By Jeremy Loudenback, Illustration: Christine Ongjoco, The Imprint, February 1, 2022
For decades, social workers investigating Los Angeles County parents accused of child abuse and neglect have relied on training, in-person interviews, consultations with supervisors and a straightforward, 16-item risk assessment to decide how cases should proceed.
But in recent months, county workers who decide whether or not kids should be removed from their homes have begun using a new, more high-powered tool. Like a dozen child welfare agencies across the country, the Department of Children and Family Services is now counting on an advanced algorithm to help identify children who may be in the greatest jeopardy, and which homes require heightened scrutiny.
In Los Angeles County, after social workers conclude that an investigation is warranted, the tool scans 313 data points to reach its conclusions. The most critical cases receive a “complex risk” flag — a determination signifying that without an intervention, children in those homes are likely to end up in foster care over the next two years.
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