One of the ways the state tracks its progress in child protection is by measuring maltreatment rereporting – the proportion of children reported for suspected abuse or neglect more than once within a year.
In 2024, 18 percent of children involved with the system were rereported. That’s more than 5,600 children who showed signs of continued or recurring harm, warranting further investigation or intervention. In other words, these were legitimate reports; they weren’t screened out like most reports.
The state’s “performance standard” sets the acceptable rereporting rate at 15 percent or lower. But Minnesota has exceeded this threshold for five consecutive years.
Even more alarming are the numbers for 2025.
By the end of May – less than five months into this year – more than 4,600 children had already been reported more than once within a 12-month period, putting the state on pace for an exceptionally high number of children with multiple reports.
What does all this mean? One possibility is that some caregivers are not making necessary changes to protect children. Another possibility is that local agencies are failing to hold those caregivers accountable. Most likely, it’s a combination of both.
In early June, Safe Passage asked the state to explain these troubling numbers – especially after learning that the state intends to pause this performance measure. We didn’t receive a response. We followed up again one week later. Still no answer.
This is just one example of how Safe Passage is monitoring data that often goes unseen outside of state agencies. And this is why transparency is so important.
We will continue to press the state for public data that can influence policy and protect children. Because every number counts–and every child matters.