Los Angeles County DCFS Developing Predictive Analytics Tool To Identify Children At High Risk Of Severe Abuse

On January 11, 2016, the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) told the county’s Children’s Commission that since mid-2014, DCFS has been working with SAS Corporation to develop a predictive analytics tool called Approach to Understanding Risk Assessment (AURA) to identify children at high risk of severe injury or death due to child abuse. The use of predictive analytics was among the recommendations of the county’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Protection (BRCCP) formed in 2013 following the death of a child known to DCFS. The BRCCP specifically recommended . . .