Problem
Children’s services across the UK are facing unprecedented challenges. Rising caseloads, increasingly complex needs, and persistent staffing pressures have created a perfect storm that can threaten service quality and staff wellbeing. Social workers and managers also report spending valuable hours searching for and interpreting policies, procedures, and legislative frameworks—time that can be better spent in direct work with children and families. This case study shows how AI Policy Buddy saves staff time & improves Social Care services in North Yorkshire.
Solution
North Yorkshire Council has long been a leader in driving innovation to both manage pressures effectively and enable outstanding practice. Policy Buddy from Leading AI was born from a simple but powerful question: What if we could harness the capabilities of world class generative AI to provide instant, reliable knowledge support to frontline practitioners? Our vision centres on creating a digital assistant that empowers professionals with the information they need, precisely when they need it, reducing administrative burden and supporting confident decision-making.
Beyond the immediate benefits to individual practitioners, Policy Buddy aims to foster a forward-thinking, technology-positive workplace culture. By introducing intuitive AI tools that directly genuinely address pain points, we’re helping local authorities embrace digital transformation in ways that feel supportive rather than disruptive.
Policy Buddy exemplifies what digital transformation in local government should be: technology that genuinely empowers people to work more effectively, rather than technology for its own sake. By addressing a specific, widespread pain point—accessing reliable policy information quickly—we’ve demonstrated that AI can have a meaningful, positive impact on children’s services without disrupting the human relationships that remain at the heart of good social work.
The feedback highlights that AI-powered assistants like Policy Buddy feel different from previous technological interventions. Rather than adding administrative burden or monitoring practitioners’ activities, it genuinely removes barriers and creates space for professional judgement to flourish. This people-centred approach is essential for building trust in digital tools within a profession that rightly prioritises relationships and emotional intelligence.
Outcome
“Blown away yesterday! I attended our Disabled Children’s Services team away day to talk to them about technology and innovation and to show them our Policy Buddy with Leading AI. The result was outstanding!!”
– Senior social work leader, North Yorkshire Council
The true value of Policy Buddy comes to life through real-world application. For example, during a recent away day for North Yorkshire Council’s Disabled Children’s Services team, practitioners were presented with a complex case scenario involving a child with significant disabilities requiring multi-agency support. The team first used traditional methods to identify relevant policies and legal frameworks to establish what considerations to apply for that case, then used Policy Buddy.
What proved most striking was that Policy Buddy’s responses matched the knowledge of the most experienced practitioners in the room. However, rather than replacing professional judgement, the AI tool encouraged deeper discussion about how to apply the information to the specific circumstances of the case. Team members reported feeling more confident in their understanding of statutory requirements and better equipped to focus on the human aspects of their role.
The first three months of Policy Buddy in North Yorkshire Council, in numbers:
- 849 users
- 2,174 prompts
- 2,421 hours saved
This case study highlights a crucial point: Policy Buddy isn’t about automating social work decisions; it’s about removing barriers to information so that professionals can apply their expertise more effectively, create the space to make reflective practice a reality and spend more time on relationship-based practice with children and families.
Read the full impact report here.