Measuring Future Digital Social Value Assurance in Adult Social Care
Future digital social value assurance is a practical issue because adult social care services are using more technology, data, online communication, remote support and digital reporting. Providers working within the Social Value Knowledge Hub need to evidence that digital innovation improves outcomes safely, fairly and transparently.
Strong providers use social value measurement and reporting to evidence digital impact, while linking assurance to social value policy and national priorities such as inclusion, prevention, accountability, safeguarding and responsible public service delivery.
Digital social value should not be measured by systems purchased or dashboards produced. Strong evidence shows whether technology improves people’s lives, reduces exclusion, supports staff and strengthens governance.
What Digital Social Value Assurance Means
Digital social value assurance means checking that digital tools, data systems and technology-enabled support are delivering real benefit. It covers consent, accessibility, safeguarding, privacy, staff competence, outcome evidence, equality impact and governance oversight.
The social value comes from trustworthy innovation. Strong providers demonstrate that digital change is not only efficient, but also safe, inclusive and outcome-led.
Why It Matters in Real Services
Technology can improve access, communication and prevention, but it can also create new risks. People may be excluded if they cannot use digital routes. Staff may over-rely on alerts. Families may expect instant updates. Data may be collected without being used well.
Strong services evidence how digital decisions are reviewed before, during and after implementation. They also show where tools were adjusted, withdrawn or redesigned because lived experience or outcomes showed they were not working.
What Good Looks Like
Strong digital assurance includes clear purpose, person involvement, consent, accessibility checks, staff guidance, measurable outcomes, audit trails and senior oversight.
Providers should be able to evidence why a digital tool was introduced, who it helps, what risks were considered, what changed in practice and how outcomes were reviewed. This creates a clear line of sight from digital investment to social value impact.
Operational Example 1: Assurance Before Introducing a Digital Care Planning Tool
Context: A supported living provider planned to introduce a new digital care planning system. Leaders wanted better recording, but staff were concerned that the system could reduce face-to-face time if introduced poorly.
Support approach: The provider completed a digital social value assurance review before rollout, covering people’s records, staff workflow, accessibility and outcome reporting.
Five practical steps:
- Define what the system should improve for people, staff and managers.
- Check accessibility, consent, privacy and data protection requirements.
- Test the system with staff before full rollout.
- Review whether recording quality and time with people improve.
- Report learning through quality governance and service improvement meetings.
Day-to-day delivery detail: Staff piloted daily notes, outcome reviews and handover updates. Managers checked whether records became more useful, not just more complete.
How effectiveness was evidenced: The provider evidenced clearer care plan updates, improved handovers, reduced duplicated recording and better outcome visibility. This demonstrated social value through safer and more useful digital practice.
Deepening the Assurance Evidence Pathway
Digital assurance evidence is strongest when it connects technology to impact. Providers should avoid presenting innovation as social value unless they can show who benefited, how risks were managed and what outcomes improved.
Guidance on measuring social value outcomes in adult social care reinforces the need to connect activity with impact. Digital assurance strengthens this by showing whether technology creates measurable, inclusive and governed benefit.
Operational Example 2: Reviewing Equity in Digital Access
Context: A residential service introduced digital family updates and online review meetings. Most families found this helpful, but some relatives struggled with access, confidence or language barriers.
Support approach: The provider reviewed digital inclusion to ensure communication did not become less fair for people or families who needed alternative routes.
Five practical steps:
- Identify who benefits from digital routes and who may be excluded.
- Review language, accessibility, device access and confidence barriers.
- Offer non-digital alternatives where needed.
- Track satisfaction, missed communication and complaints themes.
- Report equality learning through governance and action planning.
Day-to-day delivery detail: Staff recorded communication preferences, offered phone updates where digital routes were not suitable and checked whether families understood key information after reviews.
How effectiveness was evidenced: The provider evidenced fewer communication complaints, improved family confidence, better preference recording and maintained inclusion for non-digital users.
Systems, Workforce and Consistency
Teams apply digital assurance well when staff understand why systems are used and how they support care. Digital tools should not create hidden workarounds, informal messaging or inconsistent records.
Supervision should review staff confidence, digital errors, privacy concerns, safeguarding risks and whether technology improves practice. Handovers should include digital system changes that affect current support. Managers should check that digital assurance is not left to IT staff alone; it must sit within care quality, safeguarding and governance.
This also supports commissioner confidence. Wider explanation of social value in UK public sector commissioning shows why providers need evidence that digital innovation improves outcomes, equity and public value.
Operational Example 3: Board-Level Review of Digital Social Value
Context: A multi-site provider had introduced digital care records, remote reviews and online feedback routes across services. Leaders needed to understand whether digital change was improving outcomes consistently.
Support approach: The provider created a quarterly digital social value assurance report for senior leaders and trustees.
Five practical steps:
- Agree a small set of digital outcome measures linked to people’s experience.
- Combine data with feedback from people, families and staff.
- Review risks such as exclusion, privacy incidents and system workarounds.
- Identify where digital practice needs improvement or redesign.
- Track actions through governance until outcomes improve.
Day-to-day delivery detail: Managers reviewed examples from services rather than relying only on dashboard totals. Board discussion focused on whether digital tools improved safety, inclusion, confidence and responsiveness.
How effectiveness was evidenced: The provider evidenced clearer senior oversight, faster correction of digital risks, stronger inclusion reporting and better alignment between technology and service outcomes.
Governance and Evidence
Governance gives digital social value assurance credibility. Providers should maintain an audit trail showing purpose, consent, risk assessment, accessibility review, staff training, outcome measures, feedback, incidents and improvement actions.
Data may include digital access rates, outcome improvements, reduced duplication, fewer missed actions, family confidence, staff confidence, complaints themes, safeguarding concerns and inclusion measures. Qualitative evidence explains dignity, control, reassurance, trust and lived experience.
Strong services demonstrate how digital assurance informs care planning, workforce development, safeguarding, commissioner reporting, quality assurance and board oversight. This creates a clear line of sight from digital support model to action to outcome.
Commissioner and CQC Expectations
Commissioners expect providers to evidence that digital innovation improves outcomes, access and value while managing risk. Assurance evidence helps show that technology is not being used for appearance, but for measurable social value.
CQC expectations focus on safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care. Digital assurance supports this when leaders understand risks, listen to people, act on evidence and ensure technology strengthens rather than weakens care.
Common Pitfalls
- Reporting digital innovation without outcome evidence.
- Ignoring people who are excluded by digital routes.
- Treating digital assurance as an IT function only.
- Collecting data without reviewing whether it improves support.
- Failing to include lived experience in digital evaluation.
- Using dashboards without governance action or accountability.
Conclusion
Measuring future digital social value assurance in adult social care means showing that technology improves outcomes safely, inclusively and transparently. Strong providers demonstrate this through consent, accessibility, staff practice, lived experience, outcome data and governance. When evidence is credible, digital assurance becomes a strong social value measure because it shows how adult social care can innovate responsibly while protecting dignity, inclusion and public trust.