Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Early intervention and prevention are the gold-standards of good social care. enabling individuals to maintain their independence, to continue to live in their own homes and to avoid the need for traditional social care services.  However high quality outcomes rely on time consuming, resource-intensive conversations managed by teams of social care personnel.

With rapidly growing demand for social care services in every Local Authority area and a large majority of the population becoming familiar with digital technology in their day-to-day lives there is a pressing need to find a solution.

Together with other Local Authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region we have identified the need to evaluate the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to replicate person-to-person conversations, putting the Councils’ professional knowledge, standards of good practice and early intervention strategies directly into the hands of the general population.

Available 24/7, a PC, smart phone or chatbot application would have the potential to guide people through the social care options available to improve their lives, using good practice in a powerful, safe and cost-effective application.

A successful evaluation would demonstrate that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to achieve similar positive outcomes as person-to-person conversations.