ADSS Cymru and STABLE were commissioned by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) to evaluate the readiness of Wales’s 22 local authorities to implement Microsoft Copilot (a conversational AI assistant) in adult social care.
This initiative aligned with the national digital strategy for social care, emphasising the integration of cutting-edge technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of services.
All local authorities participated in at least one aspect of the workforce and digital assessment activities undertaken. Thorough investigations around preparedness of digital systems and the workforce were undertaken by ADSS Cymru and STABLE in partnership with local authorities.
ADSS Cymru and STABLE have now produced a report on their findings and recommendations, along with a range of guidance and resources to help local authorities implement Copilot. These include a toolkit on using Copilot prompts, and a suite of bitesize training videos.
Report
In general, there is optimism and enthusiasm for the potential of AI to support more effective and efficient working. However, there is a need to ensure that robust governance is established, with clear guidance around appropriate usage to ensure data protection and security requirements are met, as well as alignment to practice and professional standards.
Additionally, ethical considerations should be further explored to support adoption that enables person-centred care to remain at the core, preserving the role of practitioners as the owners of information.
Content generated by Copilot should be quality assured and viewed as a tool to support practitioners, rather than as a replacement to professional judgement and decision-making through evidence-based practice.
Limitations to existing Welsh language capabilities can be offset by working closely with existing Welsh translation teams, and there should be efforts to work with providers to improve large language models and the quality of Welsh language features over time.
Find out more about the findings and recommendations in the full report, available in English and Cymraeg:
- Assessing the digital and workforce readiness of local authorities to implement Copilot in Adult Social Care in Wales (Download)
- Asesu parodrwydd digidol a gweithlu awdurdodau lleol i weithredu Copilot mewn Gofal Cymdeithasol i Oedolion yng Nghymru (Download)
Training and Resources
As part of the project to support local authority teams in using Copilot, a toolkit and a series of bitesize training videos have been created. These are now available to access:
How to Use Copilot Prompts Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to empower social work professionals by providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively use Microsoft Copilot prompts in their day-to-day work. The toolkit includes a comprehensive description of what a Copilot prompt is, a series of Bitesize videos and guides, and top tips for creating your own prompts.
- How to Use Copilot Prompts toolkit (Download)
Bitesize Training Videos
These Copilot bitesize training videos cover a full range of topics, from preparing a care assessment to converting transcripts into actionable notes. Theses are guides are free to watch and demonstrate Copilot’s huge potential of applications in adult social care:
- Email Summary
- Public Protection Notice Summary
- Preparing Notes
- Gauging Sentiment
- Preparing a Care Assessment
- Redacting Personal Identifiable Information
- Summarising Transcripts
- Preparing for Meetings
- Improving Email Communications
- Referencing Best Practices
- Translating Content
- Copilot Good Practice
Additional Resources
ADSS Cymru and STABLE have collated a number of free resources to help local authorities and social care organisations to implement Copilot in their work:
- Copilot report summary on supporting social care workers
- Copilot project FAQs
- Microsoft Copilot video tutorials
- Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Copilot learning hub