The computer system is adding to our already existing struggle with the agency

In April 2026, I was dealing with Allegheny County Department of Human Services in Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Family Screening Tool became another thing to fight. Not only are you fighting the agency, now you have to fight this computer system too.

CPS workers still make decisions, and people still program the tool. That is why it does not help to say the computer did it. A parent needs to know what information was used, who checked it, and how to correct it. Without that, the system just adds another closed door to a process families already do not trust.

Citation: (Stapleton et. al, 2022)