Meet
Lucia
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Lucia works as a supervisor for the Los Angeles County Department of Children
and Family Services (LA DCFS). In her role as an emergency response
supervisor, she oversees investigations related to child abuse and neglect.
Let's walk through a regular workday for Lucia...
Lucia's day starts early as she prepares her own children for school. However, she also bears the responsibility of making critical decisions regarding the safety of children in her community when there are allegations of abuse or neglect.
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As Lucia drops her kids off at school, her attention shifts to the work ahead. Child maltreatment investigations are incredibly challenging, both emotionally and because the stakes of the decisions made are extremely high.
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Lucia’s unit is assigned reports of alleged abuse or neglect that have been screened in for investigation by the county’s child protection hotline. In a typical week, she oversees around 20 to 25 child abuse and neglect investigations.
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Lucia begins each day by reflecting on her caseworkers’ ongoing investigations. And she wonders about the new ones that came in overnight.
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She quickly scans the details of each new investigation. Investigations might start with a report from a doctor, a law enforcement officer, or a family member.
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As a supervisor, Lucia is expected to review a family's history: Most investigations involve families with prior reports of maltreatment. However, gathering that information can be time-consuming, and it's not always clear which details are relevant.
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One of the tools Lucia uses to supervise caseworkers and manage her caseload is based on a risk stratification model. The model automatically pulls and integrates information from both current allegations and past reports. In addition to saving time, she uses the model to ensure her unit assesses child safety concerns within the broader context of known facts.
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The model also alerts Lucia to investigations designated for enhanced support and supervision. These cases tend to have repeated patterns of child safety concerns indicative of unmet service needs by the family. For these enhanced support investigations, Lucia typically consults more frequently with her manager, the assigned caseworker, and community service providers.
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The model provides Lucia with data she can cross-reference with what her team has learned during the investigation, helping her guide subsequent assessments and tailor services to the child and family's needs.
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There are real-life consequences to every decision Lucia makes for children and their families. The Risk Stratification Model helps Lucia and other supervisors ensure children's safety.
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Interested in Learning More about the Risk Stratification project in Los Angeles County?
Webstory by the Children's Data Network in partnership with the Centre for Social Data Analytics and the California Child Welfare Indicators Project at UC Berkeley.
