Safe Passage for Children’s top policy priority this legislative session is to improve training for mandated reporters. The current training is largely focused on encouraging a process labeled PASS, during which educators, health care personnel and others required to report evidence of child maltreatment are advised to “pause, assess, self-reflect and support” before reaching out to counties. This could discourage or delay reports from being called in. The training spends mere minutes advising reporters on how to recognize signs of maltreatment, which is necessary for identifying potentially unsafe situations.
Working with Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia), we have been able to advocate for a bill, HF 1346, that would require the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to redesign the current training to focus at least half of its instruction on identifying signs of neglect as well as physical, sexual, emotional and threatened abuse. It would also require DCYF to create training with input from professionals who have specialized knowledge related to maltreatment, which is common sense.
The bill was unanimously passed in the Minnesota House on March 17. The state Senate has since received it (SF 2350) and is expected to vote on whether to pass it on the Senate floor next Wednesday, April 23.
This bill is crucial in the fight to protect children who are at risk of abuse and neglect. Mandated reporters file the vast majority of reports to child protection agencies. Giving mandated reporters the tools and knowledge to act when needed is necessary for protecting children. Because of this, we urge you to contact your state senator before next Wednesday and ask for their support of S.F. 2350. Explain the importance of this bill and how it could save a child’s life. Be sure to include your name and address at the bottom.
Child safety is a nonpartisan issue; we speak for these children because they cannot speak for themselves.
Sample email:
Senator,
As a constituent in your district and advocate with Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota, I hope you’ll vote in favor of SF 2350, which is being considered on the Senate Floor on April 23. This bill would improve the training for mandated reporters so they know how to identify and when to report suspected abuse. Each year thousands of children suffer preventable harm and dozens die due to neglect and maltreatment. This bill is a vital step toward prioritizing children’s safety. On behalf of the children in our community, I would very much appreciate your support of SF 2350.
Sincerely,
[Your name and home address]
Look up your state senator HERE.
Safe Passage is advocating not only for data transparency, but also for improvements in our child welfare system. As the only government watchdog group of its kind in Minnesota, we invite you to join us in looking out for kids.