DCS to receive grant from ACF to advance the use of predictive modeling

 The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has chosen the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) as one of 10 child welfare jurisdictions to receive a $600,000 grant. 

The one-time grant, paid over three years, supports ACF’s directive to expand the state’s use of technology solutions, including predictive analytics, aimed at helping caseworkers make faster, more informed decisions to protect Hoosier children and families.

“DCS is always looking for new and innovative ways to ensure Indiana children and families are safe and supported,” DCS Director Jennifer Dorfmeyer said. “Family case managers are tasked with making incredibly hard decisions every day. This grant will support caseworkers by giving them the tools and information to make quicker, more data-informed decisions to assess a family’s needs, provide necessary resources to help them thrive and, most importantly, keep children safe.” 

DCS plans to use predictive analytics to develop an algorithm that will match children to compatible foster families. Grant funding will support the creation of an interface that allows foster parents and staff to view match results. These funds will also help DCS train their analytics team in predictive modeling and bring on temporary staff to improve data quality. Additionally, this grant opportunity provides access to technical assistance from federal partners and participation in a learning community with other award recipients.

The grant supports ACF’s A Home for Every Child – an initiative that aims to improve the ratio of foster homes to children in need of care and keeping children with their family when it’s safe to do so. Indiana joined A Home for Every Child in May of this year. 

As the grant’s three-year pilot project begins on Sept. 30, DCS looks forward to partnering with ACF and being a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics in child welfare.