Digital transformation in social work: Technological integration,ethical challenges,and research trends

Abstract

This article presents an overview of scientific production in social work, social services and digitalisation, categorising publication trends through a bibliometric analysis that examined 577 articles published in the Web of Science database from 1974 to September 2024. On international comparison of institutions and countries, the United States of America leads with most publications and citations and the University of South California is the most cited organisation. One of the main results of the study is a thematic group identified that is centred on social services, technology and COVID-19, highlighting their relevance in the recent context, while technological solutions, such as artificial intelligence, present few links to the research topic. In addition a documental analysis is provided that illustrates the evolution of digital tools in social services, emphasising the need to reconcile technological innovation and ethics. This research advocates interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous professional development to improve the effectiveness and humanisation of social work practice and identifies gaps and opportunities for future studies in areas such as data management and the use of artificial intelligence to improve the personalisation of services in social services.