Social work organisations work with sensitive personal data, digital files, collaborative platforms and a growing network of municipalities and chain partners. Good governance therefore requires a view of the digital conditions under which professionals carry out their social mission.
What does the Social Work Code 2025 mean for digitalization?
The revised code opts for a value- and practice-oriented approach. Digital development is part of the future of the organisation. This gives governance and oversight a clear incentive to determine how technology supports the societal mission, what risks are associated with it and how it is accountable.
The code provides an board-level framework. The principles can be translated into policy, ownership, decision-making and reporting on cybersecurity, privacy, data and digital continuity. This makes digital resilience part of regular governance.
- a defined vision of digitisation and responsible data use
- clear ownership of information security and privacy
- periodic information on risks, incidents and improvement measures
- demonstrable agreements with municipalities, software suppliers and chain partners
Governance is given practical value when digital responsibility becomes visible in decisions, ownership, evidence and periodic reporting.
Client data and cooperation in the chain
In social work data from different habitats come together. Access rights, data sharing, retention periods and the design of digital files therefore require careful choices. A useful risk analysis is consistent with work processes and helps professionals act safely without unnecessary burdening the service.
Suppliers also deserve board-level attention. The organisation remains responsible for clear requirements, appropriate contractual arrangements, insight into incidents and a workable exit. This applies to client systems, communication platforms, cloud environments and applications with AI.
What does this require of governance and oversight around digital resilience?
Governance and oversight need reliable information to assess digital ambitions and risks together. Compact reporting can provide insight into critical processes, current threats, supplier dependencies, incidents, improvement actions and the functioning of important measures.
A governance assessment makes it visible where principles have already been translated and where additional ownership, proof or board-level decision making adds value. The outcome is an improvement agenda that fits the organisation's scale and societal mission.
A practical start for social work organisations
Kynexis Information Security combines the governance code with the actual digital context. Documents, interviews, risks, supplier agreements and reports are assessed in conjunction. This will create an board-level summary with priorities, ownership and an executable roadmap.
Depending on demand, a governance GAP analysis, baseline assessment information security or Cyber Security Audit fits. The governance JAP focuses on governance, oversight and assurance; an audit will examine more extensively how technical and operational measures work in practice.
Source and demarcation
The sectoral framework sets out a direction; digital translation requires customization
This article translates the official code or arrangement into information security and internal control. For formal application, the original text of the framework remains guiding.
