RFI - Child Welfare Technology Vendor Demonstrations.docx

Request for Information (RFI)

Demonstrating Technology Capabilities for Child Welfare Programs

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services

SUMMARY

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) invites technology vendors to participate in demonstration sessions showcasing innovative solutions that address challenges faced by child welfare systems across the nation. ACF seeks to understand industry capabilities and offerings that can enhance child welfare service delivery through advanced technologies.

These demonstration sessions will show what is possible and what is already transforming child welfare programs. Responses will inform ACF's technology strategy and support of child welfare agencies nationwide.

DATES

Responses are required by July 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

OBJECTIVES

· Identify innovative technology solutions that address critical challenges in child welfare programs and are already transforming child welfare programs

· Understand current industry offerings that can enhance child welfare information systems, including service delivery and workforce support

· Understand the effectiveness and interoperability of available solutions

· Gather insights on implementation considerations, including training requirements, and integration capabilities

DEMONSTRATION FORMAT

ACF anticipates hosting multiple demonstration days in 2025, featuring four vendors per session. Each demonstration session will last approximately 1-2 hours, allowing vendors to showcase their technology capabilities in a virtual format.

Potential demonstration locations include:

· Fully Virtual (October 2025)

· Hybrid Virtual / Washington, DC (TBD)

· Hybrid Virtual / Location outside of DC (TBD)

KEY CHILD WELFARE CHALLENGES TO ADDRESS

ACF is seeking technology solutions that may address one or more of the following critical challenges in child welfare and ACF welcomes technology demonstrations that address other challenges not identified below:

1. Continuous Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance - Tools to monitor, evaluate, and enhance service delivery and outcomes

2. Family Finding - Solutions to identify and engage extended family members and support networks in child placements

3. Federal Reporting - Tools to streamline and improve accuracy in mandatory federal reporting requirements

4. Foster Home Recruitment and/or Licensing - Tools to streamline recruitment, screening, training, and/or monitoring of foster homes

5. Individualized Assessments - Technologies that support assessments for children and families

6. Outcome Measurement - Solutions for tracking, analyzing, and reporting on program effectiveness and client outcomes

7. Safety or Risk Assessment - Advanced tools for evaluating and predicting safety concerns and risk factors for children and families

8. Service Linkages - Technologies that connect case participants with appropriate community resources and services, such as referrals for services, and confirmation of services accessed

9. Service Coordination - Solutions that facilitate collaboration among and across multiple service providers either at the case management level or at the system level, such as behavioral health, education, housing, transportation, etc.

10. Staff Recruiting and Training - Innovative approaches to onboarding, continuing education, and skill development for child welfare professionals

11. System Modernization - Approaches to update legacy systems and code bases, such as from COBOL to contemporary code or preserving historical data in more structured formats

12. Unstructured Data Transformation - Solutions that convert unstructured data (notes, documents) into structured, analyzable formats

SAMPLE USE CASES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

· Analytics tools that inform best practices in the child welfare program and support decision-making

· Cloud-based case management platforms

· Interoperability solutions between disparate systems

· Internet of Things (IoT) applications for monitoring and safety

· Mobile solutions for field-based casework

· Natural language processing to transform unstructured data into structured data

· Policy chat bots to help caseworkers research policy

· Predictive analytics for early intervention and prevention

· Robotic process automation for form completion and data entry

· Secure communication and collaboration tools

· Visualization tools for complex case data and relationships

· Virtual reality or simulation tools for training

ACF welcomes demonstrations of other innovative technology solutions not specifically listed above that address the identified child welfare challenges.

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA

ACF will likely hold multiple demonstration days. We plan to prioritize technologies with:

1. Proven demonstrated success in production environments - including metrics showing benefits to child welfare programs, such as reduced time to finding kin or workforce support (to address staff retention crisis). Existing promising pilots will be considered.

2. Time to delivery – how much time it takes to stand up this technology in a real-world setting.

3. Modularity and interoperability - ability to integrate with existing systems and other components

4. Open-source availability – whether the technology is an open-source solution or components

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Full RFI responses should be a Microsoft Word or PDF document with the following formatting:

· Page size: 8.5 by 11 inches

· Font: Times New Roman, Size 12

· Spacing: No less than single spacing between lines

· Charts: Calibri font, Size 11

· Maximum length: Two (2) pages

RFI responses should give ACF a high-level understanding of:

1. The problem(s) solved

a. Clearly identify which child welfare challenge(s) the solution addresses

b. Explain how the technology provides innovative approaches to these challenges

2. Overview of successful use in a state, tribe, locality, or territory

a. Include agency/company name, type of contract, total dollar value, and description

b. Provide metrics demonstrating impact and effectiveness

3. Description of implementation considerations, such as:

a. Business model (COTS, SaaS, etc.)

a. Include information on typical implementation timelines and resource requirements

b. How the technology interacts with existing child welfare technology systems (key components, data flows, and integration points)

4. Open source vs. closed source components and availability

a. Clearly identify which components are open source and which are proprietary

b. Describe licensing models and any restrictions on use or modification

HOW TO RESPOND

Submit responses through the ACF Child Welfare Demo Day RFI Response Form.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS

No later than July 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

RFI TIMELINE

Dates may be modified or amended by ACF, which will post an amendment to this RFI notifying prospective respondents and the public of any change.

DISCLAIMER

Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and will not affect any vendor's ability to submit an offer if, or when, a solicitation is released. This is being issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or obligation on the part of the Government. Neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kinds of offers will be considered at this time. No entitlement to payment by the Government of direct or indirect costs or charges will arise as a result of the submission of information in response to this RFI.

CONFIDENTIALITY

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).