This morning, a group of lawmakers will gather to discuss potential reforms to the child welfare system in Minnesota.
In the first three weeks of 2024, there were 2,569 children who had child protection reports closed. Of those children, only 85 percent received a timely response from the state. Almost 400 of those children didn’t receive a face-to-face visit within the time limit specified by state statute.
This measure has been falling short of the state’s 100 percent performance standard for years. And some counties fare worse than others. Based on the data, a child living in Pine County may be less likely to be seen as quickly as a child in Olmsted County.
Geography shouldn’t determine the response and resources provided to children. We can do better. So how do we fix these and other problems?
The Legislative Task Force on Child Protection has been meeting twice a month leading up to the start of the session. They’ve discussed ways to potentially increase funding for child protection, study the feasibility of a state-run versus county-run system, provide additional training for police officers, address persistent biases that lead to racial disparities, and other matters.
There are many problems, and for every problem, a number of possible solutions. However, we need legislators to pay attention to these issues for years to come. Not just this year. Not just after the media reports on more children who have been harmed or murdered because of failures in the system.
The public is invited to tune into the livestream of the task force meeting, which takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on February 9. (A recording will be available if you miss it.) We encourage you to listen in. Let us know your impressions of their discussions. Consider how you can become more involved as we speak up for children this year.
After all, it takes a village.