Published 08/07/2025
Kent County Council (KCC) is one of the UK’s largest local authorities, serving over 1.5 million residents across a diverse and rapidly growing region. As a key provider of essential public services, including education, social care, infrastructure, and community development, KCC plays a critical role in supporting the wellbeing and prosperity of its communities.
Within the organisation, adult social care teams are on the frontlines of some of the most complex and emotionally demanding work in the public sector. They support vulnerable individuals, coordinate care, and manage the challenges of a system under continuous pressure. By 2024, this pressure had reached a tipping point: demand for services was rising, yet budgets and staffing levels remained static. Practitioners found themselves spending more time on administrative tasks such as documentation and emails than engaging directly with the people they serve. The impact was significant: increased burnout, delays in care delivery, and an urgent need for change.
KCC remains committed to addressing these challenges through innovation, improved processes, and collaboration, ensuring sustainable, high-quality support for its residents now and in the future.
Industry: Local Government
Location: Kent, United Kingdom
Products and services:
“We were spending too much time on admin and not enough time with people, we needed to free up our teams to focus on what really matters, supporting residents.”
KCC had already laid strong digital foundations through previous modernisation efforts. But the council knew that technology alone wasn’t enough. What they needed was a transformation in how work happened, one that would empower staff, not overwhelm them.
Through Microsoft’s Commercial Incentive (MCI) programme, KCC partnered with CPS to explore the potential of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio. The goal was ambitious: to use AI not just to automate tasks, but to fundamentally improve how services were delivered.
“We weren’t looking for a tool. We were looking for a partner who understood our world. CPS brought empathy, expertise, and a real commitment to making this work for our people.”
From the outset, CPS took a different approach. Rather than focusing on features or applications, they focused on people. They embedded themselves in KCC’s teams, running floor walks, prompt-a-thons, and discovery workshops to understand the real challenges staff faced.
Training was task-based, not product-based. It was designed to meet staff where they were, whether they were digital natives or just starting their journey with AI. CPS co-created prompt libraries tailored to specific roles, ensuring that Copilot could be used meaningfully from day one.
Hear from the team at Kent County Council directly:
“Other partners were offering generic training, CPS helped us build something that was ours, something that made sense to our teams.”
The initial rollout focused on North Kent’s adult social care teams. Over 150 practitioners were given access to Copilot, and the results were immediate.
These weren’t abstract gains, they translated into real-world improvements in care delivery, staff wellbeing, and operational efficiency.
One social worker described the difference as “night and day.” Tasks that used to take hours, summarising case notes, drafting letters, preparing reports, were now completed in minutes. Copilot helped prioritise emails, track actions from meetings, and even improve the tone and clarity of communications with residents.
“My day before yesterday was a difficult day. Yesterday was an easier day , and that’s because of Copilot.”, one team member mentioned.
For staff with accessibility needs, Copilot was a “game-changer”. It helped them write more clearly, summarise more effectively, and engage more confidently with their work.
Copilot helped staff summarise case notes, draft letters, and prepare reports in minutes. It improved the tone and clarity of communications, and enabled quicker decisions in urgent care scenarios.
One social worker described how Copilot helped them return from leave by summarising and prioritising all their communications, ensuring they focused on the most urgent matters first.
Copilot summarised a massive call log in seconds. I put it into Mosaic and my colleagues said, ‘You’re good!’ But I didn’t tell them it was Copilot,
said Adedayo Adeniji, Social Worker
“It’s like having a personal assistant,” said Helen Gilligan, Head of Innovation and Partnerships. “I use it to balance my work and personal life. It’s changed the way I work, almost tenfold.”
But the impact wasn’t just operational. It was cultural.
Staff reported feeling more confident, more supported, and more connected to their purpose. The time saved wasn’t just reclaimed, it was reinvested in what mattered most: people.
“Copilot helps me think better,” said one social care officer. “I feel more present with the people I’m here to support.”
The project also sparked a new wave of collaboration across the local government. The council began sharing use cases, prompt libraries, and lessons learned. What started as a pilot became a movement.
“I’ve never seen this level of collaboration in my career,” said one programme lead. “Everyone wants to share what’s working.”
Senior leaders also saw the value. Copilot helped summarise emails, check legislation, and improve the tone of letters.
“Copilot is a virtual friend. It helps me make better decisions, faster,” said Richard Munn, Assistant Director, Adult Social Care
Throughout the journey, CPS was more than a vendor. They were a trusted partner, co-designing, co-delivering, and co-owning the transformation.
They ensured the deployment was secure, compliant, and aligned with KCC’s values. They worked closely with information governance and IT teams to build trust in the technology. And they helped capture the human stories that would inspire others to follow.
“CPS didn’t just bring tech, they brought understanding, they helped us build something that works for Kent. They were also open to our ideas and tailored their approach to Kent. Their training was people-focused, not product-focused. They helped us move from feasibility to impact. We’re now one of the leading councils in the UK using this technology."
With over 60 use cases in production and more than 1,500 users engaged, KCC is now scaling Copilot across departments. The focus is on embedding AI into everyday workflows, expanding adoption in children’s services and housing, and measuring impact through staff feedback and service outcomes.
The council’s vision is clear: AI should not replace people; it should empower them.
“This is about giving our people the tools they need to do their best work,” said one senior leader. “And with CPS, we’ve done just that.”
Kent County Council’s journey is not just a success story, it’s a blueprint. It shows what’s possible when AI is deployed with purpose, empathy, and scale. And it proves that with the right partner, transformation is not only achievable, but also repeatable.
“This product has sparked more collaboration across local authorities than I’ve ever seen in my career,” said Emma Rudd
For other councils facing similar challenges, the message is clear: the future of public service is not about doing more with less. It’s about doing better with what you have.
And with CPS and Microsoft Copilot, that future is already here.
Explore more insights
Trust is the real constraint on AI adoption. This blog explores why governance doesn’t slow innovation, how poor foundations lead to agent sprawl and stalled programmes, and what organisations must put in place to scale Microsoft Copilot and AI agents safely, confidently, and responsibly.
See how CPS’ festive giving vote engaged customers to choose our Christmas charities, supporting Save the Children, Mencap, and The Salvation Army this holiday season.
When organisations search for “Copilot ROI”, they’re not looking for features or licence costs — they’re looking for proof that AI will genuinely make a difference. This blog explores why Copilot ROI isn’t about the technology itself, but about how work is designed, adopted, and led, and how organisations are turning reclaimed time into real capacity, impact, and board-level value.