As highlighted in a previous post, The Coalition, a group of frontline child protection professionals, recently urged the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Council on Child Protection to prioritize child safety in all welfare decisions. A key recommendation is that a public awareness campaign be launched about the dangers of fentanyl and similar substances left within children’s reach.
This warning is urgent. In our upcoming 2023-2024 Child Fatalities from Maltreatment report, Safe Passage documents that fentanyl remains a leading cause of child deaths. While such cases declined from 42.8% of all child maltreatment deaths in 2022-2023 to 20.45% this report period, that still represents a steep rise from just 1.1% of deaths in our first report. Most overdose victims were young children who accidentally ingested fentanyl or residue. These are wholly preventable tragedies.
Safe Passage continues to push for accountability. We supported legislation that makes it a felony to knowingly expose a child to fentanyl. This is an important step toward stronger protections.
We’re also working to raise awareness. KARE 11’s Lauren Leamanczyk recently aired a powerful two-part series on the growing number of fentanyl-related child deaths, featuring the stories of Jackson Weidell and Mi’Vida Vorlicky, both of whom are in our upcoming report. Our Interim Executive Director, Melissa DeBilzan, was interviewed in the broadcast, emphasizing the need to treat fentanyl exposure as a serious threat in child protection cases.
Policy change is critical to prevent these unnecessary deaths. But it isn’t enough. Clear messaging is needed to widely communicate the dangers of exposing children to fentanyl.