Family Law
Technology is being implemented in foster care, in ways that are significant and ever-changing. It is expected to have even greater changes in the future.
Yet as technology is increasingly leveraged for the public good, there are ongoing concerns about laws and protocols in the American foster care system.
The CCWIS initiative was put in place in 2015 to allow child welfare agencies to use technology and systems in the ways that work best for them. As of now, using this system is optional for each state.
The hope is that the system increases child abuse prevention and decreases foster care abuse.
The regulations help:
It compares to the previous Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) in a few key ways:
The Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) partners with the General Services Administration (GSA) to create federal programs.
These programs support:
One significant role that technology has played is document management and data storage in the cloud. This versatile online storage allows agencies to recall foster care system information quickly and easily.
This improved document management can benefit children in the foster care system (and your rights as a foster parent) by keeping accurate and accessible records.
Algorithmic pairing is an online program that matches children in the foster care system with compatible parents. This has proven helpful in finding compatibility between pairings and a better success rate of matches or adoptions. Unlike the traditional way of using some information and meetings with the parents and child, algorithms use extensive data to make matches.
Technology is making matching children who are in the foster care system with parents much more effortless. It takes time and effort off of caseworkers, allowing them to focus more on children and their needs.
A growing number of apps and online resources are intended to help those in the foster care system, such as the U.S. Department of Education Foster Care Transition Toolkit.
As technology, information, and the foster system change, ensure your rights and privacy are protected. There are attorneys who focus on:
No matter your questions, you can find the right attorney to help you understand your situation and watch out for your best interests.