Media Contact:
January 24, 2025
Lilly Price
lillian.price@maryland.gov
Maryland Department of Human Services Announces Creation of Data Office
Baltimore, MD — The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) announces the creation of the DHS Data Office. This office is designed to modernize the agency’s data collection and public reporting across its various programs and divisions. Today, we will launch the data office’s webpage and data on replacing stolen benefits, followed by an interactive dashboard on stolen benefits and the release of child fatality reports next month.
The newly formed office will bring together and help coordinate experts from across DHS, including its Social Services, Family Investment, and Child Support Administrations, and local offices. The team aims to model transparency by streamlining and modernizing our data management and sharing practices.
“We are building a heart-led, data-driven culture, a key component of the Moore-Miller administration value set,” said Rafael López, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Services. “We are committed to being transparent in a way the Department has not previously modeled — making deliberate improvements to our data collection system by first gaining a greater understanding of where it falls short. Our ultimate goal is to make child wellbeing and support in Maryland highly effective and measurably more accountable to the families we serve.”
We are focused on the first set of standardized reporting for:
- Replacement of stolen cash benefits statistics.
- The release of individual redacted child fatality reports.
- Key measures from our Family Investment and Social Services Administrations.
The Data Office’s goals are to:
- Use Real-Time Data to Drive Decisions: Improving service delivery and directing resources where the data shows they are needed most.
- Improve Data Sharing Across DHS Departments: Internally, we have different, often duplicative ways of tracking data on similar measures or subject areas. A streamlined data-sharing approach across departments will allow our teams to make better decisions that serve our DHS stakeholders and constituents.
- Ensure Data Privacy, Safety, and Accountability: Promoting practices that ensure data is collected and shared in a secure, transparent manner, with safeguards in place to protect the privacy of the individuals we serve, is paramount to accountability.
The Data Office will also work closely with local government partners, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive approach to data modernization.
The first three projects will be:
- Releasing data around the replacement of stolen benefits;
- An interactive digital dashboard showcasing key departmental statistics from FIA and SSA; and
- For the first time in the Department’s history, making child fatality reports publicly available in partnership with State’s Attorney’s Offices statewide.
We look forward to sharing this information with you. For more information on the Maryland Department of Human Services, please visit www.dhs.maryland.gov.
