Welcome to episode 26 of the Technology in Human Services podcast. In this episode, I’m chatting with Omar Yaqub of the Islamic Family & Social Services Association in Edmonton.

Omar and his team are re-envisioning a modern intake system for the social services sector that leverages technology, including machine learning and predictive analysis. You know, the promise of tech – prompting you with questions or suggestions as you use technology. On the surface it looks like a tech project, but it is much more than that. As you’ll near Omar explain, it’s also about change. Not just organizational, but also systems change. Looking at why we do social services work, honouring the people we serve, centering them in our work and, as a result, making the work done by social service workers more meaningful and impactful.

The system he’s working on is a work in progress. It’s one I think you should definitely know about, as we all search for technology solutions that will complement and humanize our work, rather than bowing to the tech bros and their pre-conceived machines…

Read more about their plans and current status:

“Our new intake system needs to…

* Move from interrogation → conversation.* Prioritize mental health and holistic assessment. We need to recognize the assets clients come with, not just deficiencies and demographics. We need to identify tailored referrals based on the client’s specific circumstances. eg. skills, primary language, neighbourhood, number of kids, socialization, etc. * Use a peer-reviewed approach; a systematic line of questioning to identify the goals that will have the highest impact. The LifeWorks Self-Sufficiency Matrix is something we want to build upon. * Facilitate more disciplined practice of ongoing conversations with clients, including follow-ups on goals, referrals, etc. ​eg. Every visit to the food bank should be an opportunity to discuss progress, work on roadblocks, and move towards accomplishing goals. Goals may be as small as increasing positive socialization, a simple budget, getting employment ready, or finding affordable housing. * Automate referrals to clients, and push new opportunities to clients when appropriate. ​eg. Pre-register a client for when a new language skills class is starting for women who speak Arabic and English at level ≤ 5 with 3+ dependents, and no prior EI claims. ​eg. Automatically inform clients when an application for HeadStart opens* Build solutions based on the proliferation of smartphones — the new system should allow an intake to happen anywhere someone can use their smartphone. * Securely transmit client data between organizations and reduce the need for clients to repeat their story again and again.* Incrementally improve, and adapt to changing circumstances nimbly.”

Machine-Generated Transcript

What follows is an AI-generated transcript of our conversation using Otter.ai. The transcript has not been edited.