We suggest you save this Child Welfare Monitor article because it includes a readable primer/refresher on the entire child protection process, and highlights key data from the new federal 2018 Child Maltreatment Report.
Interesting statistics include that Minnesota decreased its average response time for maltreatment reports from 134 to 79 hours since 2014, compared with 92 hours nationally. This demonstrates counties’ commitment to tighter standards and investments in over 400 new caseworkers.
Also, the number of substantiated child maltreatment reports grew in Minnesota from 3.2 to 6.0 children per 1,000 since 2014. This trend is probably an appropriate response to highly publicized child fatalities, although it remains lower than the national rate of 9.2 per 1,000.
These comparisons don’t necessarily demand specific policy responses, but do help identify useful questions.