Descripción del proyecto
Digital competences and social inclusion
How digital competence development brings better care services
The Carer+ project identified the ICT competences of care workers and informal carers (the “Digital Competence Framework”) and developed these by designing and implementing a set of learning paths and educational resources for mobile and work-based learning that responded to major challenges to their professionalisation: isolation, access to technology, flexibility of study modes, lack of support and motivation, formal accreditation, recognition of prior experience, and scalability.
The CARER+ partnership proposed the deployment of a specifically designed technological environment for self and professional development, supported by a blended-learning approach with peer-to-peer and intergenerational learning methodology. The training and testing included:
- The use of Internet Tablets as user-friendly, intuitive and handy ICT devices and acting as simple Smart Networked Objects enabled with Wi-Fi, 3G+, and RFID technologies, via NFC readers and tags integrating all-in-one solutions for eInclusion.
- The creation of micro-certification processes based on a certification and motivational badge system
- The active inclusion of care recipients during this process.
This learning environment and training programme has been piloted in 13 sites across 5 countries (France, Italy, Latvia, Romania and Spain), with an average length of 10 months, involving a total of 500 users (250 older people who are cared for at home & 200 care workers and 50 informal caregivers). During the implementation of the training, all the care workers and informal carers were equipped with an Internet Tablet and completed their localised programmes.
The positive impact of the piloting experience has been confirmed by the following final impact results. A majority of care workers and informal carers declared the homecare they delivered was enhanced an enriched by digital competences and tools: over a 70% would use a tablet device in their caring practice in the future. The quality of life of the older people was improved, especially as regards the mental/emotional well-being, the attitudes toward ICTs and the capacity and competence to use ICTs.
In addition to this, the project has developed an effective campaign to involve and raise awareness among decision-makers and relevant stakeholders with an outreach of cca half a million people. This involvement made possible to ensure the sustainability of the project results, especially as regards the dissemination of the Digital Competence Framework, the capitalisation and continuation of the Carer+ learning environment and training programme and resources and the dissemination of the Carer+ system for the certification of digital competences in social care sector.
Carer+ project has created the required context for a successful deployment of the pilots – first stage of change for organisations and individuals – and offers to the European home care sector and related stakeholders a set of open resources enabling the replication and the adaptation of Carer+ outputs, tools and results. A website with comprehensive information and resources addressed to the key stakeholders identified: care workers, VET providers, researchers and policy makers.
With the aim of contributing to the professionalisation of domiciliary care workers and caregivers to support active ageing at home and in the community, Carer+ intends to:- Equip EU care workers with the required set of digital competences to support older people in their use of ICTs and AAL technologies that will enhance their professional status and impact positively on the quality of life, autonomy and safety of those in their care;- Equip care workers with a set of digital competences that will allow them to be more active in society, enhancing and diversifying their opportunities for EU mobility, employability and personal and professional development;- Engage older people in the training process, equipping them with technologies for active ageing and fostering intergenerational learning.The professionalisation of domiciliary care workers and caregivers cannot be attained without the involvement of local, regional and national actors working in the sector: therefore, Carer+ also seeks to raise awareness and promote consensus building, and to set up the basis for the harmonization of digital competences standards and their certification across EU.Operational project objectives are: to develop a competency framework for ICT competences in social caring; to draft and validate the process for certifying ICT competences in care sector; to design and develop a training programme and learning resources, built upon and delivered through technologies for active ageing and distance/mobile training; to train the trainers (3 months); to pilot the training programme involving caregivers, care workers (10 months) and older people (6 months) in 5 countries; to deliver a toolkit of the programme for transferability and sustainability purposes; to create a European portal as a reference point for the social care actors; to manage the project in all its aspects, and to monitor and evaluate the project through a continuous dialogue with policy makers and other stakeholder
Convocatoria de propuestas
CIP-ICT-PSP-2011-5
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Régimen de financiación
PB - Pilot Type BCoordinador
61000 ALENCON CEDEX
Francia