Disclaimer: This project idea is the intellectual property of Save the W Team.
Team: Save the W (Top 10 Finalist, 2019)
Team Members: Mariko Chida, Kaori Yonemura, Yurui Wei
Link to Business Case Analysis.
Problem – New York City’s Department of Administration for Children’s Service (ACS) investigates approximately 55,000 cases of child abuse and neglect cases per year. Every reported case needs to be evaluated by The New York State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) staff and investigated by Child Protective Specialists (CPS) within 60 days. There is a principle that early detection of child abuse prevent children’s deaths and decrease incidents. However, there is room for improvement in the system and the operation because the current CONNECTIONS system forces specialists to operate manually and take time.
Approach to Solution – Watson Investigation Assist System (Watson IAS), which is powered by IBM Watson cognitive computing technology, will support SCR staff to assess reports and guide CPS to interview, make a report, and determine service plans for victims and family/caregivers. We estimate that Watson IAS saves nearly $47,000,000 per year. Furthermore, Watson IAS allows future expansion with minimum cost, so other organizations like ACS will also benefit from Watson IAS.