Although availability varies across different regions, Austria has a complex landscape of resources offering a wide range of Social Work services at varying times. Even for professionals, navigating this local support system requires substantial effort to understand its basic quantitative and qualitative capacities.
There are hardly any regional tools available that provide real-time information about accessible Social Work resources – for both affected individuals and professionals. These resources range from (sometimes unavailable) psychosocial hotlines and counseling centers to outpatient Social Work services and locally available psychosocial experts.
This project focuses on professional referral and orientation using a digital (real-time) tool, and investigates the necessary conditions for its effective implementation.
- Methodology: Analysis of existing systems (e.g., Sozialratgeber Krems, Sozialinfo Wien, etc.); Social Work case studies to distinguish between simple (laypersons) and complex (Social Workers) referral scenarios; identification of requirements for a digital tool.
- Relevance: Improving fast, appropriate, and targeted access to resources for support is of significant social, political, and economic importance. Research into tools that empower individuals to develop and apply their own resources – particularly within the framework of primary care – is a key focus of the “Health and Social Care” research area at the Ilse Arlt Institute for Social Inclusion Research.
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