July-August - 20178GOVERNMENT CIO OUTLOOKHelping Prevent Child Abuse through Analytics ederal, state and local agencies together spend about $220 million a day to protect and promote the welfare of US children, prevent child abuse and neglect, and provide support and interventions that promote safety, permanency and well-being for children, according to Prevent Child Abuse America.Could those millions of dollars be doing more? Yes! There is tremendous potential for child welfare agencies to use data and analytics to prevent child abuse and improve outcomes for children and families. However, few agencies have established the data-driven culture that's required to advance both practice and policy.The absence of data-driven culture often leads to a scattershot approach to agencies' attempts to reach their goals or improve their performance.Data Helps Protect Children and Prevent Child AbuseUsing data to improve results seems self-evident in more quantitative fields, such as financial services and marketing. But data can play a big role in supplementing the instincts, compassion and understanding of child services administrators, social workers and caregivers. Where personal experience leads you down one path, data can prove or disprove the hypothesis on that path and even define the paths that are options. Data can inform agencies on how to apply limited resources in the most ``productive ways-- and can prevent them from investing in unproductive directions.The Value of a Data-Driven CultureThe greatest data and analytics in the world won't have any effect if they don't fuel a decision or change something to prevent child abuse. That requires a culture where people understand, value and demand fact-based decisions and strategies.Few social services agencies have reached that point. A lot of social workers will say, `I'm not interested in the data; I want to work with children and families.' [To change that attitude], the data has to be relevant to the people who will use it.If I'm a social worker or supervisor, and I say I'm all about family-centered practice, how can I not be interested in what the data is telling me about engaging fathers, for instance? If I'm interested in permanence for children in foster care, how can I not be interested in the data about success of older youth leaving the foster care system to independence? Making that connection back to the mission is a real hook.Another hook is to show how an analytics system to prevent child abuse can actually free up more time for social workers to spend with children and families. Recent The absence of data-driven culture often leads to a scattershot approach to agencies' attempts to reach their goals or improve their performanceDavid Elges, CIO, DC GovernmentFByDavid ElgesIN MYOPINION
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