Dr Caroline Webb PhD, SFHEA

• Registered Social Worker, Social Work England (SW82995)

Caroline's current work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social care and social work practice, an emerging and rapidly developing field. Since 2025, Caroline has also been a member of UoB's Bright Group, contributing to the evaluation, governance and regulation of AI in health and care, and translating evidence into policy and practice guidance for decision-makers. She is Co-investigator on the AI Readiness Checklist project, co-authoring the AI Readiness Assurance Framework and Checklist, and Co-chair of an AI Special Interest Group within the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership. She also supports the development of an AI Youth Council for Health and Care.

Caroline has recently been awarded a two-year NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Her fellowship research investigates the systemic, relational and distributional impacts of adopting AI-driven tools in adult social care, with a particular focus on how these technologies affect the people who draw on care and support - an area that remains significantly under-researched.

Caroline completed her PhD in Social Work at the University of Bristol in 2021, exploring the use of participatory action research to develop a resource for reflective supervision in child and family social work. This early focus on supervision and workforce retention has grown into a broader interest in workforce and professional practice issues in social work, of which AI is now a significant and emerging part.

Caroline teaches on the MSc Advanced Child Protection Studies programme, and was previously the Programme Director of Practice Education, leading Practice Education Stage 1 and 2 and acting as Head of Admissions and Chair of the Board of Examiners.

Caroline holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Distinction, 2022) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is also a Registered Social Worker with Social Work England.

Caroline teaches on the MSc Advanced Child Protection Studies programme.  Caroline also acts as an academic tutor and dissertation supervisor across post-graduate programmes within the Department.

Caroline is Second Supervisor for a PhD candidate researching parental alienation (2023–present). She welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers interested in social work supervision and professional practice, particularly around the use of artificial intelligence in social work and social care.

PhD title

PhD Title - Promoting Reflective Supervision of Children’s Social Care Workers: A Participatory Action Research Project

Caroline's research sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social care and social work practice, an emerging field of significant importance. She is committed to generating evidence that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of people who draw on care and support, and to translating that evidence into practical guidance that strengthens rights, accountability and equitable practice.

Current research activities include:

• Co-investigator on the AI Readiness Checklist project, co-authoring the AI Readiness Assurance Framework and Checklist and leading the feedback phase to validate these outputs
• Co-chair of the AI Special Interest Group, West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership
• Supporting the development of an AI Youth Council for Health and Care, and leading a bespoke social care event (Autumn 2026)

Caroline's earlier research examined social work supervision and professional practice, and the retention of social workers.  The focus of her PhD (University of Bristol, 2021), used participatory action research to develop a resource for reflective supervision in child and family social work.