How digital competence development brings better care services: the CARERPlus project

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. It includes:

• More than 350 articles published in English and/or pilot partner country languages about the activities of the project or activities related to home care and active ageing.
• 141 country data sheets for all the member states of the European Union in four to five categories (general information, education and work of social carers, long-term care, social protection system of elderly people and computer, and internet skills of the general population).
• According to the online survey launched for the review by external experts, the portal performance was compliant with the design specifications and meets the stakeholder’s needs.

The Digital Competence Framework

Created as a basic instrument defining the knowledge, skills and competences of a digitally competent care worker, it is based on Domains, Competence Areas, Competences, Examples of Learning Outcomes, and Application Levels. Its three main domains are: General Digital Competence; Enabling Digital Competence in home care; Care-Specific Digital Competence.

It contains a total of 41 ICT competences and was created on the basis of:

• Learning outcomes gathered from France, Italy, Latvia, Romania, and Spain
• 8 focus groups, 39 interviews to European experts in the field of social care and ICT
• 158 questionnaires to care workers and caregivers
• Desk research of approximately 100 articles, book volumes, project reports and other deliverables and policy documents

The certification process of digital competences for carers

In line with the new and vital role for care workers as a “Carer+”, and the need of recognition and professionalisation of home care professionals across the European Union, a process for a certification of ICT competences for care workers was drafted. Following a survey carried out to identify the stakeholders particularly relevant in the field of ITC competences and home care, 3 national workshops (ES, FR and IT) were organised, together with a European workshop in Brussels. As a result, the Handbook for certification of digital competences in care social sector was published on the web.

 The learning resources for the piloting programme, a ready-to-use tool

On the basis of the Digital Competence Framework, a complete programme structure was developed, containing a total of 5 interrelated modules organised under 3 themes:

• Foundational skills
• Managing social care with ITCs
• Providing home care through ICTs.

The Virtual Learning Environment was created by using Drupal Commons and Moodle 2.5, and five language platforms were created: an original one in English and 4 for the piloting partners in their local languages (France, Italy, Latvia, Romania and Spain). Learning resources and modules were originally produced in English and then translated and adapted to the local contexts of the piloting partners.

The toolkit for developing ITC competences, “how to deliver smart homecare”

This Toolkit provides Guidelines, procedures and practice examples to support the successful implementation of the Carer+ programme in the wider care sector. These Guidelines, procedures and practice examples cover three levels: the ‘macro’ level (the policy environment needed to support competence development); the ‘meso’ level (the organisational infrastructure required to develop competences) and the ‘micro’ level (what is needed to apply the competences on the ground within the home care environment).

The Toolkit is intended to be used by policy-makers, training providers, accreditation and certification agencies, labour organisations and other stakeholders involved in developing skills within the home care field, including care and social services, training agencies, employer and employee representation bodies, content developers and providers, care teams, and carer support agencies.

 The CARER+ consortium is a diverse, motivated group of European organisations that are committed to contributing to The Digital Agenda for Europe, making digital literacy and skills a priority for care workers and caregivers, and to Active Ageing.

The consortium is led by IPERIA L’Institut (FR). It is composed by 13 organisations from 8 different EU Member States: Fédération des Particuliers Employeurs de France (FR), Télécentres Europe (BE), 3s Unternehmensberatung GmbH (AT), Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale (IT), Università degli Studi di Macerata (IT), King’s College London Learning Institute (UK), Arcola Research Ltd. (UK), European Distance and E-Learning Network (UK), Foundation EOS (RO), Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association (LV), Iniciativas Innovadoras (ES), and Latvijas Samariešu Apvienības (LV).

For further information relating to CARER+ activities, please contact: