The deployment of e-administration has a strong impact on local structures (social centers, associations, local public services) and the vulnerable populations they serve. Strongly encouraged to carry out their procedures on the Internet, the latter sometimes face difficulties in using these sites and turn to their local relays, which are forced to absorb this demand with constant resources.
It is in this context, and while several local agencies have reduced their "all comers" reception, that the CCAS of the city of Nanterre has studied the impacts of this phenomenon, the effects of which are poorly measured at both the local and national levels, in the framework of its Social Needs Analysis.
A working group brought together about twenty local actors concerned by this issue (social workers, social centers, associations, municipal services) in order to try to quantify and qualify the impact on the activity of these actors. The survey carried out is not intended to be scientific, but it highlights numerous observations shared in other territories. The data presented must be understood as trends.
Distance from online administrative procedures in working-class neighbourhoods
Nanterre: vulnerable people in a well-connected city
The city of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine, 92,227 inhabitants, near La Défense) is well connected to the Internet. Like most municipalities in the region, more than 90% of its population is potentially able to access an operator providing 4G technology, despite insufficient access to very high-speed Internet.
Nevertheless, 20.2% of Nanterri's population lives below the monetary poverty line and many of them may experience limited connectivity as recently highlighted by Emmaus Connect...
In fact, despite a strong increase in requests for civil status documents over the past 2 years (27% in 2016, compared to 18% in 2014 (Source: Nanterre Civil Status Department), registration data for the city's online procedures portal show that residents of working-class neighborhoods seem to be less fond of these procedures.
This tool for modernizing the municipal administration allows Nanterrians to pay their bills (for children, early childhood, education and youth) online and to create their family card. It also allows users to update their personal information in a single operation for all services where they are known. Unlike other administrations or local authorities, the city of Nanterre has chosen to allow residents to carry out these procedures at the city's various reception desks (central city hall, district city halls) and not just online.
This is all the more important as the number of local administrations' open houses has been reduced in favor of online procedures or telephone appointments.
This has a strong impact on local structures faced with an increase in requests for support and assistance in using these administrative sites.
An increase in the demand for administrative procedures to be carried out in local structures
All local actors indicate that user demand for IT support is increasing significantly. For nearly 40% of the structures questioned, this progression is very strong: 75% of the structures receive recurrent requests for support.
It is all the more so because it is a recurring request. 90% of them say they are confronted several times a week with requests relating to online procedures. Users often contact these structures spontaneously (50%), but 22% of requests are referred by the public service of reference itself, indicating a potential absorption of the activity of other administrations.
The real or supposed lack of computer skills of users: main source of solicitation of the structures
Concerning the use of the Internet by the public they receive, the participants in the working groups establish an important distinction between recreational use of the Internet and its administrative use. The recreational use of the Internet seems to be democratized (but varies according to different criteria) and the users they meet have few difficulties in surfing the Internet.
However, when faced with administrative sites that involve basic tasks (inserting an attachment, creating an email address, etc.), many feel helpless and incompetent. This (or the feeling of incompetence) is then one of the main reasons that push them to go to these structures. This is the case for 35% of the users met by the structures interviewed.
The difficulties of use are therefore all the more central as the lack of computer equipment, which remains a major obstacle, only motivates 15% of requests made by users.
Difficulties in mastering the language are also a source of solicitation of local structures and underline the importance of open reception areas where these problems of understanding can be solved. Without a contact person, there is a risk of not using the services, or even of losing one's rights, in a context of saturation of the socio-linguistic workshops. Finally, more social problems are also mentioned. 27% of the requests handled by the structures are related to complex or urgent personal situations. This is a major challenge given the increase in this type of situation.
These requests often concern the opening of rights (CNAV, CPAM, Pôle Emploi, tax returns, housing applications, AMELI, CAF/RSA/activity allowance, civil status (foreigners)/family card, SNCF/supplementary pension). The closure of the Nanterre CAF's "all-comers" reception desk has led to a massive shift towards local structures, since one third of the requests made to local actors concern CAF online procedures. 20% of the requests concern Pôle Emploi registrations, which are no longer done at the counter either. The use of the Internet to obtain rights or to look for a job appears to be a real skill that is unevenly shared. It is in this respect that 18% of the structures carry out job search assistance on the Internet.
The support of the proximity actors interviewed is ultimately essential given the profile of the people who turn to them on these subjects. 60% are indeed single people, 44% are job seekers and 23% are retired.
A demand for concrete tasks from users
In this context, users make very specific requests to their contacts. For example, they ask to scan documents, create a user account or pay bills.
The professionals are then required to fill out forms, scan a letter, a receipt, make an appointment, consult a "family account", print certificates or create email addresses for users who request them. So many basic tasks that many users do not master. 20% of the actors interviewed indicate that they have to create (or teach them to create) an email box for the user or teach them to insert an attachment.
When it comes to job search, many report being asked to train on how to create an account, search for jobs, or create an online resume.
However, the lack of competence is not always as important and it is also because of a lack of confidence that users seek out professionals. The user thus needs to overcome the "fear of the button" and seeks to ensure that he/she is proceeding correctly.
Time, organization and human resources: an impact at several levels for the structures
For almost all of the structures interviewed, this constantly increasing demand is a source of difficulties.
A time-consuming demand and a lack of means to meet it
First of all, this assistance is very time-consuming (21%) because it is added to the structure's initial activities and tends to hinder them due to the lack of additional human resources.
In addition, the complexity of certain situations is such that professionals or volunteers have difficulty responding to them due to lack of appropriate training and time (10%). Only half of the structures surveyed have set up permanent offices or workshops where they offer training or support to users in their administrative procedures. The other half manage these situations directly at the reception desk.
This impact leads some structures to reorganize the functioning of their workshops in order to devote a time dedicated to learning how to navigate on institutional sites, and to change the missions of their facilitators. This is done in a constant way with the risk of not being able to assume their initial missions in a satisfactory way. Some structures also point out the difficulty in getting certain users to participate in training programs, as they often come with urgent requests for which they are looking for a quick response.
An apprehension to carry out procedures that create rights and may engage their responsibility
For the professionals, carrying out these procedures poses a fundamental problem. It places them in a difficult situation because some of them can create rights and makes them fear errors, in the absence of adapted training, which could prove to be prejudicial for the inhabitants. All the more so as for the professionals themselves, certain sites are difficult to use.
The same problem arises for the creation of mailboxes for people who do not have them or do not know how to create them. Professionals feel they are in difficulty and feel they are going beyond the scope of their missions. In the end, the development of e-administration poses several problems for local structures. The impact it has on their organization is fundamental, since it represents 52% of the difficulties mentioned locally.
As the only local intermediaries for the inhabitants, they are often obliged to provide this support, which enables them to open up rights or avoid their being broken. In this way, they also fulfil a function of maintaining social links. However, the question arises as to the legitimacy of these services, which do not necessarily have adequate training, the necessary human and financial resources, or a specific mandate to do so, but which are responsible in certain cases. The question of their involvement in these approaches is raised when many of them may feel that they are carrying out a mission that is the responsibility of the original administrations.
This study highlights the need for digital mediation, with human and financial resources, to support the development of this intervention.
