MSF to spend $15m on new tech solutions like using AI to analyse at-risk families

SINGAPORE – The social service sector is riding the artificial intelligence wave, with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) setting aside $15 million over three years to experiment with new technology.

One of the ministry’s goals is to use data to identify those at risk and reach families earlier, before challenges intensify, said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli on July 2.

Some social workers are already using tools like case management system CaseCentral, where there are plans to use AI to provide insights into clients and their families and automate workflows.

On July 2, MSF announced partnerships with two local tech companies, NCS and ST Engineering, to further develop such tech solutions.

The collaborations aim to better support clients and families, equip professionals with tools to improve their workflow, and use technology in residential homes and social service centres to improve safety and operations.

The parties inked the agreements at MSF’s first-ever Partners Conference, held at The Star Theatre in Buona Vista, where close to 1,000 representatives from social service agencies, academia and the corporate sector gathered to discuss innovation and collaboration.

AI technology is already being used in the social service sector around the world and in Singapore, said Masagos.

There are AI glasses that transcribe spoken words into captions for the hearing-impaired, while AI-powered exoskeletons enable those with disabilities to live more independently.

Some therapists at early intervention centres overseas use AI to track children’s developmental milestones, he added.

Nonetheless, the minister acknowledged that some may regard the emerging technology’s impact with scepticism or fear that it could replace social service professionals.

“AI is not a silver bullet, nor can it replace the care professional,” he said. “But used well, AI can help us reach further, respond faster and support families more effectively than ever before.”

Case documentation time cut by 50%

More than 100 social service agencies have started using Scribe, an AI-powered tool that transcribes and summarises conversations in several languages and dialects – even Cantonese and Singlish – into case notes.

Using the tool, social workers at Care Corner Singapore have reduced the time they spend on case documentation by at least 50 per cent, said its chief executive, Christian Chao.

“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.

AI can’t replace the human touch

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.