Season 7 Episode 5: AI in Child Protection: Can Technology Make Social Work Safer?
About This Episode
Artificial intelligence is already in social work and child protection, and its use is deepening. The question is: How safe, effective, and equitable is it?
In this episode, David and Ruth talk with Dr. LaSharia Turner and Dr. Helen Fischle from Alabama A&M University about what ethical, human-centered, AI-driven tech should look like in social work education and frontline practice.
As agencies face workforce shortages, austerity, high caseloads, and increasing complexity, technology is being introduced as a solution. But can AI actually support domestic violence–informed practice when child safety is on the line? Or does it risk automating bias, victim-blaming, erasing survivor context, and shifting responsibility away from systems and perpetrators as parents?
We explore:
What “human-centered” AI really means in child welfare
The risks of predictive tools and automation
Why social workers must have a seat at the technology table
How to prevent tech from increasing survivor and worker burden
The future of ethical innovation in high-stakes systems
If you work in child protection, domestic violence services, family courts, behavioral health, or policy, this conversation is for you.
Technology should enhance professional judgment—not replace it.
Additional Resources
Safe & Together Institute’s domestic abuse–informed trainings
Safe & Together Institute’s upcoming events
David Mandel’s book Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence