A Spotlight on AI in Child Welfare

AI is a hot topic in child welfare. Agencies are discussing the delicate balance of efficiency and privacy, innovation and standards, risks and opportunities. A new article by the QIC-WA, AI in Child Welfare: A Spotlight on Workforce Development and Analytics, provides examples of agencies doing this work and practical steps for agencies ready to explore AI‑enabled workforce processes.

This article is featured in the July 2026 issue of The Gateway Exchange. The issue spotlights the evolving use of AI in child welfare, from strengthening workforce development and analytics to supporting data-informed decision-making. It also explores how agencies can effectively introduce new technologies by applying change management and implementation science principles that promote sustainable, workforce-centered change.

The QIC-WA also looks at Why AI People Analytics is Solving the Wrong Problem in Child Welfare. This article highlights our take on the issue of predictive analytics in helping to address child welfare workforce challenges. It is written by Robert Blagg, PhD, the co-PI of the QIC-WA, and draws from his experience working with a variety of public child welfare agencies to build their capacity to use workforce data by applying production-grade data engineering and causal-inference rigor to the systems serving children, families, and communities, including the algorithms now making decisions inside them.