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Transforming local social care with AI – Barnsley Council

Barnsley Council was facing a pressing challenge – how to serve its residents with increasing demand for services with fewer resources. The situation is perhaps most testing in children’s services and social care, key areas of council focus.

Barnsley is one of the first councils to roll out Copilot for Microsoft 365, the generative AI assistant, at scale. Copilot has integrated seamlessly into many of the programmes and apps the council workers already use every day, including PowerPoint and Teams.

Challenges

Main challenges were:

  • Ensuring data security and governance, given the sensitive nature of the data they handle. They had to focus on information governance, data security, and risk management early in the process.
  • Engaging and supporting their workforce – Barnsley prioritised stakeholder engagement from the start, involving elected members, trade unions and senior management teams.
  • The council had to navigate the complexities of integrating Copilot with their existing systems and workflows.

Approach

Demonstrations of copilot played a crucial role, not only showcasing technology’s capabilities but also developing a shared understanding and organisational appetite for AI deployment across all levels.

Recognising the potential of Copilot early on, Barnsley secured a place in Microsoft’s early access program (EAP) back in September 2023. Building a strong business case that quantified the benefits, the council took a decisive step to expand its pilot program significantly, from 300 to 2,000 licenses. This ambitious rollout ensures the majority of their staff have access to Copilot, aiming to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and free up valuable time previously spent on repetitive tasks.

Outcomes and benefits

Social care professionals can now use Copilot to free up time for the human interactions at the core of their work.

  • Social care workers experience a significant reduction in administrative burden, freeing them to dedicate more time to direct client care.
  • It can also quickly summarise large files when social workers take on a new case, presenting key information and major risk factors.
  • “It’s been useful for writing up calls, tidying up notes or doing minutes after a meeting and making all that a lot quicker,” says a Barnsley social worker.

Overall, the council is experiencing substantial efficiency and productivity gains, especially in areas previously bogged down by administrative tasks.

Lessons learnt

The successful pilot of Copilot has ignited enthusiasm for AI’s potential to transform service delivery. The next phase focuses on deepening the impact of Copilot. This will involve revisiting specific service use cases to refine how they measure return on investment (ROI) and build a compelling business case that secures continued investment.

View original case study article at microsoft.com