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Upon Further Thought: Ethical Apps

In the context of social work or related fields, apps can really fill some gaps.  Yes, there are other icons on a user's screen vying for attention, using all kinds of persuasive hooks to distract a user from staying on task. Still, as the Time Well Spent movement (mentioned in a previous post) suggests, there are ways to Take Back Control. And, it seems that apps created for purposes of supporting social workers perform their jobs with greater ease and success would not need to compete for attention in the same way apps designed for entertainment would. When the goals of an app are well aligned with the goals of users such that value is added and regret is minimized, it could produce a good score on a Time Well Spent metric.

For example, the Community Information and Referral Services 2-1-1 tools per state (e.g. 2-1-1 Arizona App and 211arizona.org) produced by Bowman Systems, Mediware Software for Healthcare and Human Services. These tools can help workers identify and mobilize resources.

In terms of social work education, see the Social Work Social Media app by Tarsem Cooner available in iTunes. There is a corresponding article that discusses the theoretical underpinnings and findings:
Cooner, T. S., Knowles, A., & Stout, B. (2016). Creating a mobile app to teach ethical social media practices. Social Work Education, 35(3), 245-259. doi:10.1080/02615479.2015.1042361

Another example of the kinds of apps that can help fill the gap between people and treatment is a counselor hotline/chat room & resource hub that allows those who may be in immediate need or may be wary/unable to get to therapy but are interested. Sometimes a single question with a lot of merit is forgotten because of the distance between the thought and an appointment. Or insurance won't cover x, y, z... Websites and apps may expedite service delivery and cut some red tape in the right situations.

I have yet to read this but,
Frederic G. Reamer (2014) published an article discussing Clinical Social Work in a Digital Environment: Ethical and Risk-Management Challenges



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