Child Welfare
Can Big Data Predict Child Abuse?
March 30, 2016 | Emily Taylor
Innovators in child protective services around the country are looking at using data for predictive analytics as a tool for early intervention practices. However, the proposed implementation of some of the analysis of at-birth data is controversial. A director for the Children’s Data Network at the University of Southern California who has worked with Allegheny County in PA on a predictive analytics model, is quoted as saying: “We have 6 million children reported for abuse or neglect, and how you make triaging decisions early on absolutely impacts outcomes for that child and family…The use of predictive analytics in child welfare could change … the system.”