The pipeline follows a teacher-student design. The teacher is a committee of small language models that reads narratives and judges whether a concept is present. The student is an encoder model, a different type of system from a generative language model and one that is even smaller and more efficient than the teacher; it learns from the teacher's judgments and then applies the concept across the full collection of narratives quickly and at low cost. Human reviewers anchor both ends of the process: they guide the definition of each concept at the start and validate the results at the end. The steps below describe this process in non-technical terms.
Human oversight is concentrated at the two ends of the pipeline. A person guides the language-model interaction that builds each bundle at the start, and a person validates results through a review tool optimized to facilitate review at the end. Between those ends, steps two through five run automatically; once the bundle is defined, each stage passes its output to the next without manual intervention, through to the final validation.
Internal κ is the model's own accuracy: held-out Cohen's κ against human or committee labels on data it never saw. External validation is a separate, independent check, claimed only where the evidence supports the measure. Projected ranges rest on prior testing and calibration, in which internal κ has generally fallen within ±.06 of human-review κ; for constructs not yet independently reviewed, the projected band therefore marks where human-review agreement is expected to fall. Expand any construct for its definition and the full validation record.
Caregiver joblessness or loss of employment contributing to economic strain.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Lack of reliable transportation affecting access to services, appointments, or employment.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
The family or child lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; the indicator is anchored to the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness.
Formal or informal loss of housing through eviction proceedings.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Loss or threatened loss of essential utilities such as heat, water, or electricity.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Sub-threshold housing conditions that fall short of homelessness but can precede it, based on structural problems with the home, eviction risk, late or missed payments, and utility shutoff.
The household has limited or uncertain access to adequate food; the indicator is anchored to the USDA definition of food insecurity — a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
The household is behind on rent, or unable to afford its rental payment, as a financial strain distinct from a formal eviction process.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
The family currently occupies a dwelling that is physically unsafe or inadequate — failing utilities from disrepair, severe infestation, structural hazards, mold, or serious code violations — while still living there.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A homeowner household is losing, or at risk of losing, a home they own through mortgage default or the foreclosure process, distinct from renter eviction.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A pattern of hardship-driven housing impermanence — repeated moves or an inability to maintain stable housing over time — as distinct from a single or voluntary move.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Presence of, access to, or use of firearms in the household, a safety-relevant risk factor.
Indicators of labor or sex trafficking involving a child or caregiver.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Intimate-partner violence in the household, whether witnessed by or directed at children.
Indication that a child or caregiver has an autism spectrum diagnosis or related developmental profile relevant to service needs.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder noted for a child or caregiver, relevant to behavioral and treatment context.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Suicidal ideation, attempts, or self-harm by a child or caregiver noted in the narrative.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Presence of a severe psychiatric condition (for example psychosis, bipolar disorder, major depression) affecting caregiving capacity.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A birthing or postpartum caregiver experiencing a mental-health condition — depression, anxiety, or psychosis — during pregnancy or the first year after birth.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A child with a developmental delay, intellectual or developmental disability, or special-education need affecting cognitive, motor, speech, or adaptive development, beyond a bare autism or ADHD mention.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Prenatal substance exposure identified at or near birth.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
Chronic school absenteeism by a child.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A child with a long-term medical condition requiring ongoing care.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A parent or caregiver is in jail or prison, affecting caregiving continuity.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A caregiver's involvement with the criminal-justice system as an offender — arrest, charges, probation or parole, warrants, or incarceration — broader than incarceration alone.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
References to the pandemic and its effects on the household or case.
Mentions of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder (methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone) involving a caregiver or household member.
Any indication that opioids, prescription or illicit, are implicated in the case, spanning use, exposure, or treatment.
Specific references to fentanyl or synthetic-opioid involvement, a marker of elevated overdose risk in the household.
References to crack or powder cocaine use or possession by a caregiver or household member.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
References to methamphetamine use, manufacture, or exposure, including contamination concerns for children in the home.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
A broad indicator that substance use is contributing to caregiving impairment or child-safety concerns, independent of the specific substance.
Current, ongoing opioid use as distinct from history or treatment, indicating present risk in the household.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
References to cannabis use by a caregiver; interpretation shifts with the legalization era.
References to alcohol misuse by a caregiver or household member affecting child safety.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.
An acute drug, medication, or alcohol overdose event involving a case-relevant person — accidental or intentional, fatal or non-fatal — as distinct from general substance use.
Internal-anchored placeholder (internal κ ±.06, capped at 1.0). It cannot corroborate the internal figure because it is derived from it; it marks a construct awaiting external validation.