New guidance sets out principles for responsible use of AI in social services

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has published new guidance to help social work, social care and children and young people’s services staff use artificial intelligence (AI) safely and responsibly.

The guide, Responsible use of AI: a guide for social service workers and employers, is intended for the whole workforce, including those in leadership roles. It provides practical advice on using AI in the workplace while ensuring that people, professional judgement and safe practice remain central.

It sets out five key principles, linking responsible AI use to the SSSC Codes of Practice. These cover putting people first, working safely and securely, being open and obtaining consent, challenging bias, and taking accountability.

Under the principle of putting people first, the SSSC says workers should use their professional judgement and prioritise human connection. AI should help staff spend more time with the people they support, rather than replace the care they provide or an individual's right to ask questions and make decisions about their own lives.

The guidance also emphasises the importance of protecting personal information. Workers should only use AI tools approved by their organisation and designed to keep people's information safe, while following their employer's data protection policies. This means staff should not use unauthorised AI tools for work-related tasks.

Transparency is another central principle. Workers should tell people when they are using AI for work tasks and obtain consent when using it as part of their care. The SSSC says staff should not hide their use of AI and should always check information generated by these tools.

The guidance also warns that AI can discriminate against people because of their age, background, culture or circumstances. Workers are encouraged to recognise and challenge biased decisions and should never rely on AI as their only source of information when supporting people.

The final principle concerns accountability. Staff must check AI-generated recommendations before acting on them and remain responsible for their own professional decisions. The SSSC advises workers to report problems or inaccuracies they identify to their manager straight away.

Maree Allison, SSSC Chief Executive, said: “AI has the potential to support the social work, social care and children and young people workforce in new and innovative ways. But it’s important that we use it safely, responsibly and in a way that maintains the trust of the people who use services.

“Our new guidance gives workers and employers clear, practical principles they can use when making decisions about AI. At the heart of these principles is a simple message: technology should support people and professional practice, not replace the human relationships, skills and judgement that are so important in social services.”

The guidance and an accompanying animated explainer video were launched at an AI symposium in Edinburgh on 3 November. The animation illustrates the five principles and explains how they relate to the SSSC Codes of Practice. It is designed to be used alongside the full guidance and to support learning and discussion within teams.

The symposium brought together speakers from across social services, including Digital Care Hub, Scottish Care, Social Work Scotland, Public Services Delivery Scotland and the Care Inspectorate, as well as representatives from the universities of Sheffield, Strathclyde and Birmingham.

A recording of the event is available through the SSSC’s YouTube channel.