My husband had a job working for the state. He was young, and it was temporary, but it left a lasting impression. He worked with IT, tasked with designing a more efficient system for social workers to track their cases. This was long ago: back when technology was just beginning to reshape daily life.
The urgency was clear: social workers were overwhelmed, especially in larger cities. They struggled to keep track of the kids in their care, particularly those who had “aged out” and slipped away,...