Every year, thousands of children facing abuse and neglect in Texas are removed from their homes. Though child welfare programs like CPS usually respond only after crises are reported, a local Austin nonprofit works to intervene earlier, offering a preventive, technology-based approach to child welfare.
Based in Austin, Upbring focuses on using Child Wellbeing Zones, an initiative that identifies neighborhoods where children may be at risk, to connect families with resources before problems escalate. Central to this initiative are Upbring’s patent-pending technologies, VectorScape and VectorPoint, which use machine learning and location-based data in the process of identifying at-risk communities.
Kyle Kerrigan, director of evolution & innovation at Upbring, said VectorScape’s predictive modeling identifies neighborhoods with the highest needs using risk factors. Factors include crime rates and potentially dangerous surroundings like proximity to liquor stores, Kerrigan said. VectorPoint generates personalized areas in a child’s life where support is most needed and provides referrals to services and helpful resources.
“We’ve been able to show that our machine learning model helps us recommend and target services for the children and families we’re serving,” Kerrigan said. “It’s improved by 60% in terms of its precision over the last year, … (and) when we’re making a recommendation, it’s accepted by the caseworker, it’s accepted by the family or the child and then it’s acted upon.”
Once a neighborhood is identified, Upbring partners with community leaders, especially elementary school principals and counselors, to connect families who may benefit from additional support. Christina Lewis, a licensed master social worker at Upbring, said unlike many social workers in the system who tend to have large caseloads, the ones at Upbring focus on a smaller number of cases.
“This program is literally one family at a time, one block at a time,” Lewis said. “(Families) call me any time they need me, … (and) I’m there. … I go with them to their doctor’s appointment. … We’re there with them every step of the way.”
Lewis recently celebrated graduating her first family from the program, with improvements in the children’s academic success and the family’s communication.
“This is a voluntary program,” Lewis said. “This is not court-ordered … so these families are coming because they need help. They want help. They want to be better.”
Karen Tan, Upbring’s senior vice president of community engagement, said Upbring’s main challenges include funding and community trust, but they’re committed to sustaining the program with strong partnerships and volunteer programs. Tan said volunteers and students can also play a role in supporting families at Upbring.
“It could be as simple as having a drive for food or period supplies,” Tan said. “We love to bring in social workers and give them real, good experience and volunteering (opportunities).”
Through these partnerships, Upbring hopes to meet families’ immediate needs while strengthening the support around them.
“(The) challenge is understanding the communities that we might be walking into and really showing up in a way that shows that we’re there long term,” Tan said.
