Innovative new Swims App a “Game-Changer” for social workers

On 25 July 2024, Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Social Development Jaco Londt launched the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) Application in Langa, Cape Town.

They were joined by various officials within the Western Cape Government (WCG), such as Provincial Finance Minister, Deidré Baartman, and Member of the Provincial Legislature Wendy Philander, along with officials from other departments and the National Department of Social Development.

The SWIMS is a mobile- and desktop-friendly application that went live in April 2024. It is already being used by 1054 Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) social service practitioners across the province, such as social auxiliary workers, social workers, social work supervisors, and social work managers.

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.

To date, an investment of R6 million has gone into this collaborative project, which was developed in under two years.

This app addresses the immense administrative burden on social workers who on a daily basis have to fill in forms as per the regulatory framework for case management. On the app, they can securely capture forms and complete the necessary “paperwork” for the tracking of social service practitioners' interventions to clients. In June, 5698 forms were loaded on the app, and 2157 cases were opened.

The mobile accessibility of SWIMS addresses the unique logistical needs of social workers as it caters to their busy working days where they are often on the road, at clients' homes, in communities, or in courts.

Further SWIMS benefits include but are not limited to:

• 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
• 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

DSD social workers, Rizquah Lucas-Alexander and Liezel Appollis, demonstrated the app’s functionality at the launch by logging a real case.

“I vividly remember as a child being among the vast array of brown files in my mom’s office (a former social work manager). 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,” said Ms Lucas-Alexander.

“The SWIMS App is a game-changer. On average it takes about 15 minutes for a social worker to fill in the relevant paper forms for a case of child protection, for example. With SWIMS this time is cut down to 8 minutes. That is a 7-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 doing what they love: focusing on therapeutic interventions. This is a win for staff and for the vulnerable citizen who needs their support,” said Provincial Minister Londt.

Premier Winde remarked, “To improve the work our government does for our residents, especially the most vulnerable in society, we must embrace and utilise innovation and technology. If we are to pull more people out of poverty, help residents in need, and get them back on their feet we must keep innovating. At the same time, this application is helping to ease the administrative burden of our dedicated social workers.”

DSD funds or subsidises over 1200 social service professionals on varying levels at Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), and over 700 child and youth care workers at NPOs across the Western Cape.

There are plans to offer the SWIMS App to the NPO sector and other WCG departments – such as the Department of Health and Wellness which employs 219 social workers and the Education Department which has 73 social service practitioners.

DSD is also discussing the possibility of collaborating with the National Department of Social Development on the further roll-out of the system.

IMAGES AND VIDEO OF SWIMS APP DEMO FOR MEDIA USE CAN BE ACCESSED HERE: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1H830KNOWBkCZJ0A9veKNp8Db40tNeNtx?usp=drive_link