School is out—and report cards are in. The State of Minnesota has received its own evaluation, and the results show troubling deficiencies in how we protect children from abuse and neglect.
Between October 2024 and March 2025, 66 child welfare cases were randomly selected for a federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). These cases were assessed across three essential areas: safety, permanency, and well-being. The findings are clear—and deeply concerning. Minnesota is falling short on several federally mandated standards, revealing major gaps in how the state safeguards and supports vulnerable children and families.
One of the most alarming failures was in the timeliness of initiating investigations into child maltreatment. Each year, we know that thousands of children do not receive a timely visit from a social worker after a report is screened in, delaying critical steps toward safety. The state also underperformed in areas such as assessing risk and safety, and acknowledged more training is needed in this area.
These are not abstract metrics—they reflect real lives and real consequences. That’s why we will continue to monitor these and other measures closely. Accountability isn’t optional; it’s essential. We cannot afford to keep failing federal standards—and more importantly, we cannot afford to keep failing children.