HHS · no agency ID · record R0606

Child Welfare Information Automated Inquiry System (Note: previously named "Child Welfare Information Gateway OneReach Application")

Department of Health and Human Services · HHS/ACF

Overview

Development stage: DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2020-03 (month precision)Source: Mar-20
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Service Delivery
Operational functions: No function tag matched Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

How can Child Welfare Information Hotline callers get the right information faster without increasing staffing? The Children's Bureau runs the Children Welfare Information Gateway, a connection to trusted resources on the child welfare continuum. The Information Gateway has a hotline for answering questions or requesting information: https://www.childwelfare.gov/stay-connected/contact/. Callers to the hotline range from those having more routine questions (such as asking for the contact information for their state's child welfare agency) to reporting more complex, nuanced situations.

Expected benefits

Approximately a quarter of inquires to the Child Welfare Information Hotline are assisted by AI, freeing up time for staff to focus on more complex, nuanced cases. In the first 4 years, this amounts to ~2,500 inquiries assisted by AI.

System outputs

The Information Gateway Hotline connects to a phone interactive voice response (IVR). The Information Gateway hotline maintains a database of state hotlines for reporting child abuse and neglect that it can connect a caller to based on their inbound phone area code. Additionally, the Information Gateway Hotline offers a limited FAQ texting service that utilizes natural language processing to answer user queries.

Technology

AI classification: Natural language processingSource: Natural Language Processing: AI that processes, interprets, and shares information in human language.
System name(s): Child Welfare Information Automated Inquiry System
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Purchased from vendorSource: a) Purchased from a vendor
Vendor (as reported): Amazon Connect (current) OneReach (previous, deprecated)
Vendors (standardized): Amazon Web Services

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: Yes
Privacy Impact Assessment: www.hhs.gov ↗
Authorization to Operate: No
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: User queries are used for reinforcement training by a human AI trainer and to develop additional FAQs.
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported