Hein de Graaf, 9 January 1989
In this note we describe the main conclusions, proposals and decisions of
the ENITH meeting of December 1989. It will be send to the participants, together with the official letter from the Dutch Ministry of WVC and a copy of the letters we have send to the Ministry in December 1989.
From 9 December 1989 the Dutch Ministry of Social Welfare, Health and Cultural Affairs organized an informal meeting of European experts in the field of Information Technology and Human Services. The meeting was one of the outcomes of a feasibility study carried out by the CREON foundation, concerning international cooperation in this field, following the 1987 HUSITA conference in Birmingham. A main conclusion of this feasibility study was that an international (European) network should be established for the exchange of products, ideas, expertise, experiences and skills with respect to the introduction and use of IT in the human services. As a first step in this approach the informal meeting of experts was organized. The European (human) network of organizations was called ENITH (European Network Information Technology and Human services).
The 35 participants of the ENITH meeting coming from 20 countries could be described as the 'forerunners' with regard to information Technology in the human services in their own country. They were invited because of their knowledge of the state of the art in their country, and their knowledge of the organizations and experts to be involved in the future European network.
During the ENITH meeting it turned out that there is a considerable enthusiasm among the participants about the ENITH project. Also, many were optimistic about being able to find support in their own countries for ENITH, including financial support.
Target group of ENITH
For whom can ENITH be of use?
For all people and organizations who can use this kind of information on
all levels. Some of these organizations or persons will use the information
themselves, others will pass it on in their working area (country) to
others, after perhaps expanding, translating or correcting that information.
The participants of the ENITH meeting are stressing the point that all
European countries are to be involved in an ENITH network, including the
East European countries. Also it is important to establish and maintain
links with the USA and Canada.
The participants agreed upon the following programme to carry ENITH
further:
Step 1: Activities in 1990 preceding the next Expert Meeting of ENITH
During the ENITH meeting the 35 participants from 20 countries appointed
an Executive Committee ad interim to work on ENITH in 1990. Chair of
this committee is Prof. Bryan Glastonbury. Drs. Hein de Graaf of the
CREON foundation will act as secretary of this committee.
The administrative base of the committee will be the CREON foundation
in the Netherlands in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of WVC.
In 1990 this executive committee will work on an operational plan for
ENITH, including possibilities for funding. In the end of 1990 there is
scheduled to be a second expert meeting to discuss this plan and to
present the state of the art on information technology and human services.
The Executive Committee includes a small working group of four, Bryan
Glastonbury (chair, England), Lars Qvortrup (Danmark), Armin Murmann
(Switzerland) and Hein de Graaf (secretary, Netherlands).
The other members of the committee are called advisory members, they
are Erik van Hove (proposed co-chair, Belgium), Christina Vayas (Greece),
Tapio Salonen (Sweden), Ramon Puig de la Bella Casa (Spain) and Yitzhak
Berman (Israel). Walter Lamendola (USA) is also part of the committee
acting as consultant.
After the meeting there was a proposal that Albert Visser (Netherlands)
should be co-opted as an advisory member of the committee, with a
responsibility for liaison with the European Schools of Social Work,
particularly with the subgroup of ENITH which was formed in the course
of the Maastricht meeting.
In 1990 the full Executive Committee will meet twice (proposed dates:
18,19 May in Sweden and the end of September in Athens).
Beside these two meetings, the small working group will meet four times
(proposed dates: 20,21 January in London, 10,11 March in Geneva, July in
Denmark and November in the Netherlands).
Step 2 Expert Meeting 1990
The second Expert Meeting of ENITH is planned to take place in December 1990.
The European Center for Social Welfare Policy and Research has been
asked to co-organize this meeting in December under the condition that
the meeting will be an ENITH meeting with objectives to be chosen by
the Executive Committee.
The first goal of the Meeting is to invite key persons to:
discuss and agree upon the operational plan
appoint a official platform for ENITH
decide upon the formal structure of ENITH
The second goal is for members of the Executive Committee and those
who participated in the Maastricht meeting to present and to debate their
activities and findings during the previous year of planning for ENITH.
The third goal of the meeting is to show and discuss projects and products of different participating countries in the field of Information
Technology and Human Services.
Next steps for the longer term future
Building databases, connections to other organizations, first experimental
try-out. Organize in 1992 a combined follow-up of the Husita and Welcom conferences.
The Enith workgroup met in 1990 in London, Geneva, Stockholm, Athens, Amsterdam and Berlin.
Expert Meeting "ENITH", Maastricht, The Netherlands, 8-9 December 1989.
Host : Ministry of WVC,
DUTCH ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Ministry of WVC, Direction Research and Development
1. Mr. Wim Woertman, head Section Development
2. Mr. Geert Maatman, Section Development
3. Mrs. Regine Aalders, Head of the Division
4. Mrs. Marjonne Bron, Hostess of meeting
CREON Foundation (The Dutch Foundation for Computer Research Expertise and Support in the Field of the Human Services
5. Mr. Hein de Graaf, Director of CREON
6. Mr. Ron Dankelman, CREON, Rapporteur of meeting
CHAIR.
7. Mr. Ed van de Beek, IT Coordinator, Ministry of WVC
8. Mr. Marko Mazeland, Director "Datawerken" (software development)
PARTICIPANTS
United Kingdom :
9. Mr.Bryan Glastonbury
Department of Social Work Studies
University of Southampton
Federal Republic of Germany :
10. Mr. Bernd Kirchlechner
Fachhochschule / Fachbereich Sozial Pedagogik
Belgium :
13. Mr. Erik van Hove
Universiteit van Antwerpen, U.I.A.-P.S.W.
16. Mr. Lars Qvortrup
Telematics project Odense University
Sweden :
17. Mr.Tapio Salonen
School of Social Work (Socialhochskulen)
Lund University
Finland :
18. Mr. Victor Savtschenko
National Board of Social Welfare
Helsinki
Switzerland:
17. Mr. Armin Murmann
Institut d'Etudes Sociales
Geneve
18. Mrs. Ruth Brack
Vereinigte Schule fur Sozialarbeit
Bern
Spain :
20. Mr. Ramon Puig Della Bella Casa
FUNDESCO
Madrid
Greece :
22. Mrs. Christina VAYAS
TEI School of Social Work
Israel:
24. Mr. Yitzhak Berman
Department of Planning and Social Analysis
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Jerusalem
Guests
27. Mr. Bernd Marin
European Centre for Social Welfare, Training and Research
Vienna / Austria
28. Mr. Patrick Kenis
European Centre for Social Welfare, Training and Research
Vienna / Austria
30. Mr. Walter LaMendola
Denver, USA
31. Mr. Robert J. MacFadden
University of Toronto
Ontario, Canada
Netherlands
32. Mrs. Marlette de Bruin
Head of the information centre of
the Union of employers' organizations
in the field of human services (VOG).
33. Mr. Arthur Jansen
Province of Limburg
34. Mr.T. Keusters
Director NIG/IDC
(Information Centre on behalf of the handicapped)
35. Mr. Kees Mak
Director Research,
National Union of Local Authorities (VNG)
36. Mr. Ben Slijkhuis
Director of EXIS : National Centre For International
Youth Work.
37. Mr. Albert Visser
School of Social Work