MSF invests $15m for new tech solutions, including AI

“Workers tell us the tool lets them stay fully present in a session instead of splitting their attention between listening and capturing every point. And afterwards, instead of rushing through paperwork, they have the emotional bandwidth to actually reflect on the case,” said Chao.

Weave, a tool developed by Care Corner, also uses AI to support social workers in case planning, such as by flagging blind spots in assessments for more comprehensive case plans.

“Many social workers have been telling us their caseloads can be so relentless, they sometimes operate on autopilot,” said Chao, adding that the tool creates space for workers to think more rigorously.

New ideas are also coming from the ground up.

In the last three years, AWWA has organised annual innovation drives for its staff to develop tech solutions, with winning teams receiving support to scale up their ideas, said its CEO, J.R. Karthikeyan.

For example, its staff created an AI facial recognition system that can identify adults with disabilities at the AWWA Home with more than 90 per cent accuracy.

It addressed a pressing problem: Many clients may not be able to confirm their identities verbally, and staff sometimes make errors in dispensing medication because of misidentification.

Another AI solution, pitched by nurse educator Arthur Lee and staff nurse Luqman Rifqi, aims to structure and digitise standard operating procedure (SOP) documents used in AWWA’s adult disability services.

The duo noticed that the SOPs have become increasingly extensive due to evolving guidelines, making it challenging for staff to find information they need.

Their proposal includes an AI chatbot that helps staff find relevant information from these SOPs more easily. It could also make guidance easier for staff whose first language is not English, they said.

Leaders in the social service sector identified pain points they hope technology and AI can help address.

These include helping social workers prioritise concerns in increasingly complex cases and giving them a fuller picture of their clients by pulling together information from different agencies, said Chao.

On MSF’s goal of identifying risks earlier through data, Allkin Singapore’s CEO, Fareez Fahmy, said it can make social work more preventive rather than primarily crisis-driven.

Many social issues build up through accumulated stressors, such as financial strain, caregiving stress and family conflict. Support can now reach people earlier before these issues escalate into crises, he said.

Allaying anxieties that AI may pose a threat to social service jobs, the sector’s leaders said it cannot take over the core of social work.

Data does not replace social service professionals’ judgment, said Fareez, adding: “We have to be mindful that data alone cannot tell the full story of a person’s life.”

Similarly, Chao stressed that AI does not build trust with families or make a professional judgment about risk.

“All these remain squarely within the ‘gongfu’ of our social workers,” he said.