Council leaders in Worcestershire are actively investigating how artificial intelligence (AI) could be deployed to assist social workers, with a primary aim of reducing their heavy administrative load. The move, however, has sparked significant debate about whether the technology could undermine the crucial professional judgement of trained staff.
Balancing efficiency with professional oversight
The exploration was discussed at a meeting of Worcestershire County Council's adult care and wellbeing overview and scrutiny panel. Councillor Adrian Hardman highlighted that some authorities are already using AI to summarise interviews recorded in real time by social workers.
Mark Fitton, the council's director for adults and communities, provided details. He explained the council has engaged with providers about a system where social workers record assessments on a device. The AI would then transcribe the conversation into official documentation, freeing staff from having to type up notes manually afterwards.
"A basic but necessary element of that," Mr Fitton stated, "is making sure that, if we do engage in that type of work going forwards, that ultimately the professional engaging in that activity has to sign off to say that is a true reflection of the assessment that they've undertaken."
The core concern: Could AI replace critical judgement?
Despite the potential for efficiency gains, serious reservations were voiced. Cllr Hardman articulated a key worry: that AI summarisation could remove the element of professional judgement from case assessments.
He posed a scenario: "If the carer is in the room advocating for 24-hour care, whereas the client actually wanted rehabilitation to stand on their own two feet, how would [AI] decide what they were doing?"
Hardman emphasised that frontline social workers are under immense pressure due to high caseloads, and he expressed concern that the "judgment element" could easily be lost. "It has great advantages but I'm still pretty dubious," he concluded.
A measured approach to new technology
In response, Mark Fitton assured the panel that the council is determined to maintain "professional curiosity" and would proceed cautiously. He stressed the technology is intended purely to minimise administrative processes, not to replace decision-making.
"We're assured it is just about that administrative process that it will minimise but if we were to jump into an approach, it would be in a measured way," Mr Fitton said, noting that similar schemes have worked well for other local authorities.
Panel chair Mel Allcott summed up the challenge, stating: "Anything to ease the administrative burden. There is so much bureaucracy in so many areas but it is about ensuring we do keep that judgement, and that the knowledge of the social worker is maintained and not damaged in any way."
The council confirmed it has not yet committed to any specific provider and is first developing a broader, corporate approach to the use of both generative and non-generative AI across all its services.
