Recently the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has exerted more leadership in child protection and foster care.
But there is room for growth.
For example, according to the 2016 Child Maltreatment Report, the percentage of reports screened in for service increased slightly to 41% statewide, but the range among counties was very large, from 22% to 82% — not a way to ensure consistent child safety.
Also, re-reports of maltreatment for purportedly low risk Family Assessment cases are higher than for investigations — 21% versus 18%. Why is that?
And, while the number of Family Assessment referrals dropped from 73% to 61%, that’s far from the original goal of 25%, and again, county results varied widely.
DHS should be actively managing these performance measures to ensure uniformly excellent practices statewide.