This is the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation

The Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation (MNKF) is a charitable organization that supports socially disadvantaged children and young people in the Ruhr area. Its aim is to encourage young people and show them prospects for a better life. At the heart of the foundation is the MANUS children’s and youth center, which offers a safe place where children and young people can develop their abilities and grow as individuals. In addition to educational opportunities and regular meals, the foundation offers experiential learning activities that promote social integration.

Kevin van Boxem, the educational director of MANUS, is a social and experiential educator. He leads a dedicated team that cares for up to 90 children and young people every day. Kevin describes the foundation’s work as essential to the development of young people by helping them to actively and critically participate in social life. Under his leadership, special attention is paid to the support of disadvantaged young people in order to give them impulses for a positive way of life.

The challenge

In 2022, the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation took over the internal administration of its facilities, which meant that they had to switch from an external provider to their own concept. “The transition from paper-based systems to a digital solution was urgently needed,” recalls Kevin.

The outdated paper-based system made quality management and kitchen organization significantly more difficult. Kevin describes how cumbersome it was to manage and archive all the data manually. The need to make processes more efficient and transparent led to the search for a digital solution that could meet the organization’s high standards.

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation decided to implement Lumiform. “We needed a solution that would make our quality management more efficient,” reports Kevin. Lumiform enables the digitalization of processes and provides a user-friendly platform that allows Kevin and his team to manage all relevant data in one place. This decision marked a decisive step towards a modern and flexible way of working.

The focus was on three main areas that Kevin wanted to map digitally:

• hygiene, to ensure compliance with health standards;
• kitchen management, to optimize processes and quality control; and
• quality assurance, to ensure high standards through digital documentation.

Implementation

The introduction of Lumiform began with a carefully planned parallel test phase. “We wanted to make sure the transition went smoothly,” explains Kevin. For a month, the paper-based systems were operated in parallel with the digital solution to check practicality and acceptance. Kevin and his team worked closely to digitally adapt the forms and ensure user-friendliness.

After the successful completion of the test phase, Lumiform was then fully implemented. Staff training went quickly because the app is intuitively designed. Kevin highlights, “Staff were quickly able to work with the new system.”

Results and benefits

The introduction of Lumiform brought significant improvements to the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation. Kevin, who sees himself as a fan of digitalization, jokes, “Everyone said, there goes Kevin again with his technology!” But Lumiform proved to be the right choice. The app enables improved remote monitoring and control, which Kevin particularly appreciates.

The integration of photos into the documentation makes follow-up and quality assurance much easier. These digital tools have not only increased his own efficiency, but have also boosted the team’s confidence in the new processes. Lumiform has proven to be essential to ensuring and continuously improving the Foundation’s high standards.

Higher levels of commitment and responsibility

With the introduction of Lumiform, employee engagement also increased significantly. The intuitive operation of the app motivated the team to conscientiously adhere to hygiene standards. Kevin observed that the tablet is firmly established in the kitchen sector, and employees use it regularly.

“It used to be a struggle to get everyone on board, but now it’s second nature to use the app,” explains Kevin. The constant availability of the app promotes a proactive behavior and increases the sense of responsibility. The employees feel supported by the clear structure and are keen to meet the foundation’s high standards.

Improved data quality and error reduction

Thanks to Lumiform, the data quality of the processes to be checked has improved significantly. Digital recording minimizes manual errors and ensures more accurate data sets. Kevin emphasizes that he now uses the app daily to check current information. “I might have missed something before, but now nothing goes unnoticed,” he says.

The app provides a clear overview of all relevant data, which makes analysis and evaluation easier. In addition, the photo documentation provides visual support that improves process traceability. These improvements are crucial to increasing efficiency and ensuring high-quality standards.

Future Plans

The Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation plans to expand its use of Lumiform. One focus is on integrating occupational safety management to further raise safety standards. Kevin van Boxem explains: “We see great potential for expanding our digital tools to other areas of operations.”

Above all, the continuous adaptation and improvement of digital processes should ensure the quality of care. In addition, the use of new Lumiform functions is being considered to make processes even smoother and to offer employees additional support in their daily work environment.

Recommendations

Kevin recommends that other organizations be open to digital transformations. “Lumiform has shown us how efficient and user-friendly digital solutions can be,” he emphasizes. Not only does the app provide an intuitive interface, but also comprehensive support to facilitate the transition.

Kevin highlights that there are significant cost-benefit advantages to be gained by switching from paper-based systems to digital processes. He encourages others to see digitalization as an opportunity to optimize workflows and improve the quality of services.

We would like to thank Kevin van Boxem for the insightful interview and are proud to be able to support such a great project as the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation.