LOS ANGELES, Dec. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HackerEarth, a leader in innovation management software, has been chosen to host a Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) hackathon in Los Angeles from 9th - 10th December 2017. Other partners include The National Association of Social Workers - CA, Technology Council (NASW-CA Tech Council) and various influential associations, such as Anita Borg - Los Angeles. The program was officially launched today during the “Women Transform Tech - An Event For Child Safety” held at City National Bank in association with Anita Borg Institute - LA.
This unique hackathon is the brainchild of NASW-CA Technology Council who saw the need to address the fight against child abuse in the US through technology. The mission of CAP is to bring together child safety advocates and technology experts to create innovative solutions that will lead to reduction of child abuse and address the challenges of children when they are in imminent danger.
According to a report by the Children’s Bureau, published in January 2017, the number of child abuse referrals has increased from 3.6 million to 4 million. The report also indicates an increase in child deaths from abuse and neglect to 1,670 in 2015, up from 1,580 in 2014. This hackathon aims to merge technology and child advocacy to prevent crimes against minors. The themes have been created to find solutions to the lack of technology-backed solutions which can improve response rates to abuse cases, link government agencies to maximize coordination and support nonprofit agencies for collaboration.
The hackathon has been divided into three distinct themes/problem statements:
- Solutions to approach government agencies in times of crisis: Most government agencies are active only during business hours, which poses a problem to those who want to report a crime at night or on weekends.
- Solutions for Nonprofit agencies to collaborate: Due to the lack of collaboration between nonprofit agencies, it has been difficult for them to pool in their efforts and resources to address the larger issues.
- Solutions for first responders: In case of emergencies, first responders (federal, state, county, and municipal) and nonprofits are not linked together. Thus, it is difficult to coordinate and provide necessary services when children are in crisis or facing imminent danger. Most of the time, a band-aid approach is used. Lack of funding and resources can further delay processes. More often than not, the response itself is limited at best and may place the child at further risk and harm.
The hackathon has been designed to allow developers to strengthen the response system used by government agencies and nonprofit agencies during cases of child abuse. Without a robust process in place, it has become challenging for victims to report crimes and access the right organizations.
The Child Abuse Protection hackathon will be held in Los Angeles on December 9th to December 10th, 2017. Participation is open to coders as well as social workers. Mentors will be provided to the teams for guidance. Some of the transformational leaders who are supporting the event and will be giving feedback on the solutions are:
- Dr. Diane Adams, Executive Board Member and United States Representative for the United Nations. She is also the founder for the American Public Health Association – Health Informatics Information Technology Section (APHA-HIIT)
- Dr. Michael Durfee, MD Chief Consultant, Los Angeles County Interagency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, ICAN
- Telle Whitney, CEO/Cofounder, Anita Borg
To know more about the hackathon and register, please visit:
https://www.hackerearth.com/sprints/child-abuse-prevention/
Supporting Quotes
Sachin Gupta, CEO and Cofounder, HackerEarth
“We are extremely humbled to lend our expertise in conducting The Child Abuse Protection hackathon, along with other partners such as the NASW-CA Technology Council and the various associations that have united together to fight child abuse. Prevention of child abuse is no longer just the job of social workers and law enforcement agencies. Involving the tech community will help these agencies respond faster and quicker. This hackathon is the right platform for those individuals who are passionate about technology and would like to contribute to the society.”
Ruby Guillen
Co-Chair, National Association of Social Workers - CA, Technology Council
Chair of Member, American Public Health Association – Health Informatics Information Technology Section (APHA-HIIT)
“HackerEarth has provided us a great platform to drive our hackathon. Reduction of fatal child abuse and severe violence is best addressed from a collaborative approach - social/human and health services, technology and data science. Together, we gain a stronger understanding of how to be the voice to the children in imminent danger. We hope to see a good participation from developers and are looking forward to receiving innovative ideas and solutions.”
About HackerEarth
HackerEarth is the leading provider of innovation management software to some of the world’s foremost companies, including Pitney Bowes, Amazon, Walmart Labs, Honeywell, and more. HackerEarth has powered innovation and talent management for large enterprises across major industries such as financial services, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. HackerEarth empowers businesses to connect with the developer community to crowdsource ideas into real-life products and helps them assess technical talent for hiring. For more information about offerings from HackerEarth, visit https://www.hackerearth.com
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