AI and the future of social work – A reflection on the 2026 summit

AI has officially entered the public sphere, bringing not only exciting possibilities but also a host of questions, concerns, and controversies. What seems clear is that AI is here to stay, so it's important that we engage with it safely, and with eyes wide open. That’s why some of our team recently spent a day at the ‘AI and the future of social work’ summit in Birmingham, hosted by Skills for Care and Social Work England.  

Nana Banton (Director of Abacus Care & Support) sat down with Del (Housing & Partnerships) and Sam (Executive Assistant) to reflect on the summit. 

What made you want to attend the AI summit? And what questions were you hoping to get answered? 

NANA: I wanted a better understanding of what's out there and the possibilities available. And to see what others in the industry are doing and are concerned or excited about. 

DEL: Just basically seeing what's proving useful to other companies, similar to ours, that we could implement going forward. 

SAM: I was interested in the ethics and the security of AI, as well as all the practical uses for care companies. 

Before attending, what was your honest starting point with AI and care? Were you excited, cautious, somewhere in between?

NANA: Cautious. Because there's this strong vein of not wanting to do something that's wrong, or to use data that we hold in an incorrect way. 

SAM: I think for me, it was a mixture of caution and excitement. The issue of data protection and security was really high in my mind – and that's still a very big concern. But seeing what possibilities are also out there for time-saving was something that I really wanted to try and focus on as well. 

Was there a session or a moment in the day that genuinely shifted your thinking – or confirmed something that you already believed?

NANA: For me, it was meeting Dr Andrew McCulloch, the Chair of Social Work England. We were obviously discussing AI, but we were also talking about industry challenges and looking at the timeline of moments where things have had to shift quite quickly – for example, adaptations that had to be made during COVID. I guess we were reflecting that this – the AI revolution – is probably another pivotal step change for the sector, and we have to find a way to engage well. There seem to be so many attractive opportunities regarding what AI could offer, but there's this gap between understanding what AI can do, how to use it, and having trust in the system. 

DEL: I think for me it was around the question of how safe and secure it is. In one of the talks especially, they were going through some of those reasons for trusting or not trusting AI, and it kind of put my mind at ease. It has been thought-out, and other people have been going through the same kind of thought process as us. So yeah, that was helpful. 

SAM: I think I had a similar kind of thought process shift as well. It was so interesting listening to the talks on ethics and on the quality and compliance regulations (Lancashire’s Gen AI Journey - Empowering People, Enhancing Services; How can regulation support safe, ethical and effective adoption of AI in social work?). There are people developing its use within the industry so that it’s compliant, and you have that potential framework where you know you can safely operate within that. I had been resistant to using AI, but I would be more open to using it within proper boundaries. The data we have concerning the people we support is so precious, so having that reassurance was important. 

There's a lot of tension around AI enhancing versus replacing professional judgement. Where do you sit on that discussion now?

DEL: I think AI is great – but it is a tool. It should only enhance your own thought process, especially in the industry that we're in. It should never supersede what I think, what I know, or my experience. I think the summit helped confirm what I was already thinking in that respect. 

SAM: The summit speakers were aware of the limitations of AI. They were saying, ‘it will help you, but it's not the final, final solution’. There are still humans at the end of all the processes. So that's very, very important. 

What did you hear about how AI affects the experience of people receiving support? How does that land for Abacus as a Supported Living provider?

NANA: There were examples of how, if you can lift what is quite a heavy administrative burden for those on the front line or even behind the scenes, AI is freeing up more time to actually be with the person being supported. So, I think of it more as an enabler rather than the decision maker – or that it's going to be able to suddenly support somebody hands on. 

SAM: One example I heard was where people with lived experiences felt that AI could actually help enable them to get their voices heard for the first time as well. If it gives an opportunity for supported individuals to be able to develop and communicate, that could be a very useful tool.  

Looking forward, what is something that you now feel ready to explore further?

NANA: I feel ready to explore much more with our technology partners in the industry, such as Nourish and Radar, and ask them – at their scale and experience – what is it that they are doing. I think this has to be a system response rather than us as a provider thinking that we can suddenly become AI experts. Our expertise is in supporting the people we support. What the summit made me think about is the importance of choosing the right technology partners.  But there's also a need for leaders and regulators in the industry to try to give some clear direction as well. 

DEL: If something might make life easier, or enable certain things to be done more quickly, we’ll explore it in small steps, as we would with anything that's new. I suppose it’s about not being scared to approach AI to do certain things that we're doing anyway, and have it implemented so it frees up time to do other things. 

SAM: I think certainly from an admin or strategic point of view, it will be useful to streamline and help make things more efficient. I’m definitely more willing to explore that now. But I also would want to explore an AI company’s background, and also understand the policies and frameworks we would need in place before we really do start kicking off with an AI for real. 

—

Thanks to Skills for Care and Social Work England for putting together a thoughtful and educational programme of talks and discussions. We’re excited to keep exploring how Abacus can use AI – with greater confidence, thanks to the AI and the future of social work summit. 

#SocialWorkAISummit