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Social workers are being urged to share their views and experiences in relation to using artificial intelligence (AI) in practice, to inform research into the issue.
The survey, which is also open to social work employers and educators, along with local authority data, performance or innovation leads, forms part of a Social Work England project to examine AI’s impact on the profession.
The regulator has commissioned Research in Practice to carry out the survey, which is designed to improve understanding of:
- The types of AI being used or planned for use in social work.
- The opportunities, risks and ethical challenges of AI.
- How social work educators and employers are supporting social workers in using AI.
Alongside the survey, Research in Practice is holding online focus groups, on 27 March 2025, for social workers and leaders in children’s services, those involved in adults’ services, and social work educators.
Purpose of Social Work England research
Social Work England has said that the purpose of its research, which also includes a literature review in relation to AI, is to help it understand:
- The areas of Social Work England’s professional standards that may be affected by social workers’ use of AI in their work.
- The types of AI being used across health and social care in England and their application in social work practice, including the risks of bias and discrimination.
- If social workers feel confident and prepared to use AI ethically and appropriately, in line with Social Work England’s professional standards, and how employers are supporting them to do this.
- How social work education providers are preparing students for AI in their future work.
- Data protection and confidentiality when using AI with people using services and the public.
The regulator held a summit on the topic with sector leaders in February, which covered the extent of AI use in social work practice currently, the opportunities it can bring to a relationship-based profession, the risks it carries and the ethical implications, particularly regarding equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Growing use of AI in social work
The research comes with increasing numbers of councils testing the impact of AI tools on practice, including in helping practitioners save time on recording and summarising case notes and suggesting actions to take following assessments or visits.
About one in five practitioners were using such tools for day-to-day case work as of October 2024, according to a Community Care poll.
Other usages for AI in the sector include supporting student and practitioner learning and predicting future needs for social care.
At the same time, the government is pushing for public sector bodies generally to expand their use of AI, with prime minister Keir Starmer explicitly citing its potential to reduce the time social workers spend on administration as a potential benefit.
However, social work bodies have raised concerns about the technology’s impact on the profession, including in relation to the quality and reliability of tools, their susceptibility to bias and discrimination and their implications for the privacy of the people social workers work with.
Take part in research
The Research in Practice survey is open until Friday 28 March 2025 and you can complete it here.
You can also register your interest to take part in one of the focus groups on 27 March.