Social services see increase in complaints written by AI

Anthony Lewis Local Democracy Reporter

Social services in one part of Wales have noticed an increase in the likely use of artificial intelligence (AI) for complaints.

A Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCT) annual report on complaints and representations to adult and children’s services said this is also consistent with other council processes.

It says that whilst complaint numbers at stage one remain consistent, it is considered that AI tool availability has influenced a higher number of stage two complaints due to their ease of use.

Overall, the number of interactions with the RCT social services customer feedback team has increased by 10% in 2025/26 compared to 2024/25, from 735 to 814.

Contacts relating to adults and children’s services that allow for an early resolution remain consistent with 2024/25.

The report which is set to go to the council’s governance and audit committee says these initial contacts provide an opportunity for the early resolution of a potential issue outside of the complaints process with 246 initial contacts received of which 99.6% (245) were successfully resolved.

The number of stage one complaints received remained relatively consistent with the previous year with 157 complaints but the increase in wider interactions alongside the more complex nature of complaints has added towards the competing demands of services.

The report says that a developing theme has been more complainants seeking financial redress in addition to the challenging of financial decisions such as charges for services.

Stage two complaints have increased for both adults and children’s services, with 20 received, compared with four in 2024/25.

Ombudsman enquiries have risen by 150% (24) and an increase has also been seen in complaints being referred prematurely (32.5%)

Appeals have increased by 78%, with 33 of the 41 appeals relating to the provision of a disabled bus pass.

Fewer councillor enquiries relating to social care were received in this period whilst MP and MS enquiries remain consistent with previous years, the report says.

It says meeting statutory timescales continues to be a challenge, as in previous years, with the increasing complexity of many complaints alongside the need for an independent investigator at stage two making it more difficult to meet the targets.

As part of the process, the customer feedback and engagement team work with social services to provide updates on complaint progress.

Whilst timescales remain a challenge, there were many successful early resolutions of issues outside of the complaints process and the resolution of stage one complaints was high at 87.2% (137).

The timeliness of complaint handling remains an area of focus and for improvements, where these can be made.

The outcome of complaints recorded as upheld or partially upheld at stage two was 73.7% (14) with 26.3% (five) not being upheld.

Consideration has also been given to more effectively managing complaints handling and a new complaints online web form has been developed for future introduction with the intention to provide greater focus on the complaint detail and desired outcomes.

Guidance will also provide information on issues that fall outside of the complaints process, the use of AI applications and reference to persistent and unreasonable behaviour in which social services at the council have seen an increase.