Advocacy

• Child maltreatment happens every day across the state. About 200 reports were called into counties each day (76,000 calls per year) in 2021
• Few reports are investigated. More than half of all calls are “screened out” – meaning no further action is taken. Of the calls that are “screened in,” less than half are actually investigated
• Multiple reports are too common. About 20 percent of children in the system have more than one report filed in a 12-month period.
• The state’s case management system (SSIS) is inefficient. One county leader recently said workers spend at least half their time completing documentation in the system – rather than directly serving children and families.
• Substance abuse is a growing concern for neglect. In 2021, about 1,700 children were hospitalized for nonfatal drug overdoses – one third of them were under age 5.
• Each child’s death is preventable. There were 25 children who died from child maltreatment in 2022. Essentially, one child was killed every two weeks. There are many cracks in the system that need to be fixed.

Join us in advocating for stronger protections for at-risk children.

• Expand and strengthen our advocacy Coalition to continue to improve Minnesota’s protection of children.
• Fiscal analysis for child protection spending such as opportunities to access federal, state, and local revenue streams
• Injury education/infographics for licensed childcare providers and parents required for use in staff and parent education in schools and daycares.

• Mandated reporter training/education
  Mandated reporters make the vast majority of reports of maltreatment to local agencies. These people work in health care, law enforcement, mental health, social services, education and childcare. The current DHS-sponsored training spends far too much time encouraging mandated reporters to “PASS” before making a report. Mere seconds are spent on recognizing signs of physical abuse. We’re advocating for a complete overhaul of the training.Additionally, in the wake of child abuse charges at a Blaine daycare center, we support the development of infographics and other materials that educate the public on warning signs. Bruises on infants, for example, should be considered suspicious.

• Child fatalities and near fatalities reporting
  Information about child injuries and fatalities is not easily accessible. Most of the information we compiled for our own fatality reports came from the media. Child deaths are buried into the state’s annual maltreatment reports with few details about the circumstances surrounding their deaths. A new law is set to go into effect in late 2026, requiring the state to publish an annual summary of child fatalities. However, we would like to see more information about individual cases and will continue to advocate for greater transparency.

• Allocation of state dollars toward child protection
  In recent years, millions in state and federal funding have been left on the table. This money could have been put toward prevention services as well as case management. Last year a bill was introduced to conduct a fiscal analysis of the child welfare system in Minnesota, including an analysis of available funding sources for federal, state, county and tribal systems. However, it didn’t pass. We will be urging legislators to revisit this bill in 2025.

• Mandated Reporter Training across entities achieve consistency with State Statute 260E.055 or 260E.065
• Expansion of the African American Preservation Act to include measurement of results.

Establish a Supreme Court Council on Child Protection (HF 4727, SF 4761)
Authors: Representative Pinto, Senator Mitchell

Concerned professionals and citizen groups have long advocated for meaningful review and reform of child welfare policies and practices. Forming this Council is authority to suggest statutory changes will improve child welfare in Minnesota. This bill:

• Establishes a Supreme Court Council on Child Protection as part of Minnesota’s Court Improvement Program with the goal of the Council being to develop a comprehensive blueprint to improve Minnesota’s child protection system.  
• Ensures that a dedicated group of stakeholders and policy makers are examining the child protection system and making recommendations for changes to current law to improve outcomes for children.  

Remove Barriers for Reporting Child Maltreatment (HF 4793, SF 4037)
Authors: Representative Nash, Senator Mitchell

The prevention of or obstruction to a mandated reporter’s obligations to report Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) must have consequences to bear. Unreported CAN results in continued unsafe environments for children who are unable to advocate for their own safety. This bill:  

• Prohibits entities that employ mandatory reporters from having any policies that prevent or discourage mandatory or voluntary reporters from reporting suspected or alleged maltreatment of a child.  
• Makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally prevent or attempt to prevent a person mandated to report CAN from reporting.  

Improve Process for Reporting Child Fatalities:  (HF 4697, SF 4877)
Authors: Representative Pinto, Senator Mitchell

The mortality review process for child fatalities or near fatalities is inconsistent and arbitrary. Strict adherence to identified review parameters will yield information for system improvement and avoidance of future death and injury. This bill: 

• Establishes a child mortality review panel to review critical incidents related to child maltreatment with the purpose of the panel being to identify systemic changes to improve child safety and well-being.