The Challenge

Social workers are a lifeline to young families and children in the UK, but can be held back by the systems and technology they work with, spending as much as 80% of their time on administration tasks.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognised a need to free up this time, allowing for more direct work with children and families in need. The DfE holds a unique role in the world of children’s’ social care, and hopes to improve outcomes for children by creating more functional environments and tools for social workers. Building on DfE’s strategic approach, the ‘Whole System Look’ of holistic understanding of the digital and technology landscape in children’s social care, DfE invited FutureGov to undertake a discovery into how we might optimise digital and technology for social workers and enable better information sharing between partner agencies.

The Challenge

Social workers are a lifeline to young families and children in the UK, but can be held back by the systems and technology they work with, spending as much as 80% of their time on administration tasks.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognised a need to free up this time, allowing for more direct work with children and families in need. The DfE holds a unique role in the world of children’s’ social care, and hopes to improve outcomes for children by creating more functional environments and tools for social workers. Building on DfE’s strategic approach, the ‘Whole System Look’ of holistic understanding of the digital and technology landscape in children’s social care, DfE invited FutureGov to undertake a discovery into how we might optimise digital and technology for social workers and enable better information sharing between partner agencies.

The Challenge

In collaboration with Czorny Alzheimer’s Centre, this project looked at building connections between Alzheimer’s residents and their families to facilitate a more meaningful connection while visiting

A lack of engagement plays a critical role in the day of a resident who often suffers from depression, loneliness and boredom, and current tools meant to bring joy and engagement to residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease can be ineffective. These physical tools can be childish, unengaging and do not adapt well to different stages of the Disease. In the same respect, when family members visit residents who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, they are apprehensive to engage with them, which means a lot of the time no engagement actually happens. Instead, both parties can come out confused, frustrated and discouraged. This un-constructive experience plays a critical role in the day of the residents and can result in depression, mood changes and apathy.

The Challenge

To develop low-cost and easy implementable solutions for Menno Place Dementia that increase happiness and well-being

A dementia patient’s environment can make a critical impact on general happiness and quality of life, however, these solutions can sometimes be expensive. Menno Place, a residential care facility, and the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University of Art & Design collaborated to study how to provide a healthy, comfortable and positive space for Menno Place’s residents, using low-cost and easily implementable solutions.

The Challenge

In collaboration with Czorny Alzheimer’s Centre, this project looked at building connections between Alzheimer’s residents and their families to facilitate a more meaningful connection while visiting

A lack of engagement plays a critical role in the day of a resident who often suffers from depression, loneliness and boredom, and current tools meant to bring joy and engagement to residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease can be ineffective. These physical tools can be childish, unengaging and do not adapt well to different stages of the Disease. In the same respect, when family members visit residents who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, they are apprehensive to engage with them, which means a lot of the time no engagement actually happens. Instead, both parties can come out confused, frustrated and discouraged. This un-constructive experience plays a critical role in the day of the residents and can result in depression, mood changes and apathy.

The Challenge

In collaboration with Czorny Alzheimer’s Centre, this project looked at building connections between Alzheimer’s residents and their families to facilitate a more meaningful connection while visiting

A lack of engagement plays a critical role in the day of a resident who often suffers from depression, loneliness and boredom, and current tools meant to bring joy and engagement to residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease can be ineffective. These physical tools can be childish, unengaging and do not adapt well to different stages of the Disease. In the same respect, when family members visit residents who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, they are apprehensive to engage with them, which means a lot of the time no engagement actually happens. Instead, both parties can come out confused, frustrated and discouraged. This un-constructive experience plays a critical role in the day of the residents and can result in depression, mood changes and apathy.

The Challenge

In collaboration with Czorny Alzheimer’s Centre, this project looked at building connections between Alzheimer’s residents and their families to facilitate a more meaningful connection while visiting

A lack of engagement plays a critical role in the day of a resident who often suffers from depression, loneliness and boredom, and current tools meant to bring joy and engagement to residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease can be ineffective. These physical tools can be childish, unengaging and do not adapt well to different stages of the Disease. In the same respect, when family members visit residents who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, they are apprehensive to engage with them, which means a lot of the time no engagement actually happens. Instead, both parties can come out confused, frustrated and discouraged. This un-constructive experience plays a critical role in the day of the residents and can result in depression, mood changes and apathy.

The Challenge

To develop a strategy that would help build reciprocity with its community and to be considered the donation vendor of choice for young families

They approached us to understand what people cared about in their community, how a healthcare authority could help support this within a fixed budget, and to understand the donation habits of this specific demographic.

The Challenge

To develop tools that could facilitate trust between patients, family members and staff.

Falls, medication error and infection control are the three greatest dangers in a hospital setting, and Fraser Health asked the Health Design Lab to provide a fresh perspective to help uncover and design innovative solutions to change the culture of safety in hospitals. The aim was to create tools that facilitated trust-building between patients, family members and staff, encourage a shift in culture towards patient-centred care and create new rituals and expectations.