In a recent post we shared that Minnesota media reported 17 child fatalities and three near-fatalities from maltreatment in the past 18 months.
15 of these 20 cases were either:
- Known to child protection locally or in another county or state
- Known to other authorities such as law enforcement, or
- Were put in their fatal placement by counties or courts, including adoptions, foster homes, kinship placements and court-appointed guardians
Four of the five deaths not known to anyone were infants just a few days or weeks old, where only the family would see the danger.
Child protection agencies can’t do it alone. They need other jurisdictions, law enforcement, courts, domestic violence programs and others to notice dangerous situations and alert child protection to them in time to save lives.