In a first for the country, a new app aimed at reducing the time social workers spend on paperwork was launched this week.
A total of 1 054 Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) social workers, supervisors and managers across the Western Cape have already started using the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS), which is designed to make the administration of cases easier and faster.
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Users can securely capture forms and complete the necessary ‘paperwork’ for the tracking of social service practitioners’ interventions to clients. As of June, 5 698 forms were uploaded to the app and 2 157 cases were opened.
Users can access the app at any time as it caters to their busy work schedules.
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According to the Western Cape Government (WCG), an investment of R6 million was made to this project, which took just under two years to develop.
SWIMS is a mobile- and desktop-friendly application that went live in April 2024. It was created by the Department of the Premier’s Centre for e-Innovation in collaboration with DSD and is the first of its kind in the country.
Some of the benefits include:
- Improved recordkeeping
- Improvement in compliance with social work practitioners’ regulatory frameworks.
- No more repetitions (when a social worker creates one form on the app, the necessary information gets logged onto the subsequent forms as well – no more having to repeat information on each paper form)
- Improved monitoring and reporting
- Work is made simpler and faster
- The app can be used offline (if data runs out or staff is in a rural area, forms can still be captured)
- Staff can work anywhere
- Automated workflow
‘I vividly remember as a child being among the vast array of brown files in my mom’s office (a former social work manager),’ says DSD social worker Rizquah Lucas-Alexander.
‘I was fascinated by the sheer volume of work that went into supporting clients. Today I’m thrilled to witness the revolutionary impact of SWIMS on our field. This system ensures that every interaction, every intervention, and every outcome is meticulously documented.
‘This not only holds us accountable to our clients but also allows management to track our progress and identify areas where service delivery may be delayed.
Western Cape Minister of Social Development Jaco Londt says the average time to fill in the relevant paper forms for a case of child protection, for example, is about 15 minutes. The SWIMS app cuts this time down to eight minutes.
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‘That is a seven-minute per case saving. If we multiply that by an average of 60 cases per social worker in a month, that’s 420 minutes being saved per month per social worker.
‘When we multiply that with the number of DSD social workers in the province – 745 – that brings you to 312 900 minutes saved every month for DSD social workers across the province if each one used the app. Social workers thus have more time [to do] what they love: focusing on therapeutic interventions.
‘This is a win for staff and for the vulnerable citizen who needs their support.’
Plans include expanding the app’s services to the non-profit sector (of which the DSD funds or subsidises over 1 200 social service professionals on varying levels) and other WCG departments, including the Department of Health and Wellness which employs 219 social workers and the Education Department which has 73 social service practitioners.
The DSD also hopes to collaborate with the National Department of Social Development on the further roll-out of the system.
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Picture: Western Cape Government
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