Social workers can deploy data-driven decision-making to develop more effective interventions for issues ranging from youth HIV prevention to treating traumatic brain injuries in veterans.
Data-driven decision-making is the process by which reliable data—which may include descriptive, inferential and predictive information—is built into statistical models in order to inform actionable decisions.
In the field of social work, data can provide a more holistic picture of critical social issues. Using that data to draw intelligent conclusions regarding resource allocation and intervention approaches enables social workers to address the crucial issues they are trying to solve with greater efficiency and effectiveness. These abilities are especially valuable in a sector constricted in many ways by limited funds and labor.
Eric Rice, co-director of the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS), is invested in leveraging data to make more informed decisions for social good. As part of this goal, Rice is teaching a PhD-level course on data-driven decision-making in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, equipping the next generation of social work scholars with new tools for understanding how artificial intelligence can promote social justice.
Data-driven decision-making at USC CAIS
Rice himself admits he stumbled upon data-driven decision-making for social good by happenstance. “I was pursuing my PhD in sociology when I became really interested in social network science,” he said. “What began as a love of math transformed into committed research on HIV prevention among homeless youth.” It was here that Rice discovered the potential of data modeling and analysis to help solve critical social issues.
Eventually, Rice partnered with Milind Tambe, Helen N. and Emmett H. Jones Professor in Engineering and Professor of Computer Science and Industrial and Systems Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, with whom he co-founded USC CAIS.
Together, they applied mathematical modeling to simulate influence processes in homeless youth—leading to the launch of Have You Heard?, a pilot study launched at USC CAIS. Have You Heard? utilized an algorithm named HEALER to develop and analyze in-person social networks of homeless youth in order to help drop-in center staff elect socially-connected youth representatives trained to diffuse critical health information throughout their communities.
Since kicking off Have You Heard?, Rice has become more invested in training the next generation of social workers to identify meaningful applications for data-driven decision-making in social work.
Empowering social work students to harness data for social good
“The social work curriculum at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work provides a robust academic toolbox by which students can succeed in everything from one-on-one clinical therapy settings to systemic reform initiatives,” said Rice. “My course on data-driven decision-making is designed to augment social work frameworks by introducing new quantitative tools that empower students to better contextualize problems, develop interventions and forecast outcomes.”
The course is informed by the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work, a dynamic agenda outlined by the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare designed to create a more just society. These challenges include bridging critical health gaps, eliminating family violence, ending homelessness, promoting decarceration, harnessing technology for social good, achieving equal opportunity and more.
In the first few weeks of the course, Rice’s students master the fundamentals of statistics. As they become more discerning consumers of data, students learn how to identify prevalent issues within their communities, pinpoint needs and assess the findings of their research. Eventually, they broach artificial intelligence and the study of how machine learning algorithms can be applied to advance the goals of social work. Finally, students design their own AI projects that address one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work.
“Student capstones propose innovative solutions to tough social issues, from traumatic brain injuries in veterans and homelessness in LGBT populations to the sexual exploitation of high school students,” said Rice.
Rice stresses that “data itself isn’t going to save the world,” but believes that “data can be thoughtfully deployed in the design of new interventions, the process of policymaking and powerful outreach initiatives that seek to create a more just world.”
