North Yorkshire council

North Yorkshire Council has teamed up with Leading AI to introduce an innovative AI assistant, fondly named the "Policy Buddy". This tool is designed to support children's social work teams, aligning with the council's ambition to lead in innovation and deliver immediate benefits in social care. The Policy Buddy aims to create a valuable resource while exploring the potential of generative AI in local government.

The main goals behind the Policy Buddy are straightforward but impactful. It aims to save time by making it easier to find clear and relevant information, improve consistency and quality in the information provided, empower staff to ask more questions and engage more deeply with their work, and help shift the culture towards embracing new technologies.

To achieve this, the Policy Buddy was trained on a library of publicly available materials, including North Yorkshire's Children and Families Service procedures and key documents from Ofsted and the Department for Education. It provides clear responses to queries through a ChatGPT-style interface, available in over 50 languages. Crucially, each response cites its sources, enabling professionals to assure the information's validity and relevance.

During the development, the team also focused on setting the right tone for the content and establishing guidelines around the assistant's output.

The real-world impact of the Policy Buddy was showcased during an away day for the Disabled Children's Services team. Social workers were given a fictitious case study to identify key issues and determine the applicable legislation. The Policy Buddy was tested with the same case study and questions. The results were nothing short of impressive. The AI assistant identified similar themes to the social workers in seconds and, importantly, refrained from making decisions. Instead, it highlighted key factors to consider when making decisions. This led to a productive discussion about the role of technology in social work, with the team expressing their admiration for the technology and discussing future opportunities.

Jonny Hoyle, Development Lead for Care and Planning Support at North Yorkshire Council, is enthusiastic about the Policy Buddy's performance. "I was blown away by how quickly and accurately the Policy Buddy identified key themes. It really underscored the potential for technology to support our social workers in making informed decisions," he said. "The discussion it sparked among the team about the future role of technology in social work was incredibly valuable."

The benefits of the Policy Buddy are already evident. It saves time by quickly identifying relevant information, ensures consistency by providing answers based on national legislation and council-specific policies, and encourages social workers to ask more questions and engage with the technology. Moreover, the successful demonstration has helped build trust in technology and its potential benefits in social work.

Jonny Hoyle added, "The Policy Buddy has not only impressed our team but has also shown us the importance of integrating technology into our daily practices. It's a step towards a more efficient and consistent approach to social care."

‍

‍