The core components of Minnesota’s child welfare system include the social services needed to implement case plans, attorneys for children, foster homes, and staff – for child protection, foster care, guardians ad litem and County Attorneys.
What is the ‘right-size’ for this system, meaning how much funding does each component and the program overall need to do the job?
No one knows. And the question probably won’t be entertained during the 2018 legislative session, which started this week. Legislators say they won’t consider additional dollars even though caseloads are rising, and the state continues to overburden counties by funding only 21% of the program’s cost (one of the lowest rates nationally).
We must start building the case this year for right-sizing child welfare so the 2019-2020 legislative session produces adequate funding.