Centre for Social Care and Artificial intelligence Learning
The Centre for Social Care and Artificial Intelligence Learning (SCALE) is harnessing the potential of AI for social care, with the aim of kickstarting activity and building critical mass in a new, exciting, and fast-moving cross-disciplinary research area.
The increasing demand and cuts in funding for social care are posing significant challenges to the sector. Artificial intelligence offers the potential to address these challenges and to build smarter, more agile, and more effective social care services that support and enhance human relationships.
SCALE was launched in April 2025 following the award of £1.8 million in funding from Health and Care Research Wales.
Aims
As incorrect decisions in social care carry a high potential for harm, the introduction of AI will require new techniques to manage risk and safety. Solutions must also be cost-effective and ensure there is no digital divide in the level and quality of care provided.
SCALE aims to deliver real-world impact by placing those with direct experience of services at the centre of its work. This includes service users from adult and children’s social care, as well as practitioners and policymakers, to build sustainable long-term collaborations and secure external funding.
Research
SCALE’s research spans all areas of Children’s and Adult Social Care with Artificial Intelligence, including Natural Language Processing, Data Science and Analytics, Robotics, and Visual Computing.
Initial research priorities include:
- supporting the social care workforce and leadership
- supporting adults, children, carers, and families
- analysing data in new and interesting ways
People
SCALE will bring together a transdisciplinary group of Cardiff University researchers from the School of Computer Science & Informatics, the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), the Centre for Adult Social Care (CARE), together with the Centre for Trials Research (CTR) and the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank at Swansea University.