Description:

Many child welfare systems have abdicated their duties in the wake of the pandemic — failing to identify and protect children who have fallen victim to maltreatment. How can child welfare officials inspire a different approach that increases touchpoints with children, uses the resources of caseworkers and foster families more effectively, and offers faster, better care coordination for vulnerable children? What role should technology companies play in collaborating with states to improve care coordination?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Greg McKay — the Director of Worldwide Health and Human Services for Microsoft and the former director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety — to discuss these questions and more. Greg talks about how his unique background in law enforcement, investigation, and foster parenting helped him take Arizona’s child welfare system from “worst” to “first” on several measures. Later, Greg discusses the importance of updating state care coordination and record-keeping technology to allow case workers to spend more time in the field with vulnerable children and less time entering data into antiquated systems.

Resources:

What lessons can the child welfare system take from the COVID-19 pandemic?| Naomi Schaefer Riley et Al. | American Enterprise Institute

Child welfare in the midst of the pandemic | Naomi Schaefer Riley et Al. | American Enterprise Institute

 Show notes:

01:20 | Greg McKay’s background in law enforcement, investigation, foster parenting, child welfare administration, and technology

02:35 | Taking Arizona’s child welfare system from “worst” to “first”

07:16 | How antiquated technology is limiting case workers’ ability to protect children during the pandemic

08:58 | How the pandemic is reducing the number of abuse and maltreatment cases that get reported, and what that means for children

10:25 | Why children need to return to in-person learning

16:50 | The most effective intervention technology companies can offer child welfare officials

19:25 | Increasing partnership and care coordination between government systems