12 Questions
Big data expert Rhema Vaithianathan hit the headlines with her study revealing almost one in four Kiwi kids are reported to child protection. The AUT professor has created algorithms which predict who is most at risk to help call centre staff prioritise c
We were surprised to find that almost one in four New Zealand children are notified to child welfare by age 17 but what really shocked us was that maltreatment was substantiated for one in ten Kiwi kids. That number is incredibly high and the true figure will be even bigger. That’s why the Children’s Commissioner is very keen that we have a national conversation about it. With this kind of linked data work we have the opportunity to have an informed debate.
big data help with solutions for child abuse as well?
We’ve had success in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, developing an algorithm to help call centre stuff better “triage” allegations. When the county reviewed cases of serious harm, they often found calls had been received but were screened out because the individual allegation wasn’t serious enough. On the other hand, you had families of colour or poverty being investigated because of calls made when their children weren’t actually at risk.
seen this study reported in the New York Times. How does the algorithm work?
The algorithm measures risk by going through all the existing data to look at the pattern of contact with social services and give each piece of information appropriate weight. For example, how many calls have been received? What type of calls? Were they investigated? Has the person previously come into contact with the system either as a perpetrator or victim? Staff members already have access to this information but they often don’t have time to sift through it all. The algorithm has been such a success in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, we’ve been asked to implement it in Douglas County, Colorado.
did you measure success?
The study’s still going so we don’t have the final numbers yet but a key reason was because we actually managed to implement it. Most don’t get that far for reasons including