Tech Solutions Helping Foster Care Systems In Crisis

The Nonprofit Show

Learn from this inspiring journey how innovative technology is being used to address the systemic challenges within foster care, with Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, co-founder and CEO of Connect Our Kids. She shares how they’re working to provide tools to make a difference for the lives of over 400,000 children currently in the foster care system.

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An amazing series of connections. . . . . . . . Dr. Jacobs, whose background in nuclear engineering and counter-terrorism may seem unrelated to child welfare at first glance, was motivated to take action after reading about the foster care crisis. She discovered alarming parallels between the methods used to map terrorist networks and the processes that could be adapted to find families for foster children. “The foster care community does similar work with Post-it notes and Microsoft Excel,” Jacobs pointed out, highlighting the severe resource limitations faced by social workers.

Her organization's groundbreaking software helps social workers efficiently locate biological family members, strengthening critical kinship ties that can profoundly affect a child’s well-being. For example, Dr. Jacobs shares the heart-wrenching story of Kelly, a foster child who was repeatedly moved between homes. After being asked what would help her most, Kelly responded, "I want people in my life who aren't paid to be there." Using Connect Our Kids’ tools, Kelly was reunited with her biological family in just 20 minutes—a life-changing moment that allowed her to finally begin healing!!

The conversation between host Wendy Adams and Dr. Jacobs amplifies the crucial role of relationships in a child's development. Dr. Jacobs elaborates on the science behind this, commenting, “Relationships are key to the wiring of the brain,” which makes family and kinship connections indispensable for long-term emotional and mental health.

Watch this fascinating conversation and you’ll agree that while technology alone cannot solve the foster care crisis, it is an essential tool that, when paired with compassionate, skilled social workers, it can dramatically improve outcomes for children in need.

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