Whether it is always recognized or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now an element of many digital and electronic tools used every day in both professional and personal contexts. The deliberate use of AI-powered tools and applications is increasingly viewed as a potential way to improve the efficiency of public services and to explore new, additional, or alternative ways of providing access to information, support, or services.
What does this mean for children’s social care in particular? To launch a new Emerging Insight Series of webinars from CELCIS, this session set the scene by considering what AI might mean for children’s social care. It explored fundamental questions, potential opportunities, and challenges related to how AI is being used in practice; its role in responding to the care and protection needs of children and young people and supporting their families; and emerging understanding of the influences and impacts of AI on children’s and young people’s lives.
The webinar and discussion featured Professor Donald Forrester, Professor of Child and Family Social Work and Director of the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) and Deputy Director of the Centre for Social Care and AI Learning (SCALE) at Cardiff University, and Andrew Morley, Senior Practice Development Consultant with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).
