The new role of social work: the social worker-client relationship in the digitalised society as hotline-level bureaucracy

This article explores the evolving role of social workers in the context of increasing digitalisation, focussing on the Czech 
Republic. Using ecological systems theory and the shift from street-level to screen-level bureaucracy as a framework, we analyse how digital tools are reshaping the relationship between clients and social workers, as well as professional boundaries. Using qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with social workers who support families at risk, we introduce the concept of ‘hotline-level bureaucracy’ to describe a recently emerged practice. In this model, social workers increasingly act as intermediaries between clients and digitalised institutions, often taking on responsibilities due to clients lacking access to technology and digital skills. This shift challenges the empowerment paradigm in social work, burdening practitioners with emotional and cognitive overload, and complicating ethical boundaries. We contend that this transformation necessitates a redefinition of roles, stronger institutional support, and broader structural responses to digital inequality.