CYP Now - Use of algorithms in children's social care 'risks families being missed'

Use of data algorithms by children’s services to identify “at risk” children could lead to some being missed and other families being forced to undergo unnecessary scrutiny, a report has warned.

Machine learning “without proper ethical oversight” poses serious risks of reinforcing biases, researchers said. Picture: Adobe Stock

A review of the use of "machine learning" in children’s social care, by the University of Oxford’s Rees Centre and The Alan Turing Institute for What Works for Children’s Social Care, called for the approach to be used “cautiously”.

Machine learning is a general approach in computer science that allows algorithms to carry out tasks on the basis of data, without being explicitly and completely pre-programmed by designers, researchers said.

This means systems may use data mining to flag up children deemed to be "at risk".

However, the report warns that inaccuracies in machine learning systems could lead to "‘false negatives’ that miss children in need of protection".

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