AI could reduce Plymouth's social care admin

Jobs will not be cut

Artificial intelligence ( AI) could be used to manage demand for social care services and improve productivity in Plymouth.

The city council is looking into using the technology to write first draft reports for education, health and care plans (EHCP) for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

The council’s transformation programme manager Peter Honeywell said AI would not replace people, but could cut out some admin or reporting, as these are “complicated pieces of work”.

“It will not sweep away judgements that are required to determine whether an ECHP is needed for a child,” he told the council’s housing and community services scrutiny panel.

“But it could do 80 per cent of the work of a first-cut, leaving the professionals and experts to look at the ending.

“AI will not make decisions that are sensitive or important. We will be using people to do that.”

The number of children with EHCPs has increased in Plymouth each year since 2010 and last year almost 3,000 children in the city had such plans which detail the extra support required to meet children’s needs and help them to achieve their potential.

City councillors have been working with partners on improving services for Send children after concerns were raised by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2023.

Sue Dann (Lab, Sutton and Mount Gould), cabinet member for customer services, said demand in children’s services and adult social care is going up but budgets are not and the council is investigating how it could use modern technology to release staff to do more complex work.

Cllr Ian Poyser (Green, Plympton Chaddlewood) said the authority should be embracing AI to free up officers in more complex cases and improve productivity.