Last week I published the preliminary recommendations that were introduced in the December 12, 2014 meeting of the Governor’s Task Force on the Protection of Children (CPS Task Force). The Initial Recommendations report that was due by December 31, 2014, is now available on the CPS Task Force’s webpage: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/childprotectiontaskforce. You can also download the draft here.

Most Preliminary Recommendations Are Included

It appears that nearly all of preliminary recommendations I listed in my previous blog posts (here, here, and here) were included in the Initial Recommendations. The only preliminary recommendations that were not included in the Initial Recommendations report were those that were contingent on whether Minnesota retains its current two-track Differential Response system; these include allowing the consideration of a family’s prior use of Family Assessment in track assignment decision making, allowing agency discretion in assigning a report to Family Investigation over Family Assessment, and considering whether screeners should be making track assignment decisions.

Overall, in the Initial Recommendations report, there was a strong emphasis on keeping child safety at the forefront of screening, assessing, and investigating. The report noted that the CPS Task Force is still considering the efficacy of Family Assessment, and that “a recommendation regarding the future of a two-track child protection system is still under review” (p. 5). There was also a greater emphasis on reducing cultural and racial disparities through the development of a culturally competent workforce and the use of culturally competent services; in fact, the conclusion states:

In the course of this work there also must be an emphasis on the disparities that exist in the child protection system and how to address racial and cultural bias from a policy, practice and resource perspective. The safety and well-being of Minnesota children depends on the cultural competency of the entire system. (p. 10)

For a comprehensive list of the recommendations included in the final Initial Recommendations report, see the following blog posts, which have been updated to reflect the minor changes found in the final report:

Other Additions to the Report

Funding and Resources

A more detailed description of the adequacy of resources in Minnesota was added to the Initial Recommendations report. Important points are:

  1. There has been a significant reduction in annual funding—$41.8 million—from all sources of revenue since 2002.
  2. There is a wide range of per capita spending on children’s services among counties—from $92 to $647.
  3. There is also a wide range among counties of the types of services and supports provided to children and families.
  4. Local property tax funding covers about half of all child welfare expenditures in Minnesota.
  5. Revenue available for children’s services is 54% county, 27% federal, and 15% state.

Training and Supervision

The report also includes additional recommendations that the Training and Supervision workgroup is considering. These include workforce-related issues (specifically social work licensure, student loan forgiveness programs, and staff recruitment and retention), adequate training for mandated reporters, and general oversight issues (including programs and services such as Child Mortality Reviews, Child and Family Services Reviews, and the DHS Rapid Consultation and Support System).

Appendices

Several appendices were included in the Initial Recommendations report. In addition to a list of definitions and acronyms, including statutory references (Appendix A), there is a table of recommendation implications (Appendix B), in which each recommendation is listed as having an impact on statute, practice, training, and/or SSIS (the state’s Social Services Information System), as well as whether the recommendation will have a financial impact on the county and/or the state. Appendix C is more detailed overview of the Funding and Resources section; this was also included in the preliminary recommendations draft.