The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has released a report titled "Fostering Responsible Tech Use: Balancing the Benefits and Risks Among Public Child Welfare Agencies." The report addresses the integration of data and technology systems, including artificial intelligence (AI), in child welfare agencies that work with over 390,000 youth in foster care annually.

Child welfare agencies are responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of youth through temporary placements in foster homes, facilitating adoptions when parental rights are terminated, and managing cases. These agencies face challenges such as lack of coordination across different entities working with foster youth, insufficient or biased data about a child's environment, and heavy administrative burdens contributing to high social worker turnover rates.

The CDT report acknowledges that while data and technology have the potential to alleviate some of these issues, they also pose significant risks. These risks include reinforcing racial and socioeconomic disparities, stigmatizing foster youth based on social and academic achievements, and compromising the privacy and security of personal data.

To address these concerns, the CDT offers several recommendations:

- Identifying problems that data or technology may solve while considering potential harms.

- Engaging affected stakeholders, including caseworkers and foster youth.

- Establishing or enhancing inter- and intra-agency data and technology governance to guide decision-making.

- Implementing AI tools safely and responsibly.

- Being diligent in vetting third-party vendors.

These recommendations are particularly crucial as public agencies increasingly adopt AI-powered tools.

For more detailed insights, readers can access the full report from CDT.

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