Frontline care workers are the heart of our communities—but many are overwhelmed by paperwork, policies, and burnout. In Australia alone, the care sector faces a 344,000-worker shortage. The question isn’t just how to meet demand—it’s how to care for the caregivers.
Two nonprofits—Uniting NSW.ACT in Australia and Parlan in the Netherlands—are showing how AI can do just that.
Uniting NSW.ACT: Meet Buddy, the AI Sidekick
Serving 148,000 clients annually, Uniting needed a smarter way to work. Enter Buddy, an AI assistant built on Microsoft Azure.
What Buddy Delivers:
- Case notes in 2 minutes (down from 15)
- Voice-to-text documentation, even in remote areas
- Instant access to 1,600 policies
- More time for personal, compassionate care
Buddy uses Azure OpenAI Service and a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) approach to surface accurate policy guidance and streamline compliance. It saves frontline workers nearly an hour per day, improves onboarding, and helps attract and retain staff in a tight labor market. By reducing administrative burdens, Buddy empowers carers to focus on what matters most—human connection.
Parlan: Copilot for Mental Health
Dutch nonprofit Parlan provides mental health care to children and families with complex needs. To reduce paperwork and improve care, Parlan adopted Microsoft 365 Copilot.
What Copilot Delivers:
- Therapy reports in minutes
- Faster prep for complex cases
- Real-time translation in Teams
- Easy creation of therapeutic tools
Copilot helps staff summarize hundreds of pages of client history, draft reports quickly, and even translate conversations during live sessions. It also assists in creating therapeutic stories—tasks that once took hours now take minutes. By streamlining administrative work, Copilot gives practitioners more time for direct care.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just about speed—it’s about wellness. Less admin means:
- Lower stress
- Reduced burnout
- Higher job satisfaction
- Better client outcomes
The Big Picture
AI isn’t replacing care—it’s restoring time, trust, and connection. Tools like Buddy and Copilot help workers do what they do best: care deeply, and serve with purpose.
To learn more about their story, please visit Microsoft for Nonprofits: (21) How Technology Is Boosting Worker Wellness and Restoring the Human Touch | LinkedIn
