Travel indications
Explore each stopover!
Immerse yourself in concrete examples, the iceberg peaks, already visible in 2020. Read the description of each stopover, so as to understand emerging trends and to see relevant signs of change for the social field around the world - they were specially selected for this project by Future Station.
Start the FOCUS journey
FIRST STOPOVER
Demographic &
Economic factors
Among Demographic & Economic factors which can influence the future of social field we mention increased lifespan and growth of the aging population to urbanization, migration flux, income polarization.
The next ten years are a time of painful restructuring as the economy grows more competitive and jobs themselves unbundle, plus the envisaged crisis generated by the current pandemic. Social workers need to be prepared to work with senior users, but also with clients on financial capabilities, employment, education, and other issues related to economic well-being.
1950 VS 2025 – I CHOSE MY OWN LIFESTYLE
Recent studies show increased polarization and individualism.
Read more
SECOND STOPOVER
Network Society
This cluster of change is about the process of interaction and integration among the people, culture, organizations, and governments of different nations. We notice how also in the social sector, initiatives are headed toward greater exchanges and integration across geographic borders, especially in the context of current and future migratory flows driven by the search for a better life or a job. Increased mobility brings important challenges in providing social services for dependent family members (children or the elderly) remaining in the country of origin, but also overcoming language barriers and cultural differences for professionals in destination countries working with clients and beneficiaries with those more diverse origins.
THIRD SPTOPOVER
Holistic Health
The necessary approach – a holistic one.
We are witnessing an expansion of health as a concept. We are talking more and more about the continuous management of fitness, alternative approaches such as those proposed by NEWtrition, preventive or remote healthcare. Social professionals, due to their involvement in the forefront of activities at Community level, are in tehe best place to make a substantial contribution to this process. We invite you to explore the signals of change that indicate the following major themes: the redistribution of power to service users, the increasing importance of peer-to-peer support groups and the evolution of the place of service provision / treatment.
FOURTH STOPOVER
Human – Machine
Collaboration
Collaboration
So we need to talk about technology and digital skills. To what degree will the social work profession harness and leverage technology to advance its work?
How might social work education prepare students to operate at the nexus of social work and technology? How might social work education better integrate existing and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, apps, wearable technologies) and big data into the curriculum? Let’s have a look on technological factors as well and on the human machine collaboration:
Disclaimer
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
