Public Child Welfare Fall Dialog

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CHILD WELFARE: PRACTICES, POLICIES, ETHICS, AND GUIDANCE 

Dr. Jessica Pac
Dr. Davansh Saxena

The 2016 Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) federal framework that governs data standards for Title IV-E state child welfare systems opened the floodgate for the adoption of AI and predictive analytics in child welfare practice. In the decade since, implementation has been hampered by complex, proprietary data systems, vague guidance, and uneven governance. Yet, exactly how and to what extent child welfare social workers use AI remains largely unknown, raising questions about the conditions and applications for which the benefits outweigh the apparent costs. This talk first provides an overview of the evolution of AI use in child welfare social work practice, framed by state and federal policies. After presenting the results from an in-progress, qualitative study on the innovative uses of AI by Wisconsin social workers, we discuss the broader promises and pitfalls of eventual widespread adoption. Finally, drawing on the NASW code of ethics, we provide a nuanced, ethical framework for social workers to use AI in the absence of agency guidance.