'More Time for People': Vale Council puts AI to work
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is using artificial intelligence to help social services staff spend more time supporting residents.
Social Services teams across the Vale are now using Notes - AI-powered note-taking tool - to help reduce the time spent writing up assessments and case notes, allowing them to spend more time focusing on what matters most – supporting residents.
The impact of the technology was recently highlighted during a visit to the Council's Civic Offices in Barry by the Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan, who met with social services colleagues to hear first-hand how Notes is changing the way they work.
Notes, created by Beam, is designed specifically to support frontline social care teams. With consent, it securely records conversations and produces a structured draft of a meeting or assessment, which is then reviewed, edited and approved by the social worker.
The technology is helping colleagues reduce the time spent writing up assessments and case notes, while supporting them to maintain their professional judgement and decision-making.
Cllr Eddie Williams, Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health, said: “Social services is about people. It’s about listening to residents, understanding what matters to them and working with them to provide the right support at what can often be a very difficult time in their lives.
“That’s why we’re looking at ways technology can take some of the administrative pressure away from our social workers and give them more time for the conversations and relationships that really matter.
“Notes is a good example of this in practice. It doesn’t replace the expertise or judgement of our staff – it supports them, helping to make sure more of their time can be spent with the people they are there to support.
“This is exactly the kind of practical innovation we want to see through across our services - using technology thoughtfully to make a real difference in the lives of residents.”
For social worker Sian Palmer, Notes has had an impact not only on the time she spends recording casework, but also on her confidence in communicating professionally.
Sian said: “As someone with dyslexia, I sometimes find it challenging to express my thoughts and ideas in the professional and polished way that I would like. Having access to Notes and AI support has significantly improved my confidence in communicating effectively and professionally.
“The ability to dictate case notes and record my thoughts directly into Notes, and then refine the details to suit my needs, has had a very positive impact on my work. It enables me to produce clear, professional documentation more efficiently, while ensuring that my intended meaning is accurately conveyed”.
The time saved can also make a significant difference to how quickly work can progress. Social worker Jayne Case said an assessment that would previously have taken around two days to complete was now able to move through the process in a matter of hours.
“I did this assessment at 11 o’clock yesterday and finished at half past 12. By the time I got back to my office, Notes had already typed up the assessments.
“From the time I started the assessments until the time my actual paperwork had all gone through to management for agreement took me probably about two and a half to three hours. It would usually take me about two days.”
For Jayne, who has hearing loss, the technology also means she can remain focused on the person she is speaking to rather than looking down to take notes.
“I’ve got a hearing impairment, so I lip-read, and there’s nothing worse than going into a meeting and looking at the top of somebody’s head.
“So, the fact that I’m engaging with that individual has been great, and I think it builds up better relationships with that person and with their family.”
She added that the time saved also means she can have greater confidence that important work is progressing when she is away from the office.
“For me, it was then being able leave knowing the discharge plans were going ahead, rather than having to say that I’ll have to pass it on to somebody else to do it.”
Notes is already being used by more than 100 local authorities across the UK and has been designed with frontline teams in mind.
Its introduction is part of the Council’s wider transformation programme, also known as Reshaping, which is exploring new ways of working and making better use of technology to support colleagues and improve services for communities.
By reducing the administrative burden on social services colleagues, Notes is helping to create more time for the conversations, relationships and professional work at the heart of social care.