For our fourth blog in celebration of Social Work Week 2026 we welcome Sarah Blackmore who is a registered social worker and the executive director of strategy, policy and engagement at Social Work England (SWE). In this blog, Sarah reflects on one of SWE's themes for the week - 'innovation' and specifically on the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in social work practice.
Social work is one of the most adaptable, innovative and unique professions. What social workers do every day and the extent of the skill and creativity they draw on is far beyond what many would expect. It is therefore no surprise to see social workers increasingly embrace new digital technologies and AI to support their work, and free up time to focus more on relationships with the people they work with.
AI is generating a new way of working for all of us – 18 months ago, I would have struggled to tell you what it was, and now it is part of what I do and talk about every day. I have become very aware of the efficiencies, innovation and incredible opportunities it brings. But as a proud and passionate social worker, I am also a little troubled by it.
Social work is a relationship based profession – we come into this work to effect positive change through the relationships we build, sometimes taking months and years to do so, often in incredibly difficult circumstances, and through sitting with people experiencing the worst times in their lives.
I am not worried about AI replacing that, because it can’t. What does worry me is how we respond to it as social workers. It’s very easy to be seduced by its benefits – less admin, less bureaucracy, less report writing, visit write ups or meeting minutes. But that line can easily cross into areas of practice if we are not careful and vigilant.
If you consider the words themselves “artificial intelligence” – the intelligence is indeed artificial. It is not real or true intelligence. The tools we might decide to use, or commission, are not rational thinking entities (although that may yet come) – they are essentially very efficient memory banks that extrapolate information from the vast databases they’ve been programmed with, and then use that data to guess the most helpful information required, or answers to questions asked. They do not reason, they cannot feel and they cannot plan. They do not have lived experience to draw from. And if they cannot find the required answer or information in the data they hold – they will make things up – which is where the “hallucination” term comes from. They do not, and cannot, replace professional judgement, insight, practice experience and knowledge, and the professional standards and values that underpin what we do.
Even more troubling, is that we currently live in a society where there are real issues of equality, diversity and inclusion, and our profession reflects those issues. We know that technology is not neutral. The data these systems use often mirrors the same inequalities we see in society. So if an algorithm is trained on biased data, it will make biased recommendations — and that means some people using services could be unfairly considered as “high risk” or “low priority.” Or that important cultural considerations are ignored or discounted.
My inbox is full of emails from companies telling me their tool or AI approach is the solution to every problem, if I could just endorse their product. And I suspect that is the case for many of my colleagues around the country. The reality is that there is no tool, technology or indeed, single practice model that will address all of the issues in a profession like social work, or the needs of the people that we work with. Which is why with innovation, while essential to grow and develop and find new solutions, regulation governance and oversight are key. So too are the cultures of practice that social workers operate within, and a relentless focus on the person at the heart of our work.
So by all means let’s embrace the benefits and opportunities AI brings us, but let’s retain a healthy dose of caution and the professional curiosity we are so known for when we use it. Social workers will always be the experts at building relationships, critical thinking, and working with people to make a real difference in their lives. We are often fearless, advocating for those we work with, sometimes amidst chaos and frequent changes around us. We will go where others can’t, or won’t. These facets that make our profession unique is something no amount of artificial intelligence can replace, and this Social Work Week, that’s really something to celebrate.
Further resources from Social Work England (SWE) on AI
SWE commissioned research into the emerging use of AI in social work in 2025. For more information on this access - The emerging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in social work - Social Work England For SWE's programme for Social Work Week 2026, that includes sessions on AI, access - Social Work Week 2026 programme - Social Work Englandhttps://socialworkwithadults.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/19/innovation-ai-and-social-work-practice/
seen at 09:56, 19 March in Social work with adults.