A CELCIS Emerging Insight Series webinar

Is AI your new critical friend in social work practice?

For this session in our Emerging Insight Series of webinars, we will explore what the use of AI means for work that is founded on responding to human need, where ethical practice is essential. Can the use of AI co-exist with ways of working in social care that require critical thinking? How does relationship-based practice remain the central tenet of a practice where AI is used? What are the implications, challenges and opportunities for improving both the quality of social work practice and the quality of social work supervision?

Join us on Wednesday 18 March, when we’ll be further exploring the ethical dimensions of using AI in social care. For this webinar and discussion, our speakers will bring together research insight with practice and professional training experience to share their perspectives on how these questions are being navigated and are playing out in practice.

We'll hear from:

• Professor Beth Weaver, Professor of Criminal and Social Justice and Dr Fern Gillon, Research Fellow, School of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Strathclyde
• Professor Tarsem Singh Cooner, Professor of Social Work and Digital Media, University of Birmingham and co-chair of the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership AI Interest Group and Dr Caroline Webb, Research Fellow, AI & Digital Health Research and Policy Group, University of Birmingham, and co-chair of the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership AI Interest Group

There will also be space for questions during the webinar.

This series of webinars is open to anyone with a professional or personal interest in and responsibility to support children and families in Scotland, the UK and anywhere in the world. This includes:

• Practitioners in social care, health, and education
• Service managers responsible for shaping and delivering key services
• National and local policy leads and decision-makers
• Local service commissioners
• Parents and carers
• Students and researchers of social care

Book your place

Source material and pre-reading

• Working with AI: A Guide for Social Workers: https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/publications/working-with-ai-a-guide-for-social-workers/

• Generative AI, critical thinking and social work practice – an Insight paper published by IRISS: https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/generative-ai-critical-thinking-and-social-work-practice

• Do we need yet another body to help local government harness the potential of AI? https://inlogov.com/2025/05/27/do-we-need-yet-another-body-to-help-local-government-harness-the-potential-of-ai/

• Artificial intelligence and ethics – a video series with Professor Tarsem Singh Cooner: https://www.youtube.com/@TSCooner

• To support this series of webinars, an online resource of video explainers and existing guidance and research has been put together by CELCIS. You can find it here.

CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, is a leading improvement, innovation and research centre for children and young people’s support, care and protection, based at the University of Strathclyde.

CELCIS is a fully accredited CPD provider with the CPD Certification Service (CPD UK)