Organizational Barriers to Access in Community Social Services: Fragmentation, Bureaucratization, Congestion and the Role of Triage

Community social services play a crucial role as the main gateway to welfare systems. However, increasing demand, organizational complexity, and limited adaptive capacity have generated growing difficulties in ensuring timely and equitable access to support. This study examines the organizational barriers affecting access to community social services and explores the role of triage as an organizational innovation. A qualitative case study was conducted at the Community Social Services Centre of Benalmádena City Council (Spain). Data were collected through focus groups, Customer Journey Mapping exercises, and Design Thinking workshops involving social workers, administrative staff, managers, and external experts, and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that access barriers arise from a systemic configuration of organizational dysfunctions rather than from resource scarcity alone. Six interconnected themes were identified: fragmented access pathways, the absence of prioritization mechanisms, demand duplication and appointment absenteeism, organizational bottlenecks related to professional role distribution, fragmented information systems, and the emergence of triage as an organizational innovation. These factors generate cumulative effects that reduce organizational responsiveness and hinder access to services. The study concludes that triage should be understood as part of a broader process of organizational redesign aimed at improving demand management, prioritization, and coordination, highlighting the need for systemic organizational transformation to enhance access to social services.