Socialheads

• Socialheads •

Overview

Socialheads is a safe, youth-friendly messaging platform designed for social workers and young people. Unlike tools like WhatsApp, it balances professional boundaries, safeguarding, and trust while keeping the experience simple and approachable.

Problem

Social workers struggle to build trust with young people using existing tools.
Popular apps like WhatsApp are unsafe due to confidentiality risks.
Current platforms feel too corporate and don’t resonate with young users.
Managing multiple tools leads to confusion and lost information.

Research & Insights

User interviews showed workers want safety + simplicity, while young people need familiarity and empathy.
Competitor analysis revealed no platform fully meets the needs of both groups.

Key Opportunities

Safe, youth-friendly messaging experience
Clear professional boundaries (e.g. away replies, visible availability)
Simplified case management
Familiar “WhatsApp-style” communication

Persona

Name: Katie

Age: 30

Job: Social Worker

Location: Urban UK

Pain Points

Hard to build trust with young people who are cautious and quick to judge.

Safeguarding duties often feel like breaking trust.
Too many fragmented tools → confusion, lost information, heavy admin.
Current platforms are clunky, overly corporate, and not youth-friendly.
Email and calls don’t work with young people, but WhatsApp isn’t secure enough.

Behaviours

Responds with empathy, sometimes outside office hours.
Carefully maintains professional boundaries.
Prioritises secure, structured follow-ups during work hours.

Goals & Motivations

Provide timely support while protecting personal time.
Use youth-friendly digital channels that build trust.
Balance empathy with clear, transparent boundaries.
Have everything in one secure platform: messages, case notes, safeguarding logs, calendar, parent communication.
Reduce admin → spend more time on meaningful connections.

💡 How We Can Help

Automated out-of-hours replies that are empathetic but firm.
Escalation flags to highlight high-risk messages for safeguarding.
Unified app: centralised messages, cases, logs, and scheduling.
Tools that feel secure, intuitive, and youth-focused.

Solution

After-hours auto-replies – Pre-set empathetic messages like “I’m currently unavailable, here’s the emergency helpline…” to protect boundaries while keeping support visible.
Visible availability times – Clear status indicators to set expectations.
Secure access – Biometric login, app lock, and protected chat history.
Leave-a-message flow – Young people can leave a message when the worker is unavailable.
Micro breathing tool – A 60-second guided screen for professionals to regulate before sessions.
Pre-scheduled meetings – Young people can book in-office sessions or video calls directly through the app.
AI-powered call summaries – Automatic summaries of video calls with key highlights for the social worker.
Case overview dashboard – Social workers can view quick summaries of each young person’s case.
Emergency safeguard button – One-tap escalation to safeguarding teams in urgent cases.
Peer & community support – Workers can connect with colleagues or support groups through a dedicated chat space, ensuring they don’t feel isolated.

Login

Dashboard

The dashboard features 4 main menus

Archived Case – Access to completed cases

Set Away Respond – Configure auto-replies when unavailable

Youths Case Details – View details of active cases

Get Support – Request help and support

Sensitive Access Lock

Youth Files Overview

Youth Profile Overview

Schedule

The user can view upcoming meetings and see meetings that are awaiting approval.

Youth Action Card

Before the meeting, the user can quickly check the youth's file, send them a message through live chat, or start a direct video call.

Micro breathing tool

An optional guided breathing screen helps social workers reset and regulate before sessions, promoting calm focus and emotional readiness.

The app asks social workers to enter their social worker password when viewing sensitive case files, adding an extra layer of security to protect personal data.

Users can view youth profiles in five sections, giving a clear snapshot of each youth’s details and history.

AI Generated summary

After the Call

After the video call, social workers can either continue the conversation with youth via live chat or review an AI-generated summary to revisit key discussion points.

In this section, you can view the details of the completed meeting, including AI-generated highlights, the full session summary, and additional notes.

Urgent Youth Messages for Social Workers

For example, if a youth urgently wants to speak with a social worker, they can send an ‘urgent’ message. In this case, a notification appears in the social worker’s menu, showing the message along with the youth’s emotional status and self-harm tendency level. The social worker can then take appropriate action based on the situation, or respond with a message only if deemed suitable.

Youth Updates & Communication

In the Chat section, users can monitor the status updates shared by youths, communicate directly with colleagues, or, if they are members, receive support from the Community

Social Worker Availability & Automated Messaging

Social workers can set their availability on the platform. If a youth sends a message, an automatic reply is sent. In urgent cases, the message triggers a notification to the social worker. Additionally, the 'On Holiday' section allows social workers to provide automatic guidance on whom youths should contact when they are unavailable.