Members' Week: Artificial intelligence - Ethical challenges and solutions in practice

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As artificial intelligence begins to enter children’s and families social work, an important question for practice is emerging: who does this technology support, and how does it affect day-to-day work with children and families? In most local authorities, current uses of AI are focused on administrative tasks like transcription, minute-taking, and document redaction. These use cases are often presented as tools to save time and reduce workload for busy practitioners. At the same time, there is growing interest in wider uses of AI, raising important questions about ethics, relationships, accountability, and professional judgement.

This online event brings together a panel of experts from across research and social work to explore these issues from a practice perspective. Designed for social workers across adoption, fostering and kinship care, and those with varied levels of confidence and experience, the session will focus on the ethical challenges and practical approaches to using AI in social work.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Understand how AI is being introduced into everyday social work practice, and the different ways it may influence how work is recorded, organised, and understood.
• Recognise key ethical considerations and safeguards when using AI, including its implications for children, families, data, and professional accountability.
• Apply practical tools and approaches to ensure AI supports rather than replaces professional judgement and social work values.

PRESENTER

Kevin Yong, Innovation Consultant, Coram

Kevin Yong is Innovation Consultant at Coram, he has previously been the head of Coram-i, Coram’s pioneering children’s social care consultancy, since 2013. Kevin worked as a management consultant in the public, private and third sectors. Kevin is a leading expert in public sector improvement and data insights, specialising in children’s social care. He has worked at national, regional and local level to improve the quality of children’s social care services, delivering individual, organisational and system-wide change. With over 20 years’ experience, Kevin uses his expertise to help create a society that enables all children to thrive.

Professor David Wilkins, CASCADE, Cardiff University

David Wilkins is a Professor of Social Work, with a research and teaching profile focused on improving the quality of person-centred practice, professional judgement, decision-making and supervision in child and family social work.

His work sits at the intersection of empirical research, professional education and practice improvement. David is particularly interested in how social workers make judgements and decisions under conditions of uncertainty, risk and moral complexity, and how organisations can better support high-quality, ethical practice. My research combines applied social work questions with ideas and methods from judgement and decision-making science, supervision research and implementation studies, and has informed policy, workforce development and professional education in the UK and internationally.

David's professional background is in child and family social work, primarily in disability and child protection

WHO'S IT FOR

This session is relevant to social workers, senior social workers, team managers, advanced practitioners, and department heads working in Adoption, Fostering or Kinship Care. It will also be relevant to carers or those working with children and young people.

FEES

Members: FREE (don't forget to log in to your account to receive your discount)
Non-members: £20+VAT.

Places on this event are limited, so early booking is recommended.

CONTACT

Telephone: 0207 520 7520 / 0310

Email: events@corambaaf.org.uk

MEMBERS BOOK HERE