Caseworkers handle a held action by asking two questions first: why did the agent stop, and what would this decision mean for the person affected? They then check the evidence and its source, look for vulnerability the agent may not see, and approve, edit or decline with a reason they could explain face to face.
What does a casework agent hold?
Public sector and social care agents usually read case files and gather evidence at depth 1, and draft letters, assessments and next steps at depth 2. Anything that changes someone's entitlement, status or safety is held for a named caseworker. Typical held items include:
- A drafted eligibility decision, award or refusal, for a benefit, grant or service.
- A change to a payment or allowance, up or down.
- A request for further evidence, with a deadline that affects the claim.
- Closing a case because the person has not responded.
- A referral to another service, including safeguarding.
Public bodies face additional transparency and fairness duties, and decisions about people's entitlements often have legal or similarly significant effects. In the EU and UK, GDPR's Article 22 limits decisions based solely on automated processing with such effects. The hold is where a person's judgement enters.
What should the caseworker check?
Why it was held. The record names the deciding bound. A hold under the authority's own limits, such as "all refusals are held", means the caseworker is the decision maker. A hold under the source bound, such as "income record could not be retrieved", means the agent's draft is built on incomplete facts.
Where each fact came from. Records from another public system are sealed or signed. What the applicant wrote on a form is declared. A letter from a landlord or employer may be signed if the sender is identified, external if not. A refusal built on a declared fact the applicant got wrong deserves a conversation, not a letter.
What the agent cannot see. Agents read what they are given. A phone note that the person is in hospital, a support worker's email, a language barrier: these change what is fair, and may be missing from the agent's sources.
Whether the reason can be explained. The letter that goes out must give reasons a person can understand and challenge. "The system assessed you as ineligible" is not a reason.
How should the caseworker decide?
- Approve when the facts trace to reliable sources, the policy applies cleanly, and the reason in the draft is clear and accurate.
- Edit when the outcome is right but the letter is not: wrong tone, missing appeal rights, a reason that does not match the evidence, or a deadline that is unreasonable for this person.
- Decline when the evidence does not support the draft, vulnerability changes what is appropriate, or the case needs contact before any decision. Record the reason and the next step.
Holds that affect safety, such as a referral the agent did not make, belong to the caseworker regardless of the draft. An agent drafting "no further action" on a case with safeguarding indicators should never be approved on the strength of the draft.
An example: closing a case for non-response
Take a local authority housing team. The agent holds a draft letter closing an application because the applicant did not supply proof of income within the deadline. The deciding bound is the authority's own rule: closures are held.
The caseworker reads the case notes and finds a declared note from the applicant's support worker, sent to a general inbox, saying the applicant had been admitted to hospital. The agent never saw it because the inbox is not one of its sources. The caseworker declines the closure, extends the deadline, records the reason, and asks for the inbox to be considered as a source. The record now shows why the case stayed open.
Which controls protect the person?
- Refusals, reductions and closures are always held.
- Letters carry reasons and appeal rights, checked by the caseworker.
- Caseworkers approve only within their delegated authority.
- A second caseworker samples approvals, especially refusals.
- Approval rights depend on a current reviewer credential.
Other roles with similar duties handle holds differently; see how paralegals handle an action an AI agent has held and the definition of a held action. Local detail is in AI agent training for caseworkers in public sector in India. The role map is in AI agent skills by role.
Where the Academy fits
Pryme Intelligence Academy's Operator track trains caseworkers to read the decision chain, check where each fact came from and decline with a reason. Module tests are set in the learner's own industry and role, so public sector staff practise on eligibility drafts and closures. A free readiness assessment for teams of up to 25 shows a casework team's gaps before the first agent goes live.
Questions people ask
Does the caseworker have to read every document the agent read?
Not always. They must check the facts the decision rests on, and anything that could change what is fair. The record shows which facts those are.
Can the agent tell the person a decision was automated?
The person should be told when they interact with an AI system. Decisions about their entitlements should be made, and explained, by a caseworker.
What if the policy itself produces an unfair result?
Decide the case within your authority and escalate the policy problem. The record of declined drafts is useful evidence for changing the rule.