Abstract
Following the pandemic, the rapid transition to online services exposed challenges/disadvantages for
vulnerable service users as they engaged with this new mode of service delivery. They struggled to derive value from these new online services and even experienced degrees of hostility, insensitivity,
and carelessness. The Humanizing Online Services Toolkit (HOST) aims to address these challenges
by providing examples of how to deliver empathetic and humane online services in the charity and
voluntary sectors.
The toolkit recommendations are based on the digital transformation of a charity-run educational
service for refugees and asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the experience
of refugee learners regarding the challenges and disadvantages they faced in an online service
environment and identified some of the factors underlying those experiences. Subsequently, together
with service stakeholders (practitioners, volunteers, and refugee learners), a series of strategies were
devised to address the lack of human touch in online service delivery. These initiatives have been
successfully employed to improve the human touch in other online services and are the basis for the
toolkit recommendations.
This toolkit is designed to help with digitalization and online service delivery in the charity and
voluntary sector. It provides insight into the solutions and actions needed to overcome the challenges
of moving services online and aims to help the sector benefit from the advantages of digitalization
whilst responding to the multiplex needs of their often-vulnerable service users by providing human-centred and empathetic online services.
vulnerable service users as they engaged with this new mode of service delivery. They struggled to derive value from these new online services and even experienced degrees of hostility, insensitivity,
and carelessness. The Humanizing Online Services Toolkit (HOST) aims to address these challenges
by providing examples of how to deliver empathetic and humane online services in the charity and
voluntary sectors.
The toolkit recommendations are based on the digital transformation of a charity-run educational
service for refugees and asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the experience
of refugee learners regarding the challenges and disadvantages they faced in an online service
environment and identified some of the factors underlying those experiences. Subsequently, together
with service stakeholders (practitioners, volunteers, and refugee learners), a series of strategies were
devised to address the lack of human touch in online service delivery. These initiatives have been
successfully employed to improve the human touch in other online services and are the basis for the
toolkit recommendations.
This toolkit is designed to help with digitalization and online service delivery in the charity and
voluntary sector. It provides insight into the solutions and actions needed to overcome the challenges
of moving services online and aims to help the sector benefit from the advantages of digitalization
whilst responding to the multiplex needs of their often-vulnerable service users by providing human-centred and empathetic online services.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Critical Conversations on Refugee Education in Europe: perspectives from research, policy and practice |
| Subtitle of host publication | THE INAUGURAL HUB FOR EUROPEAN REFUGEE EDUCATION (HERE) CONFERENCE |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2022 |
| Event | THE INAUGURAL HUB FOR EUROPEAN REFUGEE EDUCATION (HERE) CONFERENCE - University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom Duration: 22 Nov 2022 → 23 Nov 2022 https://hubhere.org/the-inaugural-here-conference/ |
Conference
| Conference | THE INAUGURAL HUB FOR EUROPEAN REFUGEE EDUCATION (HERE) CONFERENCE |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Nottingham |
| Period | 22/11/22 → 23/11/22 |
| Internet address |